What is the TRUE cost of private school?

[ElenyaTuesday]

I hope someone can help me here. We have decided to look at private senior schools for ds1 for next year. The fees are around £11,000pa which is just about manageable. My main worry is the cost of everything else - what else would we have to budget for? I know that music tuition and exam fees aren't included but are there other common costs at private school that we need to consider?
Thanks.

Uniform plus uniform for every sporting activity under the sun. Stithed colours and piping often on school blazers depending on achievements. THen a different uniform if you make it into 1st rugby or hockey teams etc - they tend to hav separate kit. Music groups and olther clubs and societies may also have sweatshirts for public performances.

School trips will be a little more exotic and possibly longer.

TRansport to away matches/concerts/recitals/public speaking comps etc.

Equipment and book lists will be generally more extensive too.

I'm 30, my brother's 28 and my quite comfortably off parents are still paying off our fees via a remortaged house (several times over!)

Loved school though

Stitched colours that is

My DS started at private school last year {he is 11}

The uniform can be bought from 2nd hand sale

But we got everything new

music fees for Trumpet

CHECK if lunches are included in cost of terms fees some schools are and some aren't

school trips have cost about £10 each so far

{2 day trips}

we don't have to pay for away matches or anything like that

we don't have to pay for books or equipment either

{some friends have had to pay for equipment in STATE COMP including pencils for Art}

My school must have been a bit tight

THe massive hardback French and German dictionaries make excellent cot props now though for snuffly nights. THe Modern Languages dept would be so proud!

At my DS1's old school - which was very good compared with many about keeping the extra costs down you paid for:
Transport to/from school
School lunches - about same price as at state school (but you could have packed lunches)
School uniform - most of this was hand me downs from a neighbour or bought at the school second hand shop (run by parents). I have paid far less for uniform at an independent school that I have had to pay for DS2 at a state school where everything had to be purchased through the school and was "unique" to the school.
DS1's school included all books (text books and exercise books)unless you lost them, when you would pay for replacement; exam fees (apart from retakes) and any school day trips.
Extras were: residential trips (similar to state schools); psychometric testing in Year 10/11 (morrisby tests) - optional but nearly everyone did them. Music tuition - about the same price as state schools.
However, there are some independent schools that charge for everything - including all books, so you need to check this with the school you are interested in or you will have an unpleasant surprise every term!

Thanks folks, I don't think books are included - I knew there would be something obvious!!! But I will check. Lunches aren't included at one but are at another one but that shouldn't make a huge difference as I'd have to pay for those at state school anyway. I know they do a second hand uniform shop which should help, although ds1 is tiny which might cause problems. I'm a bit worried about all the sports kit - will he have to do loads of different things? - god, he hates sports!!!! Transport should be okay - one is within walking distance. So much to think about!

Rugby/hockey and cricket prob

or it may be a football/hockey school

DS wears the same for rugby and hockey

And white T shirt and shorts for PE and swimming stuff for swimming

Unless he is in team he may just wear a tracksuit for cricket rather than full whites

he will need MOUTHGUARD

we got a moulded one for DS but you can get cheap ones but they didn't fit DS

As he wanted an orange one it was about £35 iirc

A clear one is cheaper about £30

or the ones you boil are about £5 but they may not fit

At my school girls had to do athletics, tennis, hockey, swimming, netball, volleyball and cross country which had variations of the smae kit. Archery, curling, cross country, golf, sailing and skiing and more were all optional but also had their own kits.
My brother had to do rugby and cricket as well as most of the "girls'" stuff above.

All kit, sticks, bats, rackets etc, equipment etc had to be paid for by parents. And your own boat if you went sailing

Course textbooks belonged to the school, but dictionaries, atlases, calculators etc had to be bought.

We had regulation navy pants for junior school too!!

I am glad you now have a use for your language books

DS got given a hockey stick by the school

Yes we did buy a calculator for DS that was about £15

You can buy all the sports kit you like

Some of the boys have their own cricket stuff etc but some use the school equipment

so ask about that

My school really was stingy !!!!!

It is prob that times and attitudes have changed

ie for DS school you used to have to buy lab coats and D&T aprons and the safety goggles but they are now provided in the fees

So actually ask about them too incase they are not provided

At my school we wore regualtion navy knickers too

The school we are considering has cheaper fees but lists the following 'extras' pa:
compulsory extras
Insurance £25
Swimming £160
Lunches £360

Optional
music etc. lessons £330 per instrument

They suggest budgeting £250 for uniform.

In addition there are more residential trips than at the secondary where I teach, and they are slightly more expensive (c.£350 for 5 days in France). But at my school about 40% of children go on the trips, and the independent most children do go on the trips. So you/we really need to budget that cost in as well, or think whether your child could cope with being the one left behind.

Also (I'm putting myself off here!) there is usually some pressure/expectation from Independent Schools on fundraising, charity auctions, building fund, that sort of thing.

In ours the main costs were just the fees. Most parents bought the uniform very cheaply at school run second hand uniform sales. Most years there was no trip abroad where everyone went on and you'd feel mean not to. In the first year at 11+ there was a weekend away for all the girls but no charge for that. A lot of people didn't have private music lessons so completely volunatry whether you choose that or not. I've never been asked to pay for a book although they need the usual pencils and rubbers.

Lucnhes but they could take packed lunch and then a fairly low table charge for water, salt etc, very very little so you could save on that. For me the hassle of making packed lunches as I work full time always meant they had to have school lunch.

yes, exam fees at age 16 which annoy me. Could we register them in state schools for that year and then get the exam fees paid?

The true cost of private schools is to public education.

hear hear, MM....

Well we save public education a load of money for which we should get some discounts or vouchers in my view. Or do you think our children are so clever and wonderful the state system is deprived by not having them in its schools?

Just think how much more crowded state schools would be if we took your comment to heart mm

Hear hear, merrymarigold!

actually xenia - I do think that in a way. The public system loses out because children from affluent and largely supportive families interested in their education go elsewhere. It's not healthy for the public education system (and not necessary either - plenty of western European countries don't have private schooling - the royal families of the Netherlands and Denmark for instance send their children to the local comp).
Just an example in monetary terms - the PTFA of the state school my daughters attend managed to raise £3.5K last year, in contrast with the prep school in the next village where my ds goes to nursery, who raised £22K.

I agree with your point geekgirl but....

My dd is not even yet 2yrs old and I am so concerned about the educational standards where we are that I have been looking at either moving location(difficult job wise) or downsizing and paying for independent education.

In an ideal world I would love dd to go to the village primary and local compa as I did but havign seen what is on offer elsewhere has made me determined to find a way to educate her privately.

I just want to do the very best for my daughter (don't we all?) and I am fortunate that if I downsize and use the money my Mother left when she died before dd was born,we may be able to scrape by.

We will have to go without certain things and she will probably be one of the (financially) poorest children at the school but the opportunities offered there are just not available in the state system.

Our government would rather spend billions on a needless war then transforming the education system for the better.

There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for your child. There is no way I would send my DD to a State school.

mmh well yes, I also want the best of my children (surprisingly enough) and we would be able to afford private schooling - however, I believe that it would be detrimental for them to be privately educated.