Private school: what additional expenses should I prepare for?

[Epli]

We are considering sending our child to a private primary school. We are aware of the general tuition fees and fees for music tuition, but what other expenses we should prepare for?

Not much, tbh. Trips should be included in the fees - there will prob be a residential trip in year 5 or 6 that you’ll have to pay for. Uniform is more expensive than at a state school, but there will probably be a 2nd hand shop that lots of people use.

Really not much
As poster said, check if trips included
theres not much in addition add ons at all otherwise ime

Trips and external people coming in (theatre group for example) get added to our termly bills. We also pay quite a bit for clubs/after school care. My DS has food included my DD has an additional food charge also added to termly invoice.

Uniform is expensive but we have good second hand sales organised by PTAs within both schools which help.

Trips not included at our school.

Uniform and sports kit can be pricey.

Many, many charity events!

Agree, there's not many mandatory expenses beyond tuition and uniform.

But you might need to be prepared for things like charitable/fundraising donations, contributions to teachers' gifts, sport/activity clubs, parents' social evenings, etc. None of which are mandatory - or unique to private schools - but still worth factoring in.

Extras bill is far scarier as they get older (and it depends on the school as to what is included within fees):

• lunches
• wrap-around care
• music lessons
• SEN/teaching assistants
• games kit for hockey/rugby/netball/swimming/cricket (whatever sport the school does)
• theatre/author visits
• field trips (art/history/geography)
• residential/activities week

Most parents don't bother with new uniform each year (maybe just new shirts).

Varies a lot depending on school.
• we’ve just had a horribly expensive Y6 residential trip billed, but friends at a nearby school were staggered to find out theirs was free
• day trips and sports matches on coaches etc all seem to be included
• afterschool wraparound care is free except for some optional niche sports clubs (LOVE this)
• the bus is quite expensive as it’s a captive audience
• lunches are included for us in prep but pricey in secondary
• uniform was an expensive initial outlay but so much of their sport etc is now done in school it cancels out other team strips etc that needed buying for weekend clubs
• far fewer general PTA fundraising requests

Honestly you need to speak to the school, as some add on charge for 'extras' and others include everything of note, esp. at primary age.

Totally agree with this.

Uniform is extortionate, although presumably this differs between schools.

No other compulsory expenses but the charity contributions, parent activities, children's birthday parties, donations for teachers etc. all really add up. I guess it depends how good you are at saying no to that sort of stuff. I don't think there is a week that goes by where they don't want money for something ime (although also true of posher state schools, but the amount isn't as much).

Depends on the school, but one big one is that shorter terms=> more holiday childcare requirements.

Things are generally just added on to the fees at the end of term.

lunches, wraparound care/clubs, some trips, author visits/in school events, charity contributions, books and exam fees, learning support.

We get textbooks added to our invoice

I teach at, & have dc at, an international private school.

Cons:

• fancy trips (optional, but peer pressure...)
• extra curricular stuff like music lessons
• posh tech - macbooks for 7yos?!
• uniform
• general 'keeping up with the Joneses' in terms of posh clobber, gizmoes, holidays etc

Pros:

• arguably fancy trips! One dc gets to go skiing even if no one else in the family fancies it
• wrap around child care - afterschool clubs keep them meaningfully busy
• yeah, the tech IS a bugger. Find the techy git on the staff & ask what lower spec, second hand item from CEX will do just as well. Buy it a cool case (primary) or let kids moan about your evil meanness (secondary).
• uniform is generally good quality & quietly circulated second hand. Cheer lead for this on eco grounds
• the Joneses will always win, so develop a thick hide & a reputation for doing quirky parties

Thank you everyone! Google tells me an average uniform cost in a private school is ~£570 - does it seem right?

Regarding trips - are there a lot of them? I would imagine not during the first years when children are really small?

