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Original poster

Independent schools: do they charge for clubs?

35 replies

Marmaladegin · 27/03/2023 10:51

Budgeting for sending DD to local private for secondary. Do independent schools usually charge for after school extra curricular clubs? (Such as sport, music, craft etc. i appreciate there is likely to be an extra charge for horse riding or similar) If so, roughly how much?
Thanks

OP posts:
Comefromaway · 27/03/2023 10:58

Sometimes. At the school ds went to there was no charge for clubs run by school staff such as hockey, choir, debating club etc but there was a charge for anything provided by an external provider such as LAMDA, ballet etc

FlounderingFruitcake · 27/03/2023 11:04

Ours does but I know of some that don’t. Weirdly horse riding is included in ours fees since it’s apparently part of the curriculum and they do it during the school day. But kick a ball about with the PE teacher for an hour after school in ‘sports club’ and that’ll be £100 per term please. You’ll have to ask the potential school.

Gafe · 27/03/2023 11:10

Ours charges about £100 a term for external clubs. There are some which are run by teachers which are free - mostly sports, music or academic.

Seeline · 27/03/2023 11:10

We had to pay for music lessons/exams and lamda.
Everything else was included, unless it was a trip associated with the club when we usually had to pay.
Travel for sports fixtures was included.
Tours etc usually had some fundraising to help cover costs, but some parental contribution required.

Meandfour · 27/03/2023 11:11

It will vary. Ours only charges for certain ones. You’re best asking the school you’re interested in.

KleineDracheKokosnuss · 27/03/2023 11:12

Our old one charged for golf and archery (£50 each a term) but staff led activities and wrap around were included in the fees. Music lessons were between £250 and £350 a term of one on one (10 lessons of 30 mins).

DrMarciaFieldstone · 27/03/2023 11:12

Some do, some don’t. DC’s first school was cheaper in terms of fees, but charged a lot for all clubs. Current school has higher fees, but all clubs are included, except LAMDA and photography

Smartiepants79 · 27/03/2023 11:15

At ours, all sports clubs are free as they assume you will be representing the school in teams.
There are some selected after school/lunch clubs that are free.
There is free wrap around care.
We have to pay for music lessons (extortionate!) and dance lessons (reasonable)
They also offer paid for tennis coaching.

AlmostSummer21 · 27/03/2023 11:17

It's very individual, you'll need to ask the school, they won't mind at all, if they did mind then I wouldn't send my child there!!

ours don't charge for one type of riding (more military), but do for the other (more recreational). Not for most other things though & there's SO MUCH available.

(Day pupils at largely boarding)

elastamum · 27/03/2023 11:19

Depends on the school. Ours only charged for music lessons. Everything else was included, even dinner if they stayed late. They could stay until 6pm in primary, 9pm in secondary.

GiltEdges · 27/03/2023 11:24

Ours charges for music lessons, but all clubs are included in the fees.

Fifthtimelucky · 27/03/2023 11:50

Ours didn't charge for any clubs run in-house but I have a feeling that there were some specialist ones run by outside tutors (eg fencing) that you had to pay for.

In addition, foreign trips connected with clubs had to be paid for.

So, for example, netball club after school was free. Weekly netball matches were free. Netball team trip abroad had to be paid for.

Similarly, orchestra and choir were free, as were normal concerts, whether they took place on school premises or nearby. Music trip abroad had to be paid for.

Original poster
Marmaladegin · 27/03/2023 11:50

Interesting. Ours doesn't mention it anywhere in their literature. Except mentioning additional charges for lamda etc. hopefully this means they don't! I'll have to ask

OP posts:
Farcis · 27/03/2023 11:53

Depends on the club - not for most of them, but there are a couple of externally facilitated ones that are charged for, and we do have to pay for individual music tuition, but that happens in school time.

breakfast is charged for (but it’s a minimal charge) and after school including tea is free.

