Unexpected extras at private schools

DC school; we pay for trips (but many students don't go for the expensive/ trips abroad ones.
Uniform, but I buy mostly from sec hand shop.
Music lessons and lunch extras.

When you're facing a big expense over many years, it's daft to not gather as much info as poss about all kinds of things.

Definitely build up a bug list of Qs, financial,macademic and otherwise....they will be used to it and won't bat an eyelid.

Fwiw, we have lunches included and also basic day trips, but pay extra for residentials and any chargeable extra curricular - music, drama are the obvious ones. With Boarding I guess there is more scope for extras.

I'm a teacher at a private school and our two children attend on greatly reduced fees, however, we have to pay for all of the extras. These are:

• an annual allowance for school trips (I have no idea where this goes)
• all individual school trips (cost of bus plus entrance to the museum or wherever they're visiting)
• one-off workshops by external drama / music / sport specialists
• books (textbooks)
• iPad
• Mathematical calcuator
• usual pencil case stuff
• lunches (compulsory)
• uniform (polos, jumpers, tracksuits, sports' t-shirt and shorts, swimsuits, swimming hats, book bags, blazer, ties, skirt all have to be the official school ones which are ludicrously expensive and of varying quality, but I buy any the non-branded stuff like shirt, socks and trousers from supermarkets or department stores)

There would also be the cost of the school's buses, if the children took them (they cycle to school or catch a public bus), and individual music lessons or sports' clubs but we do that outside of school which seems to be cheaper at the moment (also helps them make a wider circle of friends).

There are frequent charity events which require donations of money and often something like a cake as well, plus the costumes for school plays and dress-up days which can add up especially if you have more than one child.

At DS2's full boarding school we paid for every text book, piece of paper, pen, art material and biggest bill of all public exams. We also paid for suits to be dry cleaned, the matron sold tooth paste shower gel etc. I don't think we paid for extra curricular activities apart from membership to professional organisation but we did pay for transport to matches etc but it was remarkably cheap, we obviously just paid the cost price of the petrol. We also paid into the Bupa private health insurance scheme. Over the five years it averaged £500-600 a term, occasionally a bit more the highest bills being when we paid for public exams.
My DS did a trip abroad every year, these were remarkably cheap, we usually paid around £600 for a week sometimes significantly less, this always included breakfast and dinner usually in a restaurant and entrance costs into museums etc, one refunded all parents £80 as there was money left over. Most letters about trip mentioned keeping the cost as low as possible. Frankly there were times when the itinerary was so full I assumed the school was heavily subsidising these trips but apparently not. I know I couldn't have organised it for less, ditto day trips into London to exhibitions etc many included a meal in a good restaurant and a trip to the theatre. On only one occasion were we sent a letter about a trip costing £3000 but it was for three weeks and the boys were expected to raise the money themselves (my DS didn't go so I don't know if they did or if parents ultimately stumped up the money). Just to add DS's school has one of the highest school fees in the UK and lots of exceedingly wealthy parents.
Do ask the bursar he won't mind.

If your DCs are boarding, trips out at weekends may well be chargeable but you cannot really say your DC won't go if the boarding cohort is pretty small and they will want to go anyway. Our school also insisted on a trunk, not a suitcase. We never paid for any curriculum exams, just extra exams. Some schools will charge admin for tickets for the school theatre. We didn't pay extra for charitable donations, but some schools are continually raising money for themselves - at our school it was relentless. Buy a brick, buy a name plaque, come to the ball at £100 a ticket, donate to the bursary fund, etc. If you cannot contribute, you do need a thick skin!

At the school I work in, all trips and books are out of departmental budgets, so nothing curricular is charged to parents.

Extras would be music lessons, and anything where an external instructor comes in, e.g. shooting, year-round tennis.

This is an expensive school though. Other schools I have worked at have charged parents for almost everything.

At my DDs' school, we are charged for educational visits, but there is always the proviso that if you can't afford them, to contact the bursar or the head.

Talk to the bursar of your prospective school before committing. They will understand.

Forgot music and music exams, they add up a bit, but it's a music school.
You may have extra curricular to pay for, maybe the odd school trip, or they may be regular.
It's best to talk to the bursar or another parent. Does the school have a forum or fb page.

The only extra we have are things like name tapes, washing bags, occasional trip to cinema, theme park etc.
Full uniform is cheaper than some state schools PE kit.
It depends on the school they are all different.
The same as state for donations to charity/ no uniform day donations £1

It is perfectly OK to ask the Bursar for the changing list for extras. Uniform is normally expensive but secondhand is useful if they do it. Ask. Our extras were pretty hefty for music, drama and dance. If you don't do these, then extras will be less. Some children had sports coaching in individual sports, eg tennis - an extra. We did not pay for books, exercise books, any meals, stationery or any day to day classroom necessities. Trips, though, were pretty expensive - £3000 for a hockey trip. Not that my girls were chosen for it - hockey squad only. We had lots of trips, but again, ask the school what they have run in the past and consider what is important, and what is not. If it is a curriculum trip, I would say factor it in. If you can get music lessons cheaper on a Saturday, do that.

My DDs (5) have everything included in their fees. Uniform isn't too expensive (second hand uniform shop is a life saver) and there is only one school trip later in the year.

