Private School Teacher's Discount on school fees

[PJUK]

There is an old thread on this but years old so starting anew.

My kids are in an independent school and just found out the discount on fees for teachers kids is around 75%.

I am sure there’s mixed feelings on this but I’m sick about it. Why should I be subsiding others when I pay in full just because they work there?

Bursaries are another matter and justified.

I can’t think of another industry or business where the ‘employee discount’ is so substantial.

Anticipate other’s views.

It's part of the package.

Children of staff in state schools get priority over local children.

IME they don't. Where is this a thing? Never seen it on an admissions code.

That's an extremely high discount - I'd be surprised. Anyway, why should you not be annoyed? Teachers pay is not enough to afford private school fees, by subsidizing their children, it means they are more likely to send them. Having their children at the school makes the teacher more invested in improving the education and encourages longer service. I don't think it's a bad idea.

Staff discount is a way of locking in good staff. Private schools tend to pay staff less than state, so the discount partly counteracts that. Who would want to subscribe to a school where the teachers didn’t want their children to also attend? Staff in a private school tend to be expected to contribute significantly more to extracurricular activities, staff with children have additional motivation to do so.
There are perks in many jobs, a discount to staff children at private schools is quite a niche perk.
The amount of discount varies but the majority of staff would earn far more in other professions and funding full fees for their children.

Hercisback, academies can do this. The school website will have their own entrance criteria.

My DD is a RN with surgical specialization. She has been the school nurse at her daughter's private school for 10 years. She makes about half of what she could at a hospital. She stays because of the tuition discount and school hours. During summer break she subs at the hospital and makes as much in 9 weeks as she does in 4 months at the school. In one more year granddaughter will be graduating and DD will go full-time back to hospital. Two parents with nursing credentials have already applied for her job.

can’t think of another industry or business where the ‘employee discount’ is so substantial.

Some Airlines give staff 90% discount on flights

@thatsn0tmyname Some may do, I've genuinely never seen it on any of the academies near where I live. Is it because the schools are highly desirable to attend?

You’re unlikely to have a year made up of mostly teachers’ children. I think marginal
cost is a fair way of valuing those places, and a great way of attracting staff who are invested in the school’s success.

The law happens to agree with me.

Not a teacher, before anyone asks…

i think it’s a way of attracting and retaining staff. My daughter is about to start at the school I work at. So I’m working there for the next 8 years as I will have all 3 of my kids there now and I couldn’t afford to send them to the school without the discount.

I chose to work at the school because of the discount, as it’s where I wanted to send my kids.

I actually thought teachers at private schools didn’t pay at all for their DC! What is 25% of private fees anyway? I teach in a state school and I’m pretty sure that 25% is way beyond what I could afford anyway.

I keeps teachers at the school so your child gets continuity. Its a staff perk.
Its hard to retain staff , thus is a way 9f attracting the best and keeping them

Its the case for a few schools near me in London. Its not universal but where hiring is competitive and its difficult to recruit perhaps its becoming more common.

@therescoffeeinthatnebula I agree it's a great way of attracting staff but if you receive a benefit of this kind you should pay tax on it, like any benefit you receive at work such as a company car, which is not based on cost but on market price. More of an accountancy/HMRC issue than legal. I'm fully aware that we are talking about a small number of places. The parents are subsidising the benefit and the government isn't taxing the benefit.

Interesting article in today’s TImes regarding the claims that private schools should have charity status because they share facilities with state schools and are a ‘benefit’ …

However instead of asking the private schools - they surveyed the state schools instead…

spoiler - they don’t. They rent out some facilities for ££ or use things like a shared Xmas concert or football match to claim they ‘work’ with local
schools.

I have experienced this - kids did a music concert with local private school at a local church and the photos ended up in a newsletter heralding the ‘partnership’ between our schools. There is no partnership. This is the only time there was ever a joint event. Our choir went, their choir went, everyone performed separately..

also have a very famous private school invite our girls to play a football match - a friendly as we play other state schools in the county league, they only play other private schools.
Afterwards they wanted photos etc of the kids all together, we declined.
we don’t do it for other matches and we certainly weren’t going to do it so they could pop that one in their next prospectus either as proof of ‘community’ involvement.

Bits of the article … from the Times

‘Most partnerships between private and state schools are superficial and offer little public benefit, a report claims.

Only 3 per cent of schools surveyed had benefited from private school facilities, while only 1 per cent had benefited from teacher secondment.

Many partnerships involved joint football matches or children from state schools being invited to concerts, according to the report

Some state schools used the facilities or resources of a private school, typically swimming pools, sports pitches or theatres. Ten instances of facilities use were found but several state schools clarified that using the facilities was not cost-free and they often needed to pay for transport to the private school or for swimming instructor fees.’

What a strange question.

The independent schools where I live are over £35,000 per year in fees, excluding extras such as uniform, music lessons, trips etc. Even with an (unlikely) discount of 75%, this is still a very significant sum of money on a rather modest wage, particularly when there is more than one child in a family to accommodate.

For me this goes 1 of 2 ways - take away charity status. Make these business actually pay business rates etc. Fees may go up but that’s up to the schools - they don’t have to put them up.

Any school with charity status actually starts to earn it - you claim your school is a benefit to the wider community and you share facilities? Then actually do it.
Saying we can rent your auditorium for £500 for 2 hours for the end of year play or rent your pool for lesson, is NOT something that should earn charity status.

Really? Recruiting and retaining good teachers is absolutely in your child’s best interests. I can’t imagine being annoyed about this.

Increasingly this is the case and is allowed in the admissions code.

A relative of mine is a teacher in a private school. He's a good teacher but also prone to being a PITA.

Having 2 kids at the school means he isn't going to leave until they do and has wound his neck in and behaved as he can't afford to leave.

It's a win win for the school.

Private school teachers are often paid even less than state school teachers without the good pension. I suppose they need to add in these perks to attract good staff.

The state school teachers I know who left to teach private were the ones that were struggling with the job. I'm obviously not saying that all private school teachers are rubbish, rather that it isn't the salary that entices them, it's the other perks.

It's part of their pay package just like their pension. It also can help with keeping teachers

@Offyoupoplove @MusicMum80s Thanks for the information. It's not something that happens round here yet but will look out for it.