School fee hike - freaking out slightly

State funded independent schools? 🤔Isn't that something of an oxymoron? Don't you think that if the government was giving money to a school they might want, not unreasonably, to then have some influence on how that school was run? You can't have your cake and eat it. And the "but we should get the tax we pay towards education back if we don't use it" argument doesn't hold water either. Take that to it's natural conclusion and childless people shouldn't have to contribute anything to education or maternity services, healthy people less to the NHS and so on. That's not how our society works.
(Though actually, some specialist independents do receive some government funding - or at least the pupils do, via the MDS scheme for example, but that's a bit different)

@Milksheikha I actually agree. In quite a lot of countries private schools get the equivalent of that child's state school funding and the fees top it up. I don't think that would go down well in the UK though.

I wonder what would happen if all the private schools closed and the government had to fund all schooling. It's ridiculous that independents get no government funding IMO.

@JustanotherBerkshiremum Oh of course! A good school will have a curriculum that is broad and each student should be able to find or be guided towards their niche. The A Level to Uni machine is so redundant. There are uni kids right now doing what your daughters housemates are doing. They will be made up of kids from all walks of life. Private schools have the pressure of results and Uni destinations so often pressure that route, whereas state schools don't have enough cash to to offer the breadth they'd like. That's the only reason I always say it's school Vs school not private Vs state.
I am not against private at all. I'm for choice. Not every school suits every child but unfortunately only those with money have true choice, whether that's by moving catchments or paying fees.

Anecdotally that might be correct @Dodgeitornot and there’s always the exception aka my DD who was privately educated, awarded a first class honours for her undergraduate degree and a distinction for her Masters degree while her third year uni housemates spent their time watching daytime TV and are still watching daytime TV as they’re unemployed.

@Truestorypeeps This is reflected in the studies done on uni students. The privately educated tend to struggle a lot more than state school kids. Having your hand held through your education does help, but it can easily disadvantage you. I've seen some awful state and private schools so it's not really one Vs the other. There's some awful bullying and drug use in some of our local privates. Even those with money prefer the state.

Some people need to realise that you can use the word 'sacrifice' and sacrifice things that are NOT the absolute basics and necessities of life. If you go without one thing, E.G. a new car, so that you can afford another, E.G. private schooling for your children, you are still making a sacrifice of one thing for another!

I'll add that children are very adaptable and if you have to take them out of school as the fee's are too expensive, they'll soon get used to a new school and may even thrive. Case in point that I did not want to go to a 'fancy' school and be average. Being top of all my classes in my comprehensive pushed me on to be the best and excel.

We know a family living just outside Bedford - their children have just gone to their catchment schools the whole way through and they absolutely thrive, seem to be involved in all sorts of enrichment and sports etc. I get no sense they're struggling to find like minded friends.

That's not my experience either. Od more conflicted about where my DC go of there was an option for quiet, bookish kids! (As it is the state comp is serving them just fine).

The children from independent schools that we know (my DC do a couple of sports where private schools are disproportionately represented) are often the ones who have self confidence to a fault and frequently believe themselves qualified to question the adult running the session or refereeing. On more than one occasion I have been extremely shocked at the way they talk to their parents in public. I never come away wishing my DC were spending all day with these characters. (They are exposed to all sorts of poor behaviour at their comp too, but I'm not paying through the nose for the experience!)

A friend worked in a private school. One family (3 children) left, and that was enough to turn the school from profitable to non profitable. It closed within a couple of months

In this financial climate, I expect many parents of young children who could afford either option will opt for state school, from the outset, rather than private. And even when the economy improves, people have long memories. Future parents may remain cautious about committing to 13+ years of private school fees

And, when Freddie goes to local state school and turns out absolutely fine, Betsy's parents will feel more comfortable following suit

I think finances will become increasingly tight for private schools in future

If the private schools need 12% increase just to keep up with running costs,feel sorry for the poor state schools who have the same running costs but will get pretty much nothing extra in funding.

@Cornwallintherain are you actually in Cornwall? Just interested as I am adjacent, similar social mix, & I wouldn’t say our private school was full of bookish quiet kids. In fact the only child going to the private school from our Y6 state this year is a mildly disruptive & not very bright boy.

You say you still have 5 years to go, which implies to me that you could break off earlier.
You could break at the end of y11 easily, and also with limited detriment at the end of y8.

I would look at state options for sixth form - would that speed it up a bit? Our local education system is not the best, but the area does have a brilliant sixth form college which gets great results.

And yet, here you are on the thread. Engaging..

What was it last year?

Hoe long have your dc got left? You might be in for a tricky time as the fees increase more

I'm not personally a fan of private schools. I look to Denmark that banned most private education and standards in the public sector rose. Having said that, if parents choose to pay for their child's education on top of their taxes, they should expect big rises if costs increase. Unfortunately as state schools have found, inflation is biting the heels of budgets, so I assume that these costs (like energy, food etc) are being passed onto the consumer. The difference is state schools are having to find the money in different ways.

