To ask if you do/would get into debt for school fees?

[AgentRoss]

• 8 year old.
• 99% of LA secondary schools are dreadful. Some are simply riot control.
• Moving isn't an option.
• Increasing our income is unlikely but we're looking.
• We don't drive for medical reasons so can't go to a school further away.
• We have no debt apart from our mortgage which is about half way through.
• We have some savings but our house is literally falling apart so we MUST spend them on that.

Are we being stupid thinking about getting into a not insignificant amount of debt to pay for private school? We could pay maybe half the cost of the fees and exams without borrowing but that excludes uniforms, extra-cirricular activities, all the other random stuff. We are confident we could get the credit at good rates.

Obviously this would then have a knock on effect on the amount of financial support we could provide for uni, first house etc.

Plus the headache of getting back into debt we've worked hard to get out of and the finincial imlact it would have on us long term.

No I wouldn’t
Do you have local grammars?
If not I would send your DC to the 18% pass state school or 1 in special measures and get a tutor for a fraction of the fees

I would say yes. I went to a school that was basically riot control and no way was my DS going somewhere like that.

I would say don't write off the religious school. DS went to a catholic primary and it was really lovely - and I'm not a catholic. And I would take religion over a dreadful school any day.

I absolutely would not threaten my families financial future to pay school fees. If you can think of stumping up school fees then you can afford to move to a better school catchment area.. Why is moving not an option?

By the age of 11 she would be able to travel to another borough, are there options further away? Agree with looking into grammars if they exist, at 8 she’s got lots of time for tutoring if she’s bright and keen.

I’d also look into bursaries and scholarships at private schools.

Do you have parents who could chip in at a push and deduct the fees from any potential inheritance? Why is it absolutely impossible to move in that time frame?

I would not go for it if all other options are no go. If your circumstances change and you simply cannot pay the fees she would have to change schools mid education. Awful. Sometimes you have to accept that you cannot afford what you would like.

Move to an area with grammar schools.

Hi Op - I can sympathise because where we live there is one good school near us but we are just too far from it as it’s heavily oversubscribed. So that only leaves two schools, both of which are not good. However I would never borrow money for school fees. Maybe use savings but never borrow. It’s just too much money to borrow.

Most private schools offer the School Fees Payment Plan, meaning you can pay by Direct Debit monthly. Would that be easier?

Church state schools teach the same stuff as non Church state schools. OFSTED isn't lenient with schools under their remit that don't.

Are you working FT? If not, homeschooling might be an option if you are desperate. It isn't cheap but compared to private it is much more affordable, especially if you are able to teach up to GCSEs or even part of that time before starting tutor groups or private tutoring.

There is literally a private school at the end of the road which acheives excellent results. It's on the cheaper end of private if that makes sense.

It's very weird because it's far from an affluent area but there are 3 private schools within the city boundaries and 2 just outside.

The risk of having to move schools due to
finances worries me.

Moving is out of the option because:

• we don't drive. This is for medical reasons and is likely to be permanent for my husband and in my case even if I ever get cleared to drive I don't think I'd ever feel safe doing so. If we moved out of the the LA, public transport links to work, primary school etc are poor.
• our house is a building site. It's an embarrassing mess that will take years to sort. There is no way we could sell it for any amount that would allow us to move somewhere with decent schools.
• any school fees debt would be less than the money we'd pay to move if that makes sense?
• we're actually happy here. Excluding the school issue, it's a pretty perfect location for us.

Don't cut off your noses to spite your faces about the religious school - always assuming you would be offered a place there if you are not religious yourselves anyway.

My husband and I put our two children through private school from the age of 2 1/2 to 18. We both worked 2 jobs, it was worth every penny and we would do it all over again. Both are confident with great jobs. 2 wonderful people.

No. Sorry -if you can’t afford to move you also can’t afford fees. Which can increase up to 5% annually.

I’d focus on the special measures schools. They are most likely to improve/have some attention paid to them.