There is no average private school, tbh. For some you will spend a small fortune, for my DS I think his prep uniform was approx £300. A wool blazer will be at least £100, so if you need one of those you are already well on the way to £300+. Sports gear tends to be very expensive, and girls’ dresses, but younger DC need less PE stuff. Always need to factor in school shoes, trainers, poss wellies, football boots etc etc

Thanks! I agree an average school does not exist but I am not form the UK so I have absolutely no reference point :)

Would trips, such as skiing, happen during term or during holidays?

every school is different but for us-

1 DC primary- £450 uniform including shoes, trainer. Rugby boots
music tuition - £25 a week
after school
clubs- ( lamda, chess, etc ) costs us £400 per term approx

1DC- secondary
uniform - £550 approx
ontop of fees we pay for meals which is £30 a week
Oyster card - £40 a month
schools trips- day trips £25 other trips vary between 250-750 depending what they are

I would definitely advise heading to second hand sales for those items that go missing ( usually sports kit)

Our ski trip usually straddles the end of Xmas hols and beginning of first week of term...and costs a fortune!

Subject specific field trips at varying cost in term time.

Activities week at end of summer term for residential trips and/ or DofE type things...

At our prep there are usually a lot of trips, right from the pre-prep. One big trip whole prep trip annually and at least one a term on top.

Extra childcare is a massive extra cost. We have 4-5 weeks more holiday than state schools in our LEA.

Birthday gifts have tended to be a bit more generous than at my other dc’s state schools. Plus more whole class parties so more to buy for. Say 12 whole class parties a year and £15 a gift.

I'm always rather frugal and have somehow only ever bought about £100 of PE kit and school shoes, trainers and football boots new. Second hand is the way to go. School trips and music are our biggest extras.

The school I work at:

School trips included in fees except for residential. Optional but occur from Year 3. Biggest one that everyone does is the end of year 6 5 day trip (think PGL style) and again one at the end of Year 8 (normally to France).
Ski trip offered every year to Year 3 and up. France, Italy, Switzerland…any of those. Sports tournaments overseas including Spain and Portugal.Many of kids will do one of these a year, some will do both, some go on one trip every second year. They are popular and sometimes the kids not going just didn’t reply to the email fast enough.

Uniform - as many have said. Def pricey. At my school everything except underwear near enough is regulation. A girls summer dress is £45. Blazer is over £100 new. Hats are £40.
PE Kit mounts up - shorts, t shirt, tracksuit bottoms, games top, games skort/shorts, base layer top, base layer leggings, hoodie, sports jacket, shin pads, trainers, football and hockey boots, mouth guard, hockey stick, rugby shirt…..so many items! But…..a good stash of second hand available. And most private schools have a school shop so you are not waiting for a twice a year second hand sale to get hold of it.

Fundraisers are where you’ll find yourself being squeezed and the pressure can be high. Private schools are a mixed bag of, to be blunt, millionaires with money to burn and those giving all their spare income to fees and living pretty modestly to pay for it. Plus plenty of just generally well off people in the middle. It’s things like fundraising dinners where you’ll be charged £80 a head, or the summer fete where one cup cake could cost you £4….but these aren’t compulsory and certainly not everyone will attend everything and no one will ever know what you spend at the summer fete. But it’s these areas where you see a difference. And birthday parties. Though the village hall bouncy castle parties are still the ones the kids seem to chat about the most after the event.

I don’t know your finances but as long as you can brush off and nod along to comments such as “oh we’re just taking a quick little break to the Maldives so no not doing much this summer” or “ We just didn’t manage to get away this half term and I’m itching for a holiday, 3 months between holidays is too long” then you’ll be fine!

I say this with good humour. I wish I could afford a holiday every 3 months!

Uniform will be more expensive than state primary, but most schools have secondhand shop.

A big yes to childcare for the long holidays.

There will be more trips, and they will be more expensive, but not necessarily super pricey. Maybe check their website and social media to see.

We had to buy bits of sports kit that we wouldn’t have had to in state eg mouth guard, hockey stick.

Lunches if they’re charged separately.

Also, some of the after school clubs may be an extra.