Wondering whether we can afford private school.

[IggertyZiggertyZoom]

We have 1 DC. Our local primary school is rated "inadequate" across the board in its most recent OFSTED report. We are therefore considering private, but I'm not sure we can actually afford it.

Monthly income after tax, car, bills and mortgage (but not food, clothes, extras) is £3,000.

School costs £8,175 a year up to and including Y3. Then £14,850 a year up to and including Y9.

Private secondary schools in our area are approx £25,000 a year.

I'm guessing that there are also a lot of extras, but have no idea how much these would be. I would be very grateful for the thoughts/ experience of other people who have managed this on a similar income. Also whether they think it has been worth the sacrifices.

Poor old Sevenoaks

I am might be funny but I'm not wrong.

Oxford high, St Helen St Katherine, Heading are all in the South East and respectively top 10, top 20 & top 40 in nationwide GCSE indy rankings and all under £15k so there are schools that offer more value than others but of course it depends on where you live.

Secondary schools in our area are easily over £20,000 a year, without boarding. Some of the 'cheaper' ones can be quite difficult to get into because the competition for the places is stronger. A lot of the the schools also have Saturday lessons, or require day sudents to have several late days every week to ensure they mix properly with boarders - there's far more to take into consideration than just fees.

Deo
MT is nearly £19k pa now

They have my son's old (state) school headteacher there as the head. He is fantastic.

Have you visited both schools?

Hi, thanks for all the responses. Just to close the debate - the secondary day school I was thinking of is Canford at £8,336 p/t for day pupils. Claysmore would be another option at £8,060 p/t. They are the closest, but both would be quite a trek plus a school bus ride.

I've visited the private school but not the primary.

Both very different schools . Don't think I'd like to send a day pupil to Canford it is really a boarding school.

Which prep are you thinking of?

I wouldn't send a day pupil to a boarding school.

If you are going to board, board.

If you're wondering, I would think no.

All the best with it Iggerty

Can I sneak a question in about bursary's and scholarships? As in, what the best way to approach a private school when you know that you couldn't afford full fees? I get that, for a bursary, they wish to know all financial details of the family, including what's down the back of my sofa but what's the general sp for scholarships? What do they "look for"? I assume there's an exam etc?

Thanks

Lightbulbon I think some day/boarding schools get an amazing balance. Sevenoaks is one. Local pupils and also international element - each benefiting from each other to create a global community.

For bursary applications, each school is different but a combination of assets and income will be relevant. If you can sell your house and buy a smaller place and fund five or seven years in advance then you aren't usually considered unable to afford a place.

Shakey The question of what schools look for in scholarship candidates - beyond raw exam, sporting, musical achievement - is interesting enough to deserve its own thread ...

But a scholarship will not generally, in itself, affect affordability - the award will often be only a small percentage of the fees. However, a scholarship can often be the gateway to accessing a means tested bursary.

And some bursaries are awarded without a scholarship.

And every school has a different system ...

In my experience decent scholarships are usually around 15 percent of fees. Dd got 25 percent but was national level in her sport.

Thank you