School fees have risen by 19% in the space of 12 months

[Findingfactsaboutfees]

AIBU to think this is outrageous ?! Fees are exorbitant anyhow and in the last 12 months we have had an increase of 19% by way of 2 increases in a 12 month period. Fees per year for the senior school are £16690 per year and do not include state of the art facilities as other local schools do. The junior school fees aren't much less either! This is a school in the north of England. If you are paying for education, where are you based and how much do you pay? I wonder whether it is comparable.

Private education will only be for the ultra-rich if fees continue to rise at the rate that they are. It is unsustainable for most working professionals who are comfortable but not ultra-wealthy! Parents locally have tried to take their children out but can't as there are no state school places to be had within a 12 mile radius. The only other option is home schooling which isn't possible when the parents are working full time. We're not yet at the point where we are thinking of taking our child out of school but hearing the plight of those who are in the process of trying to is worrying. I've always been a labour voter but if they do go ahead with the introduction of VAT, I fear it's going to get even worse.

@SmallFerret well if you can find £16800 for a day nursery place (no funding up to the age of two) without using savings then you have enough to pay for one child in prep. And yes, plenty of people do that and use their whole salary to pay the school fees. That may astonish you but I’m presuming that you have no direct experience of private school. You just think you are an expert.

Oh and I was one of those parents - yes I earned more but I had two kids in private school so it took almost my whole salary after tax. Just enough left over to cover my petrol to work. No regrets, no complaints. But don’t be surprised when some of us take your child’s state school place or take our valuable skills to another country when we can’t afford it any more!

Oh, that won’t be me by the way. No self pity here. I now have one at a state grammar so I’m clawing back some of that tax that I’ve put into the system and will be paying the fees for the other DC in advance to avoid the 20% VAT.

Most people I know personally who fund private school have joint gross salaries below 100k but very low or negligible mortgages - they borrow a lump sum on their mortgages, invest, and dip in as and when they need to.

I have a theory that our school has been raising its fees more rapidly as a contingency plan for if labour get into govt and slap VAT on school fees. We completed a questionnaire about what we’d do if it happened followed by a letter assuring us there are contingency plans in place and swiftly followed by a the notification of another large increase in fees.
My hopeful thinking is they’ll then be able to cushion the blow of the VAT and absorb some of it.

For goodness sake, everyone has a right to moan. It’s all relative. No one should have to apologise for having a high income or keep it quiet. I can’t cope with this culture on here of if you earn over a certain amount of money and can afford private school or nice cars how dare you complain about anything.

Oh fuck off. I spent DD’s whole life campaigning to get her access ro resources. I am exhausted. I should be allowed to relax and choose the best option for my kids just like the parents of able bodied kids can do.

Whilst there could well be a flood of private school kids into the state system and chaos will ensue for a bit (maybe longer), would it not eventually mean that the demand for higher quality, better funded state education would be overwhelming and not able to be ignored by any government?

I get really bored of high earning people trying to hold everyone to ransom by saying, "If I don't get what I want, then I will leave the country and take my taxes with me!"

Just go now if you feel that way.

Yes. It would be worse for a short while; and only short, because you can bet the politicians will find a way to turn it around quickly once their kids are flung into the local comp!

All I am asking for is kids who have been charged with assaulting him to be removed from his classes. I don’t think this is too much to ask. But in the Scottish state school system it is. The parent of the child that has assaulted him has a right to choose to keep their child in that class, in that school, and the victim has no rights to argue against this.

what I expect from a private school is that a pragmatic stance is taken, and that if a child continues to assult my child - and charged by the police - they would at least be removed from my child’s classes, if not the school.

Im not paying for actual education. My son is bright and will get good grades regardless. I’m paying for safeguarding, which state certainly cannot provide.

Oh fuck off. I have spent DD's life campaigning for her needs. Luckily now in a fantastic state school that is willing and able to meet her needs. Because I fought.

A good friend's DD has a 1:1 TA and is out of lessons all day because they just don't know how to teach her. She needs to be in a specialist school within travelling distance focussing on life skills, not in a mainstream school supposedly 'accessing the curriculum' but in reality offering a baby sitting service. Which they can't afford to turn down, because nothing else would be offered and even the baby sitting service would disappear.

Congratulations on being able to buy yourself out of the system, and feel free to turn your back on those who can't.

