Sorry to ask but how are people affording private education?

Around London there's also a lot of grandparent help that takes the form of housing, e.g., grandparents either bought a house in London 40-50 years ago and parents are now living in it with them, or grandparents downsized and used the proceeds to buy a house that the parents now live in. Technically, not (yet) an inheritance. I know several people who are probably earning less than £150k household incomes sending multiple children to private schools because their housing costs are de minimus.

DD's school offers an insurance plan to pay the tuition in case of illness and perhaps some other misfortunes. I believe it costs £50/term and it's opt-out, i.e., you're automatically billed for it unless you tell them you don't want it. It's provided by a private insurer, not by the school itself, and I've been fortunate enough not to need to find out exactly what it does or doesn't cover.

I think increasingly we are going to see more grandparents who offered a few years ago without quite realising what they were taking on and THEY will be in financial trouble from it. Thinking 'about £10k a year, we can do that' and then finding it's easily £15-20 k per child, for three children, for year after year after year, as their own costs and needs escalate.

I think there is a lot of grandparent help that doesn’t get talked about that openly, people will have done well re the timing of low interest mortgages etc. I think going forwards with the vat rises you’ve got to be looking at £200k plus to afford fees for two kids and even then with some planning and advance savings. Mortgages alone will be rising over the next few years as people come of fixed. I do think demographics will change where the pool of people who can afford it will shrink.

Apologies, I have not RTFT. Have you looked at Ripon Grammar? If you are willing to move to North Yorkshire within catchment, or just outside, and tutor for a year or so (assuming your child is performing well) you should get in. I have no personal experience but it is what all my neighbours have done and they are delighted with the school. It also does v well in state school league tables.

We require solely on income. We are planning for our DS to do his full 14 years at private school.

We paid off our mortgage before he was born and have been saving since he arrived to ensure we have a decent pot to fall back on if anything happens with work.

We will be retired before DS finishes school so if needed we can use some of the tax free pension lump sum to fund the last of the fees. With 45% tax relief on pension contributions it’s an efficient way to fund the later years of schooling.

I have one at comprehensive in a grammar school area, and one due to go to the (stupidly competitive) grammars this September. And 20 years secondary teaching experience.

The top sets in the comp will be just the same as any grammar school. My eldest is far better there in top sets and thriving than they would have been struggling/slogging it out in the grammar school. Although bright, he struggles with self esteem and confidence and it was definitely the right choice for him, and it was his choice. Took 11+ etc.

Youngest is a different character and has got a grammar place which I think will suit that child.

So you have to see what's going to be the right environment for each child.

@fungipie "And children are streamed academically for all the main subjects, and are taught those subjects in groups of the same level, just as they would in a Grammar school, be it private or state."

If you mean set, not streamed then I agree with you. Most comprehensive schools do.

My advice is to choose a state school and spend some of the money you save on tutors, music lessons, sporting hobbies, enrichment activities and holidays. You will still have money left over after all of that - these private schools are EXPENSIVE - and you will probably have a much better quality of life too. So many people I know have been pouring money into their kids’ education only for them to end up at the exact same universities as contemporaries from comprehensives. The only real difference is that the private school kids generally seem less well able to study independently as they have been spoonfed all the way through A levels.

Just to the east of Harrogate, Wetherby is having a new school built and Boston Spa is outstanding across all areas.

And children are streamed academically for all the main subjects, and are taught those subjects in groups of the same level, just as they would in a Grammar school, be it private or state.

Sorry-that's what a properly run comprehensive system does.

They don’t all receive the same funding though. Those in the North invariably receive less.

@Another76543 "However, all children should have equal access regardless of where they live, and should all receive the same funding."

That's what the comprehensive system does.

I do think that there is an argument for having a wide variety of different types of schools to suit different children, but with the option of changing schools as a child develops and changes (a bit like the German system). However, all children should have equal access regardless of where they live, and should all receive the same funding. The system we have in the UK now certainly isn’t working and is failing too many children.

@Another76543 I'll happily go with scrapped. There is absolutely no way of making the grammar school system even remotely fair.

OP I don’t understand your post tax income. It doesn’t look right unless it’s only one salary and the reduction in the personal allowance is hitting hard.

I think they should be rolled out further so that everyone has access to them (more parental choice is always good), or alternatively scrapped altogether. All children should have access to the same level of state education.

@Another76543 "State education, entirely funded by the taxpayer, should not be a postcode lottery,"
I agree. An excellent reason for getting rid of grammar schools, so that 75% of children in those areas don't have to go to Secondary Moderns.

State education, entirely funded by the taxpayer, should not be a postcode lottery, in the same way that the NHS should have equal provision for the whole population.

@Another76543 " For those living in grammar areas, I don’t think many people realise that, in other areas, if a family wants an academically selective school the only option is to go private. Huge amounts of pupils live in non grammar areas"

There are lots of things that people want that they have to pay for.

Here are the areas with state grammar schools. For those living in grammar areas, I don’t think many people realise that, in other areas, if a family wants an academically selective school the only option is to go private. Huge amounts of pupils live in non grammar areas

Tbf to @fungipie it is true that a number of counties, maybe even many, have got rid of the state grammar system. None in my county nor the neighbouring ones.
164 schools is not many really.

What we still have are a) private schools calling themselves xxx grammar or high and b) state comps that have chosen to retain grammar in their name (QEGS at Ashbourne for example).

We pay from our wages. But we have no debt and savings to cover if required.

No help financially, we are up north which is more affordable/ achievable for average middle incomes x2, if they have one child.

We sent her state primary and spent those 8 years saving so we have a buffer.