Is £2,968 expensive (per term) for private schooling?

[BROOKSFAMILY]

Hello,

I don't know much about private schooling, but included them on our school visits. Our favourite school is a private one. It's definitely our final choice... If she gets a place!

It's £2,968 per term - that includes tuition, lunches, swimming, library and insurance.

Is that expensive???

Very cheap

As others have said compared to London that is very reasonable indeed. Prep is easily £4-5K a term in London

I was paying about that in yr6 , slightly less in reception for a private day school in Kent when my DS was at school and he started reception in 1997 , so I would say it's very reasonable .

It's unusual to have the same price right though yr R-6.
My dcs school (in the SW) charges are as follows.

Yr R,1&2 - £2765 (8.30-3.30pm)
Yr 3 - £4205 (8.30-4.10pm)
Yr 4-8 £4905 (8.30-4.10pm) plus £2305 extra if boarding.
Fees include lunch and swimming in their own pool. Insurance, trips, music lessons etc are extra.

There are also extra charges for before and after school care if needed, and extra if staying to supper.
Nursery fees are charged hourly but can't remember exactly, think it's something in region of £4ph.

It is rated Excellent in every area, so it can't be because it's 'dodgy'!

Thanks for all the replies!

Is that Ofsted or ISI?

ISI oh dear, have I missed something?

That's a bargain at half the price (literally half the price) of the local prep school around here - but I'm in London so prices are stupid anyway.

Cheap compared to London and parts of the Home Counties, where it's long since busted the £4k point and it's not uncommon to be around £5k!

I am in SE, that sounds very cheap to me. I am sure that you will check anyway but I always try and look at accounts etc (online) as background research for a new school.
We are paying just under 7k a term in a similar area but that is for secondary.

ISI is the self assessing body for Independent schools. Inspectors are often teachers from other independent schools. Ofsted should still cover Early Years.

Check numbers in year 3-6 (or 8) in case pupils tend to leave for other schools at that point. Viability can be an issue for private schools with low numbers.

Very surprising that the fees doing increase as they get older.
I wonder why they don't follow the general trend on that. I would ask if they will guarantee that approach continues, because if they suddenly go with the majority you could see a sharp rise at Yr 3.
The other thing to ask, is what have been the fee increases over the last 5 years.....you want to know the %increases so you can calculate what the Fees are likely to be by the time you leave.

Round here Pre Preps and Preps vary from about £6k per year to around £14k - quite a big variety. It reflects a range of facilities and experiences. So the cheaper schools are often very very small (and struggling) and often recruit children part way through who are struggling in state schools. Most have just 1 small class per year,msometimes with only 3 or 4 of one gender in it, so struggle to put sports teams out. They often have few specialist teachers but instead one class teacher does most stuff, like in a state school. Some lack swimming pools and one doesn't even have a gym or sports hall. Others at the top end of the price bracket have 3 forms per year and a waiting list, large staffing with all subjects taught by specialists from Year 5 or earlier, swimming pools, gyms, lakes, etc etc. Whether these are things you consider worth paying the extra for, is something you have to decide.

I would compare those fees to those of other LOCAL prep schools to see if they are cheap/expensive - will be on their websites. That would be more useful info than the prices we all pay in different regions. Then you can see where your school sits in the local fee pecking order.

It is weird it doesn't escalate and it's one price throughout. I guess it's just their way of doing it.

My daughters also included lunch and both breakfast and after school clubs if we wanted to get there early or have her stay late. At senior school she could even stay and have dinner with the boarders if she had to stay late, at no extra cost, and we could have booked her in to the halls for the night at a very small cost, if we wished her to stay over for the night i.e. If we were going to be away. At after school and at breakfast club there was also food and drink available for them, juice, yoghurts, fruit and cereal etc in the morning and tea and toast if they fancied it after school, and then later, as said, dinner if required. Seldom availed though, she probably had dinner there once a year max and it was generally always her choice as she wished to stay for some reason or another.

Under £10k for secondary school? Yes that is cheap.
How many pupils do they have?

Why do you think your dd won't get a place? Outside of london for most pre preps if you can pay you are in!

It's not for secondary...

It has a waiting list, I suppose we left it a bit late? I think you'd be surprised... It's not just about if you have the money, they have more applications than places.

How big is it per year group?
Where does it send its children onto next?

Oh when you said form six, I thought you meant sixth form.
Where do the children go after form six then? That is worth checking.
All schools tell you they are oversubscribed with waiting lists etc. But many parents will be on lists for several schools so the actual number who take a place is lower. Is it academically selective or first come first served? Do they actually turn people away or is it a myth and in reality everyone gets in?

There are lots of schools outside of London which won't accept everyone and have waiting lists.

It's not academically selective, but they have turned people away before, due to spaces.

There's 16 children (roughly) in each year. For last year, 7 of those received scholarships and 4 went to grammar.

It's about what we pay for y7 but we are in Yorkshire

16 pupils x 7 years = 112 pupils in the whole school.

Were there only 11 in year 6 last year? Or what happened to the five that didn't get scholarships or grammar?

To be honest if you love the school the fees are not huge compared to other schools and you have a back up plan if the school suddenly goes bust or your financial situation changes and you can't pay the fees, go for it.

There's a bit more students than that as there are 40 in EYS (ages 1-3).

No, there were 16. I don't know what happened to the other 5, how do I find that out? I assume parents paid for private secondary or they went to the outstanding state!

Cheap compared to NE Scotland too! £5-6k per term senior school, 3.5-4.8k for junior. Another £2000 per term if you're boarding.

Yes, so one of those schools that attracts people in with the funding for early years, but over half don't carry on into the main school.

For me, 16 in a year group would worry me. The chances of that being 8 boys and 8 girls is unlikely - in some year groups they might be only 3 or 4 of one gender - def one to check up on. They will struggle to get a hockey or rugby team out. And so small can make friendship issues more likely....fewer people to be friends with or find people you click with.

What do you think you'd be paying for apart from the small class sizes? Are there great facilities? Are there lots of specialist teachers higher up then school? Does it have something your DC especially need such as SEN provision or a music specialism which is attracting you?

Just dig a bit deeper into all of these things. Send a long list of Qs to ascertain the breakdown of girls and boys in each year group, how much turn over there is amongst the kids through the school and stuff about specialist teachers, facilities and match involvement wig our schools.

It sounds like one of the small Preps round here, which are at the lower end of the fee structure......very small. I've known people v pleased with their experience....nurturing, cosy, family feel. Those I've known have entered late from schools where the kids have struggled and then found the cosy, small atmosphere really positive. Those kids haven't been very academic and the schools haven't been specially academic either, but they have been good for those families. Plus, TBH, they would have struggled to afford more.

It all depends on if it meets your requirements from a school. Could be fantastic and pretty good value for money.