Costs for private primary?

[soootiredddd]

Hi all

I will post another version of this on the SN board but I wanted to ask for information specifically about the cost of private primary. This is not a route we ever thought we would go down, partly because my DH and I were both state education all the way through, none of our family have been to private schools, but also in general I like to think the state education system is a good one. However my DD is in preschool and we are awaiting and ASD diagnosis for her and she is struggling. The primary we are in catchment for is very big (2 class intake, 32 kids per class) and I have heard mixed things. We are thinking of looking into smaller private schools around us and luckily we have quite a good choice.

However we are trying to work out if we can actually afford it. Most of the schools near us seem to cost about £3k-£3.5k per term but then this is only for term time, 9-3 each day. In order to afford it we would both need to work full time and so at a minimum we would need after school care, whether that be an after school club or childminder. Then we also need to take into account the cost of uniforms, trips etc. And even things like lunches.

Please would anyone mind sharing how much they spend on education/childcare/related expenses per month? In our house we work from a monthly budget so I'm finding it difficult to work out just based on termly costs.

Thanks for any help!

We paid £5k a term per child (though it was probably less in reception). Fees do rise to year 6 though.

You can get all uniform second hand, all privates have great second hand shops.

Trips aren't too expensive at prep school - £20 day trips to castles etc, though we did have some residential in yr5 and 6 which were a few hundred each.

As the parent of an ASD child I would recommend private school.

Sorry I also forgot to add that we would need to use holiday club too, so would need to add that on...

We also have a younger DD and I feel awful at the thought that we might pay for one child to go to private school but not the other. However I really don't think we could afford to send both girls. Would also be interested to hear from parents who have done this and only sent one sibling? Did the other feel left out or resentful?

What is included and excluded in fees varies from one school to another. Most school websites will list it out or ask the bursar. For example, lunch, cocurricular trips and events, music, drama , dance, swimming lessons, books and materials, learning support, before/after school care, clubs and activities etc. Uniform also varies, often there is a thriving second hand shop or the basics can be bought from high street stores with specific jumper, blazer, pe kit etc.

However I would caution you a little that not all independents can or will cater for children with additional needs, or may only do so at additional cost. You will need to be upfront about it and see.

If finances are tight already consider the annual fee increases, often more than 5% per year, and increments as the go up the school and whether it is a sustainable option long term. If the school has assessments to progress to senior or is only up to 11/13 you need to have a backup plan in case she is not offered a further place.

Thank you all for your answers so far, it's very helpful. If anyone is able to share their monthly costs that would really help.

My DD's additional needs are specifically in relation to social interaction and communication; her speech is very good, her understanding is brilliant and she seems like she will be fine with the academic side of things.

We paid up to 10% in additional costs, excluding uniform, per term.

It can work well and it did for my 2 DDs who have ADHD/ASD but are very compliant and academically able. They needed a very orderly environment with strict behaviour standards and small classes because this helped them manage their anxiety.
I would say though that I saw a number of children with additional needs ‘managed’ out of the school during our time there and I know parents at other schools where this has happened too. If a child with SEN is disruptive or requires more academic support than the school is willing to offer, you could find that you are told that you are now responsible for funding a 1-to-1 TA for example. And, of course, it is not always clear how a child with additional needs will react to school when they are only 4 years old.

Other parents are also ‘customers’ and if a school gets repeated complaints about a disruptive child, they may side with the majority. They are a business and their business relies on bums on seats. All private schools are different and they have much more leeway to set their own policies on the support they offer. Make sure your can see examples of children with similar needs to your DD’s thriving at the top end of the school.

It's £5k a term round here. SE London. Not many additional costs. Wrap around about £20 7am to 6pm.

Your area is cheap!

They have been fantastic with ASD ADHD.

@GetOffTheTableMabel that sounds exactly like DD. They describe her as 'beautifully behaved', she is very compliant and loves nothing more than to sit down (by herself :-( and read a book or do a puzzle or a number game. I imagine that from a teacher's perspective she will be no problem at all in the classroom.

However she really needs small class sizes, she is like a rabbit in headlights in her preschool class of 32 and struggles to even talk to other children, she only talks to adults. She is very different with the child minder where there are only 4 of them, she still gets anxious but much less so and she does play with the other children a little bit. It seems to be the big classes and the noisy environment that really overwhelms her.

DD doesn’t do wraparound care but does a few sports clubs after school.
Her school does have wraparound which is around £15 a day I think.

Uniform is around £450-500 once a year but this will depend on your child
Trips maybe £200 per academic year- haven’t had any in the past 2 years.
Lunches are included in the fees at DDs school which is £3,750 per term.
Her school also does a small discount for siblings.

