Private school or house move?

[Owensmum19]

Hello.
we are in the position where our mortgage is very affordable and I would get 50% off private school.

should I stay where I live and pay the fees (would be 8000 a year) or try to move to a better area for schooling.

either way I’m paying more money. I also have the problem of not having a big lump of cash to offer over the top of the home’s home report value, making buying in a ‘good’ area even more difficult.

thought please!

Stay put. Can you really afford fees and all the extras?

With 50% discount, if it's affordable I would go for private. Presumably you get this discount for being school staff, so you have an inside knowledge of how good the teaching, facilities and pastoral care is.

There is no guarantee the ‘better school area’ will get you a good school - catchment areas change, schools change, and depending on how far you are from needing a place, your kid might change as well. If you know the private school is good, and are confident about affordability, that seems like the more logical choice.

and while some state schools still manage to be quite good, the funding situation is dire, and I think it would take decades of investment to bring things back. Funding in most private schools is 2-3x state - it is just easier for them to do a better job, alongside offering lots of extracurriculars and after hours care.

Thank you

We currently pay nursery fees of 700 and save between 800-1000 per month. Primary 1 would cost 600 per month (plus meals and aftercare but that’s the same everywhere.) .