I believe you OP. But that's a really tough decision. Look around at the private school options and ask about their bursaries. My sons go to a private school that is very very focused on ensuring all pupils who deserve a place academiclaly can have one, regardless of family income. They've now raised enough into the bursary coffers for that to happen. If your DC will be an academic asset to the school, chances are they'll help out - sometimes up to 100% of the fees. They don;t have to be super-clever. Just clever enough to pass the exam like anyone else. It's not a scholarship.

If this isn;t an option, I'd look carefully at local schools. A set of strong, atcive parents who work closely with the school and give a lot of support to their children can help improve a school.

But it's hard. If bullying is rife and lesson disruption is commonplace, people thrive despite their education not because of it. I think that's a waste of your precious teen years. That was my experience, which is why DC go to an academic private school. (Three very good state school locally, all massively over subscribed, and two that I wouldn't send my cat to which are the ones DC were offered by LEA.)

Are you so sure moving isn't an option?

It depends on so many things op - mine go to private school and we probably have more debt as a result than we would otherwise have done but we are both relatively high earners - our school fees include most extras and nearly new shop does great business for uniform - I'd say it was worth considering bursaries or scholarships too - explore all options op.

You have to visit ALL the schools - even the one you went to. Schools have changed massively in the last 10 years alone. I would send mine to the religious one if I could - or be applying for scholarship/bursaries. Most private schools offer that these days. But what if your first child got a bursary and the 2nd didn't? How would you feel then. You have to actually look into EVERY option. Some schools near us are awful. But I will still look, because the school has to suit my child - not me.

Oh Please

Yea go for it . Get into debt so your DC don't need to be with rabble

I'm not at all a big fan of paying for private school "just because". A given private school will not be better for any given state school for any given child, and I have political objections to the inequalities and divisions that they perpetuate. We could have afforded private school, but chose not to BUT if the alternatives really are that dire, so that my child would clearly suffer, the I would not rule it out. It sounds pretty bad in your case - though I would do some more research before dismissing the LA schools altogether.

I wouldn't dismiss borrowing out of hand. I think it is impossible to do that without more information. People push themselves to take on big mortgages for a bigger house, it's not so different.

So it depends really. How would borrow? For how long? Re-mortgage? How much would it cost you and how much income do you have? How secure is that income? You're talking about half the fees, plus a bit, for 7 years. So what is that, about 65K? Look at interest rates, do your sums, only you know whether it is affordable (and your best option) or not.

Given stamp duty, moving house could cost just as much, depending on the cost of houses in your area.

Are you thinking of moving to the private sector already now? Or yr 7?

Honestly in your circumstances I would consider it. But as PP said please look at the schools you might be surprised. DD talked me into looking at a school I hadn't even considered and it's now my first choice for her!

I'd suck up the good, religious school if it were me. Getting into debt for school fees is madness and you'll end up putting pressure on your child, whether you mean to or not.

Of your current choices the best option seems to be the good, religious school. (I am an atheist). Seems unlikely that the curriculum will be restrictive: current DfE rules don’t allow that. I would rock up to church!

School fees debt for 10 years may well NOT be less than moving costs, possibly even when taking into account lost equity from having started building works you can’t afford to complete.

Is the private school nearest you doing OK financially? How many pupils in each year group? (I ask because you mention that you don’t live in a well off area yet there are several private schools).

How much are the fees? Roughly.

Like will you be going into 30k debt or 300k debt? Or more? Sorry I am a bit clueless about school fees.

Should clarify on the religious school...

It's always over subscribed so it's luck as to whether we get in.

We need to have DD christined. Neither husband nor I are religious however our families are. We've respectfully explained why we are considering having DD christined (to get into school which I know isn't right but there we go) and it didn't go down well. Ultimately they'd have to suck it up though.

I went to a v religious school and although it still taught all the subjects it was done within the frame of religion. Faith was so tied up with everything that it definately clouded things. It's kind of hard to explain how. It was a good school and I was happy but looking back, all I can remember really is God.

I wouldn't be oppossed to her going there.

Not in a million years. Paying money you can’t afford for a private school is insanity. Going private is no guarantee of a better job/education/life. If people can afford it and want to spend their money on it that’s fair enough but to go without for many years would be crazy.