Private Fee Increases Survey 2011-12

[LIZS]

It's that time of year again. dd's will be +3% for 2011-12

No word here yet

ds1 going into Y13 in the autumn and like Y11, I rather begrudge paying for a full term after Easter when they are only there for a few revision classes and their exams.

Independent schools act like a business up to a point. The fees charged should be just to cover costs. Any 'profit' is ploughed into small-scale development.

Some of the development is far form small-scale, though. Why go on raising fees just to cover costs and create a residue so large it builds a vast new sports hall or swimming pool?

Large building projects should not come out of current fee income. The school should either take out mortgages or create a special development fund.

Why then do the fees go up well in excess of inflation?

Because the mix of costs differs to rpi - fuel, NI (staffing costs are usually the biggest proportion), building maintenance etc are all rising faster

8% for us - a bit of a shock!

Wow washedup, 8% is taking the p* in the current climate!!!!! Ours is about 4.5% which I think is bad enough!!

According to the Sunday Times today the average for those schools they surveyed was 3.6 %. However Winchester is now over 31k

But LIZS, everyone's fuel costs go up, and not everyone puts charges up by over 5%. However, thanks - perhaps now an idea of why scholarships are worth so little, and where the money for them is now going?

DSs is a 4.4% increase.

Teachers salaries are, according to the letter, their biggest expense and they try to recruit and retain the best.

True, but as with many businesses and institutions, the cost of heating, power and lighting is likely to be a greater proportion of costs than in a family budget.

DD's school is 3% this year and thankfully DS leaves this summer. His increase last summer was over 11% which took the fees to over 9k per term. I'd love 5k a term fees

Approx 5% according to a friend. Our letter hasn't arrived, must have got lost in post - saldy our post reently hasn't been reliable at all.