Prep school fees - £££ per term

[Estherwithagoldenpipe]

Utterly daft question but would very much appreciate your help. How many terms are there per year in primary school, three or more?

So if school fees are 3.3k per term, how much would a family end up paying per year (is it 3x 3.3k) or are there more terms and also are there any other hidden costs.

Roughly speaking at 3.3k a term how much would I have to dish out?

A separate question: how far away from London do I have to move to bring prep school fees down to less thank 10k per year?

(Not bu to ask but probably totally bu to consider this but that's a whole different thread, thanks!)

"If it would be a struggle then you'd be far, far better off moving to an area where the state schools are good."

This is my plan and we do have a reception place for her at a very good state school starting in September. However, I just know that dd1 would be so much better off in a small class size setting (as probably most dc). She is very bright but goes a bit 'crazy' in a large group setting. So I just know being in a group of 30 pupils will have a negative effect on her mentally. . Well, we'll deal with it as best we can and I'm sure it'll work out, I just wanted to check if prep was a realistic option. Which it isn't.

I just don't think you should start her off in a private school if you can't commit to it for the duration.

Is it the noise that makes her 'crazy'?

Will your daughter have a full time teaching assistant in her class?

Most reception classes round here have at least 1 TA full time in the class, sometimes 1.5.

Also, the teachers are very good at grouping the dcs so the times when it's a 30 child free-for-all are very limited (particularly with the input of the TAs). So the teacher will have a group and the other groups are set into tasks or activities and then the teacher joins each group etc.

Pooka that was how my DC's reception class was, I had concerns as DS2 was born late August but he settled in really well.

Yes, there is a TA. It's more that she gets affected when she is in a 'buzzing' busy environment with lots of other children as she gets soooo excited - in a slightly not so slightly hyperactive way and also competitive and a bit unruly as a result. It just worries me .

I'm sure the teacher will have good boundaries. I'd stick with state for primary and aged 9, move them to fee paying

Infants is mostly play anyway and learning the basics.

I have a prep near me (London Borough zone 5) that my ndn's 5yo attends. its £2350 for reception a term rising to £2490 afterwards. They also take the 3 yo funding.
I'm considering it for my ds. Class sizes really small, one only had 5 in a class very good atmosphere, family oriententated.
I think you have to pay extras for lunch and the uniform is quite a bit but other than that there's not much more to pay.

I wouldn't worry too much about your daughter's behaviour in larger groups. Perhaps school will provide the exposure and boundaries she needs for adapting to this type of situation?

3 terms. At our children's prep school there is only about another £100 a year on trips and extras. Check carefully though because some schools have compulsory school lunches that are extra to their advertised fees. Uniform is also very expensive. For example dd's summer dresses that are only worn for 8 weeks a year cost £28 each.
Any after school Childcare or breakfast clubs will be extra too.

3 or 4 terms per year (depending if you want/need the option of the holiday clubs)
extras:

• swimming lessons or other other sports
• after school clubs
• outings
• charity things (a pounds here or there, cake sales)
• uniform

It depends on the school, so check the Admissions bit on the website to see what you will have to pay and what you get for that. (For some reason every private school I've looked at hides the Fees under Admissions, they never have a direct link to them).
It should say at the top "£xxxx per term, x terms per year" but three is the norm.

There are two private primaries near me (one primary only, one 3-18 on two sites).
I know people with kids at both.

The 4-11 one is about 10-15% cheaper than the other without any discounts, scholarships etc, but parents have to pay extra for lunches, breakfast club, after school activities, milk and fruit in EY and KS1 and swimming at another school's pool, as well as trips, uniform etc.
The prices of those are also listed on the site. I think most are optional (except uniform obviously) but would need to be taken into account.

At the other, everything is included except uniform and higher up the school, the trips get more expensive so parents are asked to contribute, but they are generally optional anyway (things like skiing, not museums etc).
The second school, because it's bigger, has its own pool and sports hall, so they subsidise their own sporting expenses (travel etc) by renting that out in holidays etc.
So it really does vary and is worth working out on paper as what looks the better deal may or may not be.

and lets not forget, even private schoolz might no be right for your dc and they would be better off somewhere else.