If I’m being honest; I really wouldn’t send one of one your children. Could you ask about bursaries?

@Louise0701 thanks for your reply. I don't think we would be eligible for bursaries as we probably wouldn't count as a low income household. our combined income is about £90k before tax. But when you add up the mortgage, commuting costs etc etc I don't think we'd have enough leftover to put two kids in private school.

We only have one child so can't help you re the fairness thing, but a friend ended up privately educating one son but not the other for similar reasons and the two lads are now adults with a lovely relationship and no resentment as far as I can see.

I paid about £6k term. Uniform was £500 initially new until I realised they sold some second hand, so about say £100/ year after that. Clubs didn't cost any extra. Music lessons did. Don't know about breakfast/dinner club as the day was 8.30-4.30 and didn't need it. You could opt out of lunch but frankly fir the £250 or so it cost the food was made on the premises and very good quality.
This was well outside London and I'm sure it's closer to £7k a term now

Hmm I'm starting to think it's just not affordable. At the moment I pay £990 per month for both kids to be in childcare 3.5 days per week, which is a combination of childminders and free hours at preschool. I'm just not sure what to do though as I know my daughter will not cope in big class sizes and that school is the only one we are in catchment for. All the schools around here are very oversubscribed so everywhere has big classes, or they have huge waiting lists.

How old is your dd? If you can get an EHCP before the application date it will name a specific school , not necessarily your catchment one, and possibly one to one support. Infant class sizes are capped at 30, usually a teacher and teaching assistant, can you visit a few local schools to check their attitude and SEN provision.

Thanks @LIZS she's 3 and due to start school in sept 2023. I am aiming to put in the EHCP next week so that we have the outcome by the end of October which would then give us time to appeal if needed. However I have got very confused with the whole process, and don't know if I need to request an EHC needs assessment first. I have posted on the SN board to ask for help!

@soootiredddd its definitely still worth asking! Even if it’s 10% it would be a help! My son has ASD and he will be joining my DD. One thing to be aware of is that we pay for his school place but the LA pay for his 1-1.

Well clearly the finances are very personal but, for the academically able but easily overstimulated/overwhelmed child, it can be the answer. The environment in which you are a ‘customer’, especially with a well-behaved sensitive child, often means the school will offer more flexibility because they can. DD1 found it all a bit much and they were entirely happy for her to have Fridays at home during reception until the term after her fifth birthday (which state schools are reluctant to offer). DD2 found walking into the busy morning classroom intimidating so we experimented with going in 5 minutes early to an empty room and also 10 minutes after registration just so everything was quietly settled.
I definitely don’t think it’s a panacea for every child with additional needs (it can be much worse than state provision for some children). It was a financial stretch for us at times, but it is not one I regret. My DDs found their voice.

I am so sorry @Phineyj, I didn’t mean to quote you there…

Name changed for posting local schools fees. I have a DS but he went to the nursery as it's mixed but predominantly girls until age 7.

Extra costs will be lunches, uniform, depending on what some can be bought from high street and some pricer items second hand from the actual school.

www.st-nicholas.hants.sch.uk/admissions/fees

Suggest looking at SOSSEN or IPSEA for EHCP advice. Yes, first stage is getting agreement to assess, then the assessment, then if assessment deems an EHCP necessary, then will then draft it, then name a school in a final version. Most local authorities take a loose interpretation of the law around EHCPs so worth being clued up. To get your choice of school, it needs to agree it can meet the needs in the EHCP as well as the LA agreeing (often they will push for a cheaper option so you'd need to be armed with info to appeal as to why this school is best suited). Appeals taking months to be heard to start process asap! Good luck!

My DS went to a very small independent that cost us (all in) around £7k annually. If I had realised such schools were available, I would never have put him through State Primary to be lost in a sea of other kids, whose needs were barely being met either. There were 7 children in his class in the independent and he flourished.

To work out your monthly costs, just list everything you can think of and divide it up. So if fees are 3.5k per term, that's 10.5k per annum. Add uniform (say £300 per year); consider if lunches need to be paid for (or is packed lunch an option); then add after school club costs which the school will list on their website. You may not go to any clubs or do clubs in the local community.

As far as care in holidays go, that will apply whether you go to private or state school. It's just a case of finding out what clubs are on offer and how much they cost, or whether you can secure a childminder for holidays only.

We're in primary secondary and our only costs in addition to fees are bus travel (assume this won't affect you?), uniform, and school trips if she goes on them. But you could spend a fortune if you wanted to on music lessons, dance lessons, LAMDA, wrap around care. It's all very individual.