prep school extras

[imwaiting]

What extra charges can I expect on top of my first bill in sept??

Depends, normally they get added onto the next term's account (ie January's fees). Check whether your fees include lunch , trips/curriculum workshops plus music lessons, before/after school care, extra curricular activities such as sports coaching and clubs, milk (might be pre-prep only), learning support, membership of pta or sports centre, cost of fitted gumshield ...?

Probably one trip per term around £16, extras like art club £25 for 5 sessions, musical instrument £190 for ten lessons. However, normally these are added in arrears so extras from the autumn term will be on the January bill.
These would be the normal kind of things initially. Year 4 onwards you need to start think about residential trips which vary alot depending on length and destination.

only things we've ever had added on are the after school clubs, which you only sign up for as the term starts. also, after school supervision when its been unplanned. its one of the things i love about hte school. you arent constantly harangued at the school gates by pta types and teaching assistant types who want a signed bit of paper with anything ranging between 1.50 and 22 pounds, every week.

membership of PTA???? Hadn't thought of that......is it common to pay for that???

Lunches - covered that,
classroom resources - covered
sporting and musical resourses - covered.
After school = 2.50 an hour ad hoc

What about insurances?

Depends.

At my DC's former school, there were no 'hidden charges', though lunches were charged separately.

At their current prep schools:

DS's school charges for trips and peri music lessons. They would charge for various after-school things, but we don't do them. They don't have before-school care, and don't charge for prep after school.

DD's school charges for pretty much everything that isn't tuition or lunch: trips, Sports Relief socks , piano, before-and after-care for those who use it, non-uniform days. They all appear on the bill. Bah. There's also some kind of charity fund that we pay £25 per term for. I think we might also pay something very tiny for the PTA (a pound or so per bill). I tend to feel ill when the bills come, so don't look too closely.

Educational visits are the only thing I recall being added to the prep school bill (my boys did not do peri music).

There may be the few pounds for occasional author visits and workshops.

oh yes insurance is naother - check the policy as you may only be able to claim under certain circumstances (ie. a very extended absence for medical reasons)

thanks people.
Am feeling slightly daunted about moving into private education (DS 8) but i know it's the right thing for him.

agree ref insurances, normally two or three.
School fees is worth thinking about. Covers you (for a refund) should your child be off long term sick and that can really add up.
Also dental and other health ones.

DD has personal effects one which is very useful as she is always losing things/having things pinched.

Sept term insurances are :
personal accident insurance 3.40 per term
personal effects insurance 6.30 per term
Plus fees insurance 39.15 per term.

She has riding lessons as extras (130 per term) and others have things like music lessons/singing lessons which are around the same as riding.

Good luck with your DS settling into his new school

There is the odd outing but we haven't had any other extra charges to our usual fees. (Don't do after school club)

DD's school fees are inclusive of meals, and almost all day trips, plus milk in infants. It also includes one to one and small group support for children who need additional learning support such as for dyslexia. We don't pay any insurance, etc.

Extras: after school club, breakfast club, individual music tuition, and residential school trips. All of those are optional.

There are charity days and non uniform days but def no more than at the state primary I work at. And PTA events - but they are very much optional.

Main extra expense I find is school uniform as the list goes on forever, esp once they get onto various PE kits.

None of the extras appear on our milk generaly, they are billed seperately.

Good point re. uniform, Hula. The blazer alone for DS's school is £95. And they've just changed the uniform, so second hand is no longer an option...

Yes, we are in a uniform change period too. We get two years change over grace. So new second hand options for some items, although coats and hats remain the same. Apparently lots of schools have faced this because of John Lewis changing their independent school uniform supplies, etc.

Ah, those were the days when my mum could get our indie school uniform in JL. My children's uniforms have to come from the official suppliers. And we get one poxy year's grace!

Gah.

(And even more 'Gah' to the fact that we don't live near a JL, so couldn't get uniform there even if we were able to!)

I wouldn't feel to jealous - they never seem to have it in stock and loads has to be ordered in from other stores, nd it still costs a small fortune. Some items are purchased through sschool only.

At my childrens prep lunches are included in the fees but extras I pay for are
LAMDA drama class £70 per term
Peri Guitar lesson £120 per term
Peri Saxophone lesson £120 per term
Art club £90 per term
Music club £80 per term
Ballet £80 per term
Friday Activity £80-90 per term (this one really peeves me as on a Fri formal lessons finish at 3.30 and every child has to join an activity club till 4.30 as school day finishes then, yet almost 90% of the activities on offer are charged, yet they have to do one of them!)
Late stay for my daughter (pre-prep finish at 3.30) £120 per term
Prep till 6 for my son is FREE!!
School trip 1 per term per child about £16
Residential trip to France from year 4 onwards £200 (for 3 days!)
Year 8 leavers trip to Ardeche £800!
Donations to PTA, ....endless!
School uniform, Blazer £80 x2, school shirts (M&S) £6.00, Trousers, £11. School pinafore x 2 £35 each and I spent nearly £300 on pe kits of all varying design etc for both my son and daughter last Sept!
Opro mouthguard, sorry cannot remember!
school bags, all embroidered from school suppliers with correct name/house..... £180

All of our fees are paid in advance, nothing is ever added on after the event (except in an emergency late stay situation but that charge is extortionate - so will avoid at all costs!)

We have ins for personal belongings but gave up illness protection (think it was through Holmwoods?) as my children have never been ill enough to claim!! seriously they need to have something like 15 days off exc w/e and it was a lot of money too!

however even with all expenses, the school is def worth it!

Hope your ds settles in smoothly to his new school x

Cows - wow!!

I know music lessons are extra, but they say that MOST after school clubs are included in cost and are not compulsory.
I was going to leave after school clubs anyway for the first term to give him chance to adjust to the longer days and extra homework, and also to let him work out new friendships ect.

Please tell me it's normal to be nervous for him!!

I was absolutely petrified when my Ds first started (he joined in Yr4)I was shaking and he was so excited! His school ran taster days for him, so he knew where most of the classrooms were (they move around the school for every lesson) and he had met most of his teachers and had been assigned his 2 Guardian Angels (2 boys who were to look after him for his first week!)before he really started. Made starting much easier for him. Has your sons school done this?

Most of my extras, drama, music and art are for my daughter as she finishes at 3.30 and I cannot collect her till later as I work, so 3 days a week she does clubs till 4.30 then into late stay for a bit and my son does prep. It will get cheaper (sort of!) when she moves into the prep dept.

I think the prep shocked my son the most. He had been given nothing at his state school and went to 2 subjects a night...big shock to the system. He's about to start CE in Sept and the workload looks huge but he's used to it now. And yes the days are longer and very busy but theres never time to get bored. My 2 are at school at 8.10 and finish late but at least when they get home they really can relax as all work is done at school

I am sure your son will love it. It gives me huge pleasure to see my son go happily into school and talk so animatedly about what he's done all day. worth every penny in my book! Best wishes to your son and you xx

We have gone into this all at the last minute. Was thinking about private at 11, but suffered 'the last straw' at primary school recently. Prep school very accommodating (they want our money I suppose!!)so we've missed the taster days.
We have been added to the holiday picnics list for his year group, so am waiting......
He knows boys in other year groups at the school for play times ect, but probably not the best start he could have had.