12 year old's school also has everything included but I'd say costs an additional £1,000 in trips/ donations that are pretty much expected to be attended/given. It really depends on the school though.

We've just double checked with the bursar ourselves. Supposedly extra fees are £100-500 per term for the items listed as chargeable. Nothing is said about tickets for us to attend performances, non essential theatre trips, holidays, so I'm assuming these will be on top as would be the case at any school, but costing a lot more. Obviously we'll have to pay for uniform which won't be cheap, as well as providing things like duvet, covers, towels, hangers etc.

I went to a private school, not on an assisted place. About 4 terms before I finished GCSEs my family's financial situation declined. My parents visited the bursar and extras were waived, and they were given longer to pay the actual bill, so rather than paying termly up front, they payed monthly. The extras were school lunch (I had been taking packed lunch as the veggie option was dire in those days) and the school bus, which must have helped. That school never charged for coaches to sports events, books, clubs, or exam entrance. Or entrance to performances, although they may have accepted donations, I'm not sure.
Bursars are used to having these conversations. You need to know what you are committing to, and they realise this.

I think it varies considerably . Where DS is we pay extra for trips, music lessons and some activities such as Taekwondo. Occasional donations for charity days (1/term) which seems to be less often than many state schools. Lunches, most clubs/activities and 'wraparound' care from 8:00am-5:00pm are all included.

The main uniform doesn't seem particularly expensive apart from the blazer and to be fair it lasts for a couple of years. Uniform for sports kits seems to cost a fortune.

I would check with the school and try to get detailed lists from the bursar.

depends on school. We went from prep day school with very minimal extras - say £10-50 per term, to Senior boarding school where we pay £1000+ for extras.
Ask the bursar what a common extras bill would be.

2 different day senior schools
At both uniform reasonably priced, easy to source second hand, comparable in cost to many state schools.
Lunches extra at one, but exam fees included
Lunches included at the other but exam fees extra.
At both all after school clubs are free, as is early access am.
1:1 music lessons charged as extras, again same price as at local state schools.
1:1 extra dyslexia tution free at one, charged at £25/30 mins at the other.
You really need to check, it might be worth negotiating over lunch, or bus fares to see if there is any option for them to be thrown into the offer.

Yes of course, at some schools that might be so. At the 5 independent schools my DCs have been at/are at bursaries were offered after excelling in an entrance exam or offered (rarely) in the case of a existing worthy pupil whose family were thinking of withdrawing for financial reasons. All of the schools websites claimed to offer both bursaries and scholarships. But in reality, they were not always separate and no one would have got anywhere near the bursary pot without being a bit of a star ✨

if your DC is on a bursary, it's probably because they are highly academic or gifted in sport, music whatever

Not necessarily. As DSs school, and DDs potential schools, that's a scholarship. Bursaries are for low income.

Sorry, one more thing... if your DC is on a bursary, it's probably because they are highly academic or gifted in sport, music whatever. The school really wants such students because they raise the game for everyone else. Hence, if you ask, many extras might not be charged. But at the school I am thinking of (DC's previous sch), this wd only happen when parents asked. DC's friend was on a bursary there. The sch was so delighted with him, he got most extras free. But parents had to ask for this every time the bill came in at the end of term.

My DCs are at different schools. For one (a big name public school) the 'extras' come to £500-£900 per term. It's all carefully itemized and costed to the penny, fairly priced and covers trips out ice skating, cinema, theatre, occasional restaurants, hotel occasional accommodation for sports matches, extra stationery, snacks, sports socks etc. that DC buys from sch shop, extra materials used in art and DT, music lessons, sheet music, music exams and occasional paid for extra curricular activities (but most extra curricular things are free). At this school you do not pay for GCSE or A level exam entries. But there are a fair amount of charity donations just slapped on the bill. Plus compulsory insurance for dentistry and long term school absence.

For my other DC's school (a small independent 6th form college) there are (so far!) no extras. But next term's bill will be popping through the letterbox any day...

It's important to know what you will be charged for. Do ask the bursar to give examples of all the typical extras.

They all vary. At ds's school, lunches, books and other equipment as well as most clubs are all included.

Extra charge for school bus, music lessons and exam fees.

School trips are similar to or cheaper than local state schools.

No difference to state. Maybe more optional things on offer.

Same as in state schools. Lunches, breakfast and after school clubs, music tuition, residential trips, extra tutoring. There is a bit more pressure to go to trips maybe and the uniform is usually more pricey.

The only thing I was surprised about were exam fees.

Everything else was either same as state schools, even the uniform wasn't expensive.

Only my eldest has been through Independent school a few years back but we paid extras for;
Music lessons/Instrument hire, ballet grades are extra along with Drama/Lamda exams.
Uniforms, travel to/from school, lunches/evening snack.
Specialist equipment such as Lab Coats/goggles in Science or Sports kit (Hockey Stick/Tennis rackets/shin pads/gum shields etc)
Some charge GCSE/A Level exams extra
Trips abroad.
I'd budget around £2,000pa extra to cover these but consider there may be a residential to pay for too, also around £1,000-£2,000.
Some schools have the costs of these on their website so you can plan ahead or contact the Bursar.

Uniform and equipment was about £500 with a few second hand items.