Can’t afford school fees, does this sound ok?

[Rightmovestalker]

Ds is year 11,GCSE year, going to state school in September for A levels. DH has a job but I now don't. The fees bill covers Easter - July and is £4.5k. My pay would have covered it but I’m not entitled to any state help.

We are overdrawn but have £3k available credit of our overdraft limit. We have another overdraft available for £1.5k. If we pay the fees now we will have no cash at all until 30th April when dh is paid and we have other bills to pay.

We are thinking of proposing that we pay £500 now and then chip away at it until it is cleared. Dh usually gets a bonus in July but it may not be paid this year. If it is we can clear it. Our other child went to the same school and we’ve spent c£160k in total with the school. This is the last year of fees. Does our proposal sound reasonable? Thanks.

YABU = borrow more to pay
YANBU = your proposal sounds ok

[Lordfrontpaw]

Everyone is paying the usual day date (school is closed so no boarders until further notice)

[SmileEachDay]

Right is paying for the teachers to make the assessments that will decide her DS's GCSE results

She’s not. Work submitted after the closure date can’t be included in the decision re grades.

[Bringringbring12]

So boarders “just” paying day rate?

[AprilFloundering]

Hell's Bells. A second salary of over fifty grand a year and you're skint in under a month?

I did rather wonder at that, too.

[TheTeenageYears]

Teachers will have to go back over all classwork, assessments, assignments, mocks etc etc from the beginning of Y10 in order to put forward a grade to the exam board and they also have to rank every student in the year. I suspect this will all have to have at least two pairs of eyes over it to ensure there is continuity across all students. This will take time - it's not about them marking a couple of bits of additional work which might count towards a students grade.

[Purpletigers]

You’ll have to pay the fees . Speak to the bursar . 4.5 k a month and you can’t weather this out for more than a month? Your financial planning skills need attention . Try MSE for lots of good advice.
Going forward I’d aim to have 6 months of expenses in the bank before committing to any frivolous spending in future .

It makes for interesting reading when all the high earners are screwed within a month of no pay . Make you wonder if the skiing holidays and financed cars were worth it .

[flippityflobberty]

Another one to talk to them. Our school is offering a discount, but also an honesty box for this who can pay. Not obligatory of course, but helps for those who find themselves in situations such as yours. The community is really pulling together to help keep the school going.

For thé PP who said don't pay, that is just awful.

[Justajot]

@SmileEachDay - yes, she is paying for the teachers to put the work into assessing GCSE grades. Not by marking new work, but by applying the process to recommend grades based on their existing work. That isn't going to be either quick or easy.

[SmileEachDay]

Just

Ah I misunderstood your phrasing.

Yeah I know it isn’t. I’m an English teacher 🤦🏻‍♀️

[captainmarble]

Why are people assuming that OP's income is the 'second salary'? She doesn't say anywhere that her DH earns more than her.

[Justajot]

@SmileEachDay - I dont envy you at all. It sounds like a nightmare.

[PurpleTigerLove]

Captain - so private school fees on one salary ? That’s sounds like an even sillier idea .

[captainmarble]

Loads of people do. Most of the private school families I know have only one parent working. Admittedly on a salary higher than fifty grand.

[Devlesko]

We have a household income of under 20k and still pay school fees, it depends on the school and how it's managed.
Our tax credits pay the small amount we need to pay and the government pay the rest.
You can be skint and still afford fees.

[Bringringbring12]

@Purpletigers

The vast majority are single income at my son’s school

[PurpleTigerLove]

High single income ?
Tax credits on private school fees ? Wow 😮

Thank goodness I live in a country where private schools are reserved for the social climbers . All our schools are very good .

[BubblesBuddy]

Tax credits come from the government and the government pays the rest! Is this a special school? So you are, in effect, paying nothing from your own earnings. Truly this isn’t managing. It’s getting other people to
pay. One assumes it’s not Eton.

[BubblesBuddy]

The op says her DH has an income so it’s not one income.

[Devlesko]

Bubbles

No, not Eton, we are poor, it's a fantastic scheme for gifted musicians, irrespective of family income. There are several schools managed like this.
Over 90% of the students receive funding.
They only look at income and you pay on a sliding scale. The more you earn the more you pay. they don't care how many holidays you have, or what car, or your mortgage, or anything else.

[Devlesko]

Here, this explains.

www.gov.uk/music-dance-scheme It means that Music and dance isn't just a preserve of the rich.

[PenisBeakerDipper]

You won’t be the only one asking. Our school are only charging 80% for the senior school whilst it’s all online - and the pre-prep are getting a 50% discount - are your school not discounting at all?

YANBU. They will be expecting requests like this.

[BubblesBuddy]

I did know arts schools were different but I assumed from your first post it was a standard school. It’s similar to academically gifted young people getting 100% bursaries at boarding and day schools. I know Harrow has generous bursaries.

[FrippEnos]

Talk to the school first.

[Devlesko]

bubbles

No, I just meant that all schools are different, believe it or not we'll struggle to pay our bill this time, as it's paid a term in arrears.
We're probably just at the opposite end ito income, to the OP, but in the same boat. I think there will be quite a lot who will struggle.

[Bringringbring12]

@Purpletigers

Yes very high