Smartiepants79 · 27/03/2023 11:54

In my experience clubs are different from lessons. So anything 1-1 that might lead to exams and certificates would be extra. That would include dance, musical instruments and speech and drama.
Things that are run by staff or lead to the child representing the school such as sports teams, orchestra and choirs are free.

Mumsafan · 27/03/2023 11:56

We have only ever paid extra if the club were provided by an external provider and not a teacher/ member of staff.

Wrap around care is also included.

SheilaFentiman · 27/03/2023 18:54

We paid extra for lamda, music, Japanese. I think maybe sailing had a bit of a cost because it wasn’t school facilities. Sport, science club etc were free

NellyBarney · 27/03/2023 19:13

It varies. Our school charges e.g. seperately for lunch and dinner. Homework club (prep) and dinner is included if they are boarders, but not in the day pupil fees, so for them to be able to do homework club and to have dinner so that they can stay for rehearsals etc that often take place in the evening we pay about 3k/year. Music is really expensive, almost 50 pounds/50 min lesson at our school. But orchestra etc is free, but you'll usually need individual tuition to be the right standard/prepare the pieces for orchestra/bands. And of course, they'll need to show off what they practiced, but of course not at a school concert but by going on tour to the US or Venice or Japan and again the 'free' choir comes in as a couple of thousand pounds (why???) Main games type sports clubs (hockey or football) are usually free, but again, if they are any good there will be pressure to 'captain' a tour and you are looking at 100s if not 1000s (if cricket to India or South Africa etc). Uniform, especially sports kit is eye-watering. If they do well at school and earn 'their colours', you have the 'honour' to splash out 100plus on weird new blazer. All in all, we probably spend between 5 and 10k per year/per child.

Original poster
Marmaladegin · 27/03/2023 20:40

Errrr I'm not sure my local indie is in the same price league as yours @NellyBarney Blush

OP posts:
Hoppinggreen · 27/03/2023 20:41

Ours doesn’t charge for ones run by teachers but the ones where they have to pay someone to come in and run it are chargeable

Hoppinggreen · 27/03/2023 20:42

Marmaladegin · 27/03/2023 20:40

Errrr I'm not sure my local indie is in the same price league as yours @NellyBarney Blush

Mine neither

Mafelicent · 27/03/2023 20:55

Marmaladegin · 27/03/2023 20:40

Errrr I'm not sure my local indie is in the same price league as yours @NellyBarney Blush

Have a look through the social media pages and see where the kids are off to over the easter break. No matter how "minor" the school, I bet there will be at least one Geography trip to Iceland, or a cricket tour to India, or a Classics trip to Athens.....

FWIW in my experience, most group clubs and teams are included (except DofE) but individual/private coaching is usually extra.

NellyBarney · 27/03/2023 20:59

@Hoppinggreen Are you sure? Trips and sports tours, as well as music lessons and music tours are pretty standard at independent schools. We are at no particularly fancy/big name school. No school prospectus/website ever mentions the cost of tours and trips, and I never really thought about it/was told about it, so was really shocked at the costs! Of course you can say no, but there is a lot of peer/school pressure to go, especially if your dc has a scholarship (if they are the head chorister, it's hard to say no to going on tour). While we are at a boarding school, friends of ours are at day schools like Magdalen Oxford, St Helens and St Katherine's, and their dc all went on sports/choir tours abroad. These schools also charge separately for lunch, so do check whether lunch is included, so many schools seem to have switched to charging separately.

Mafelicent · 27/03/2023 21:00

And the amount of kit is eye watering. Different kit and shoes/boots for hockey/rugby/cricket. And they don't just wear airtex and sweaters any more - there's base layers and midlayers and top layers, and full length bench coats, and dry robes on the top of all that! I remember we weren't even allowed to wear tracky bottoms when I was at school 🤣🤣

NellyBarney · 27/03/2023 21:07

@Mafelicent oh yes, the puffer jacket ankle long bench coats!!! No idea why they need them, it's not Siberia, but they have become standard kit!