to wonder how much income a couple realistically must have to be able to afford private education?

[stoppingat2]

Maybe I'm just being nosey, but when I see other peoples DC being driven to sch in big Land Rovers by very yummy mummies, clearly not on their way to work themselves..I do often wonder, just how flipping rich are you? We have a joint income of 84K and couldn't contimplate it. Just how much do you have to earn to afford private school (for 2 kids)..wishful thinking!!

dd2's school fees are, averagely, £9k per year, and we are as southern commuter belt posh as it is possible to be (as in area, not as people

dd1's fees are vastly higher than that, but she is in a SN school.

For a start your yearly income would have to be more than the school fees, which isn't the case for all of us.

It would cost me 21K a year for DS alone in school fees. I just chose a school at random that is quite close. So for my two it would be 42K before I buy uniforms, pay for meals, school trips etc.

PMSL at no more than nursery fees.

Like nursery fees for two dc are a breeze to pay!

Jen
we didn't want to pay either as had both been state through and through, plus free university, but when the time came for DD1 the local schools were just not right, so we did it for her and felt compelled to do it for the others later on.

I do wonder if it will be worth it, but children only get one chance at senior school
and with smaller classes, there is better crowd control and better behaviour, so more chances to learn, and for DS especially, lots of support with his dyspraxia

Yes lots of us have gaps between our children because we cannot afford 2 sets of nursery fees. I am hoping to squeeze out one more after this one and am wincing at the though of 2 nursery fees. The thought of me paying 4 sets of school fees makes me feel quite ill.

Get a job at the school, the majority give very generous discounts to their staff (and not just the teachers).

I know bibbity - our nursery fees killed us!! I hated people who got it for free from family!

I acknowledge that I have been generally lucky with my children's schools. We have moved around a fair bit because of my job. DS even went private for a few years when I taught at a private boarding school. But we went back to state.

We have had one bad experience and it was stressful, we ended up home educating in the evenings and weekends as the children were learning mainly how to dodge chairs flying in the classroom.

bibbitybobbityhat we are in a similar financial position to you and the school are son is at (in nursery) in Y6 and Y6 charge £4000 a term, so sending 2 children at its worst would be an ouch £2000 a month.....possible.....would have about £150 a week left after all bills.....tight but could be done.

sorry should read in Y6 and Y5.

Not that they're a breeze to pay but if you can stretch to paying for childcare for babies - our nursery is £14,400 pa, so it's comparable to school.

Good luck with that then marypoppins.

Its not something I lose any sleep over as I am one of those utter fraeks who would rather my dc were state educated whatever my income.

I think you are only a freak on mumsnet. The rest of the population are not hung up on independent schools IME.

I have often toyed with the idea of home educating DS, but in the end realised one of us would end up in the Old Bailey on a murder charge

Clue is in your question...yes, you are being nosey.
That's other peoples business about how they manage their funds, limited or not.

We didn't home educate properly. We just taught them after school and on a Saturday morning as they were not doing anything in school.

We could do it by:

-having v old car
-few/cheap UK hols
-big age gaps
-only secondary
-interest only mortgage
-no pension
-live in flat
-DCs share bedroom
-no insurance
-very frugal on everything else eg repairs/clothes/birthdays/christmas/electrical goods/food

Surely your kids would have to be in a very dire school to make those sacrifices.

marypoppins -150 left..rock and roll. Now that it crazy and living beyond your means surely!!??

LOL darlen - please tell me that isn't an option!!

ummmmm hard though when you are on the inside and 'see' the difference. Hard one to make sweeping statements over though, every school is different and everyones children are so different. What is right for one isn't right for another.

Bloody nightmare IMO when the right school for your child is one you have to pay for and you don't have the cash just sitting there. I am sure they are LOADS of families who just about scrap together the fees and go without extras to do it.

Often it goes against every moral bone in your body to send your child to a private school but your personal situation means you have to put your morals aside.

stoppingat2 that is after EVERYTHING, taking into account saving a bit each month too.

No more than it cost us to have three in childcare in fact last year I had a baby in childcare and three in private school and the 3 day a week nursery bill was more than one child's fees, so we took him out.

i am on the inside - I teach state, seconday!!