Do you mind if I ask, what were the warning signs?
Well my children weren't there, so I can't guarantee accuracy of what I was told, but I recall my friend saying things like the lunch quality went down, the grounds were not being quite as well kept, pianos in the music dept not being tuned, refreshments no longer being served at parents evening - small things that in isolation would probably mean absolutely nothing, but when viewed together - especially with hindsight- might suggest that money was getting tight.
Then more significantly, increased staff turnover. Ancillary staff like admin staff leaving and not being replaced or being replaced with less experienced and/or part time people. People doing more than one job. And then towards the end, experienced teaching staff leaving. My friend commented that she should really have smelled a rat when one of the longest serving teachers left and the reason given was that she wanted a new challenge - like you do, at the age of 60...Plus pupil numbers dropping of course, but my friend said there always seemed to be a logical reason why pupils had left so it wasn't until the bombshell dropped that it all fitted together.

Private schools have seen their costs sky rocket and there a number of new increases coming down the line:

independent schools will loose their business rates exemption (even under Conservative gov)

schools contribution rates to the Teachers Pension Scheme are sky rocketing - the government sets this rate of contribution but it has a huge impact on independent schools to be told they need to find 5% more to contribute etc

energy costs etc are going up (though some will have fixed price deals that will stave off the worst)

supplies, resources etc are going up hugely

if Labour win they add the 20% VAT on bills - a lot of school are forecasting this and adding part of it on now to soften the blow later

In the independent school I work in we have been told that costs will increase about 20% and that the hope is fees will increase about 10% and the other 10% will be found by cutting costs and making savings.

State schools are fine. I never get this angst about private schooling. If you can afford the fees and still have a very lovely life, then good for you - go for it. But if you are giving up all the joy in life to plug away at paying for school fees, honestly - what is the point? I know that in order to send my kids to private school I would have had to give up the ponies, the music lessons, the ski holidays and scuba diving summer holidays, the long weekends to wherever in the world we fancy, the theatre trips, the place on the sports team going abroad to compete, and so much more. I would have to work more and spend less time with them. My kids gain from all these things, and the state school has good provision for able, gifted and talented kids. I feel very privileged to be able to give my children this lifestyle, and I know not everyone can. But if I had to give it all up in order to be able to pay private school fees I know it would be a pointless exercise. My children are getting a more balanced view of the world too - they mix with children from different backgrounds. Not just those who can afford to mix with them. The snootiness surrounding private schooling, the fear of missing out, is probably depriving both parents and children of a much more enjoyable life if money is a bit tight.

Do you mind if I ask, what were the warning signs?

@SafelySoftly i think it’s easy to dismiss state if you are in the catchment of good state schools. They might lack funding but the children there are usually nice. Do you live in a leafy area with good state schools? I have a friend who moved with her husband for work. Her children were at state schools here but moved to private soon after the move. She didn’t feel safe after seeing parents brawling outside the school gate. I can totally relate.

Have you asked your school about a bursary or assistance of some kind. You may be eligible.
Also, private school is an option and if it suits your child and you can afford it - why not? I believe that Labour will shoot itself in the foot if they take away the charity status from all private schools. Some private schools share their facilities with local schools - not just swimming pools or sports fields but also provide additional support to state schools.

I am old and I remember when schools had to start paying local authorities for their sports fields all state schools in my area and some private schools with any additional space sold it off - generally to housing. This lead to a lack of sporting facilities and subsequent rises in obesity in children. My old state school had to sell much of its rugby / football and hockey pitches. Fewer teams, less access and a feeling of elitism in sport rather than it being there for all.
There is a stupid resentment of all private schools .. most were set up as charitable institutions to help with the poor or deserving and still have that in their charter. If you resent a private school it is because you have bought into the Eton/Harrow ideaology of elitism. Most are not about that. Especially in country areas and outside the South East. Widows in Scotland have access to private education for their children through the Merchant schools. Military children - whose parents are often moved every 2 or 3 years need stability and private schools can offer this - same with the children of diplomatic employees.
Those who work shifts - you can provide your children with the stability of education by using a private school with its extended days and support.

My children do go private and yes, there are wealthy parents however there are also local shopkeepers, a couple of nurses, single parents (not wealthy on benefits) as well as bog standard parents. My children go because of the support they receive - they get the opportunity to do things I could never have time or the finance to do with them.
Your children are paramount. Check out the state boarding schools unless the fees you currently are paying are less than you would pay for state boarding school (they also have day pupils ie it is a state school and you only pay for the boarding element).
Education should not be a battleground and our children should all have access to an education system that is rich, diverse and inclusive. My children's schools, though private, do fulfil those criteria - all walks of life and different cultures (and yes, I did try state schools - I never intended my children to go private).

It is a huge increase, but I doubt it's a step the school have taken lightly. I am sure there are some businesses, mainly big ones, who are taking advantage of the current situation and using it as an excuse to hike prices up more than they really need to, but not many. Everyone I know who runs their own business is trying to minimise how much of their additional costs they pass on to customers for fear of losing so much trade that they go under. Yet they have to get the extra money from somewhere or they are doomed anyway. So it's a fine line between losing money because you lose customers and losing money because you're not charging enough. I don't imagine independent schools are any different to many other businesses really. They are selling what is effectively a luxury item that some people will cease to purchase if they need the money for other, more essential things. Lots of businesses are, and will continue to close because of this reason unfortunately.
I would explore alternatives if I were you OP, even if you don't act on them immediately. Not just because of your own finances but because of potential effects on the school's viability. An independent school in my area closed with very little notice fairly recently and the parents were left struggling to find new schools at very short notice. Friends who had children there told me that with hindsight there were warning signs about the school's finances but they didn't really pick up on them at the time, with the result that it was a bolt from the blue and they'd given absolutely no consideration to what other options there might be.