Most people I know personally who fund private school have joint gross salaries below 100k

'Below £100k' isn't exactly a benchmark for low salaries. Big difference between them being on £50k each and each being on min wage.

The point of the thread is, is the rise in fees reasonable?

It’s not a debate that can be had as private schools are inherently unreasonable and designed to cater only to the wealthy.

If it’s just a case of overwhelming demand leading to a better state system, why aren’t the 94% of parents who use state education now capable of driving this change?

Quite - surely the social cleansing is being done by the parents who take their kids out of the state system?

It’s laughable when people try to make out private schools are actually great for social mobility and that the majority of parents who send their kids to one are nurses and taxi drivers who scrimp and save to ‘prioritise education’ 😆

It is reasonable because it's a commercially driven decision by the school; the purpose of the school's existence is to generate income; and it's an optional expense that no one has to pay it if they can't afford it.

😂😂😂

My salary as a single parent is just under £40,000 gross - which is considerably more that either the average salary or average household income in the UK - I wouldn't be able to afford private school by a long stretch.

Thanks to DM's help I can afford a mortgage on a nice 3-bed semi in suburbia, and 3 hours of DD's dance classes per week as an 'extra' to her state school.

To reiterate - with more than the average household income, significant help with a house deposit, and generous on-going help for DD's extra curriculars.

Private school has never been an option, and I am very lucky compared to the majority.

Maybe because the 6% have disproportionate political influence?

@Another76543 hmmm. It would be interesting to see what proportion of MPs children attend private school .....and also the children / grandchildren of those in the HoL.

Power begets power.

And most governments (and professions like law etc) are heavily over-subscribed with privately educated people.

some food prices have increased over 40% in a year. my gas and electricity has risen 100% in 2 years. 19% isn’t crazy. it’s the times that are crazy!

I think it’s important to look at these things in the round. Irrelevant to whether you agree with private school or not (my own DC are at independent school), the fact is if fees increase too high then parents whose children are there will need to make choices.

Those choices might involve changing their children’s school (which may or may not be distressing for the child - as any school move may or may not be, regardless of sector) to cutting back to afford it (be it cutting other ‘luxuries’ such as cleaners, music lessons, sports, meals out etc).
both of those choices have consequences for those affected, whether the Dc or those who will not have a reduced income due to not being engaged for their services.

am sure that we would all sympathise with those in the latter category. And everyone is being hit by the cost of living in their own way, and they are allowed a moan as well, exactly as the OP is.

Sorry that should say those who will have a reduced income!

Most are on 30-40k each. Live in an Indian area, property / gold purchases tend to be made early in cash as it’s seen as a safe investment. Then these parents take out mortgages as and when needed to fund private fees or occasionally have parents that pay. These families form the bulk of the private school schools across my county actually.

It’s also important to note these people often get 30 hours free funding so private school essentially begins at preschool, allowing them 2 years to build reserves.

Not everyone earning less than £50k can be described as ‘too poor’ for private school. Outside London this isn’t the case at all.

Also the BBC of course -

BBC staff are twice as likely to have attended private school than the average Briton, according to the first analysis of class in broadcasting. About 14 per cent of the national broadcaster's employees attended an independent school, compared with a national average of 7 per cent.

Its the opposite actually.

1. Takes a long time to recruit and train teachers
2. The capital infrastructure is falling apart due to a lack of investment

When UK demographics were normal, you could potentially fix this in 10 years or so.

But because UK demographics are poor (more retired people which are very costly and less working people that pay in), it will take a lot longer than 10 years.

So in the meantime, State schools will get measurably worse as they would have to absorb more children with limited funding.

I do this for a living (financial and economic long-term modelling), and just don't see that working. Too much investment into capital infrastructure (buildings) has been skimped by the Conservatives over the last 13 years, and there are too few teachers. You will have to spend much more over the next 5 years just to be standing still as many buildings are falling apart.

You are basically starting a marathon 10km behind the starting line.

The people banging on about making private schools pay more VAT don't see how large the problem truly is.

Their anger will in effect only hurt the middle class.

The wealthy will sit on the sidelines, paying a bit more for private school, and laugh.

You have to pick your battles when it comes to politics.

This really is not the hill to die on as it will just end up creating more Conservative voters.