VAT on fees - will your school help current families who are struggling?

[rosegoldtoner]

I know there has been much discussion on here about this, and I really don't wish to ignite a debate about private versus state and if this policy is right or wrong...but I'm curious as to how your schools are intending to support parents who might be unable to cope with the increase on fees?

My DC's school hasn't yet been clear how large a percentage they will add to fees. It is one of the most expensive day schools in London with an extremely strong charitable ethos which is great. There are a number of pupils on full bursaries - the school's policy has always been that they offer 'life changing' bursaries - offering them to pupils that wouldn't otherwise have a chance to attend the school, rather than supporting families in other ways such as through academic scholarships or smaller sibling discounts, for example.

The school are aware that a lot of families are already pushed to the absolute limit - there was a huge parental backlash a few years ago based on the ever increasing fees, and the school have acknowledged in the face of VAT that many parents are extremely worried and might be left unable to continue to send their children to the school.

HOWEVER, the school seems to be continuing on with their existing bursary policy for new pupils coming into the school - whilst at the same time being unclear as to how they will support existing families who are going to struggle. This seems particularly upsetting when many families have been attending the school for many many years (there's a junior school as well) who might have to pull out their kids at crucial exam stages.

Seems to be the very opposite of 'charity begins at home'? What are other schools doing?

No, the opposite
I would rather support the kids already there who are on Bursaries than offer any to new kids.
I also think that schools should scrap future bursaries and scholarships if it meant that they could divert funds to kids in exam years who would otherwise have to leave. Our school doesn't actually do bursaries in any case, just scholarships of up to 50%

Many schools seem to adopt the line of,
our academic scholarships do not come with any fee reduction Unlike for music and sports, where being awarded an exhibition or scholarship does get you free/ subsidised lessons.

If like some previous posters have quite rightly said that an academically high achieving student is likely to contribute to the school's results and make a case for them to be given assistance, if required/ requested. But, very few schools, even the big name ones seem to have academic scholarships that come with fee reduction.

As I understand it, qualifying for a bursary at a private school involves quite forensic investigation of a family’s finances.

a) I wonder whether all those who feel they cannot afford the VAT increase would find they were genuinely eligible for bursary-style help under this forensic investigation and

b) I also wonder whether schools, while not advertising support generally, would in fact discreetly support those families who, after full investigation, were found to need a bursary to the tune of the additional cost of VAT for 1-2 critical years.

Bursaries are indeed dependent on financial circumstances. But the reality is that there is fierce competition for bursaries - they come out of a specific pot and the most academic child (or gifted in another way) is going to be awarded it. Schools won’t advertise this in their terms and conditions. And since the recipients of bursaries aren’t allowed to discuss it, you will never know individual circumstances.

No business does things because they are ‘woke’. As asserted in the first response to the thread. The more well known the school, the more fierce the competition for these bursaries will be.

Yes, I wonder if parents wanting to be considered for additional financial support for existing pupils were asked to apply ‘on a fair basis’ with new bursary applicants - so if they had the same level of need and their child showed the same ability then they could be considered from the same bursary pot - how many would be ranked highly enough to have funding awarded?

In reality, someone who previously to the change in government could afford full school fees is not going to be eligible for bursaries.

If you need a bursary, a school would expect you to use up all your savings first and they would also expect you not to own your own house, if your house has a lot of equity in it.

You usually have to be on a really low income to even be considered for a 100% bursary. Unless your parents are forces parents.

DD plays music in high level orchestras and has a lot of friends on 50% scholarships (usually music plus academic) or bursaries above that level up to 100%. None of them are poor and deprived in the true sense. Typically middle class professional parents just not in highly paid jobs like banking or management consultancy or City law. Plenty own their own (small) home or flat with a mortgage. A school costing 30k is unaffordable for anyone on even a 60k salary and therefore, the bursaries are awarded for what is otherwise a good salary on national average.

My school has set a January increase which I feel is far too low. 10% of fee income is already spent on bursaries and teaching staff have received a very woolly letter which implies that hell will freeze over before there is a pay rise so how they can absorb any of the VAT is beyond me.

In addition, they are also encouraging parents to speak to them on an individual basis, but the philosophy seems to be to ignore the elephant in the room.

Thank you @Araminta1003 - that's exactly it - many parents in the bracket of doing well in terms of the national average...but not remotely earning the kind of money that means they can easily manage years of fee rises and now the VAT.

That's great that your school finds ways to support families in that position through scholarships etc - ours doesn't, and I can't really work out the motivation behind that.

@Emmanuelll that may be your experience of bursaries but it certainly isn't mine. My DC got a bursary and we had massive equity and savings, they simply wanted DC. A friends DC received bursary and whilst they aren't big earners they owned house and had equity. It seems to be those MC parents who earn ok but are priced out of fees.

@rosegoldtoner - just to clarify my DC are not in these private schools, these are friends they know through music in London who go to private schools. So we have had frank conversations about all the financial detail because DC may have also qualified for a substantial scholarship in some schools that still offer them (but not a bursary). It seems to me that the very top private schools only offer token scholarships but generous bursaries based on financial need (the definition will vary from school to school in that regard).

100% bursary?

I agree with the unjustified big salaries for heads, some earn the equivalent of the fees of 10 children

@1apenny2apenny - You have 'massive equity and savings' but your DC were still offered a bursary? Forgive my bluntness- while I think schools have a responsibility to help existing families who might be struggling in the face of VAT and that might affect their bursary policy going forward, this doesn't sound right or fair at all, however much they might want your kids!

Definitely not how it works at our school - they look at everything in terms of assets (and rightly so).

@redrudolph even more than that in our case! 🙄

When deciding who to give a bursary to, schools usually consider:

1. How the child will improve the life of the school (eg through sports, music, maths olympiads etc)
2. How much the child will benefit from being at the school
3. How much assistance the family need to reasonably be able to send the child to the school, considering both income and other fixed expenses

Exactly how they balance those is up to the school.

(2) may mean that a child with difficult family circumstances may be higher up the list than a middle class child with a supportive family. But equally, a child whose specialist interests match the school's strengths (eg a specific sport) also makes them a good choice. And I'd suggest that already being at the school and facing academic disruption if they have to leave - especially in exam years - should also push them up the 'benefit from being at the school' priority list.

(3) does vary from school to school, especially what level of income justifies support and what assets are reasonable for you to liquidate before being eligible (small, mortgaged family home is usually acceptable - some may allow more). As fees increase, a higher level of income still justifies assistance. Likewise, the addition of VAT pushes that level up too.

It's definitely not the case that "bursaries are for disadvantaged children not those who are high earners but can’t stretch that far" as a pp said.

Will be interesting to see what the top London schools will do, I’m talking St Paul’s, Westminster….

@Caps0218 - yes exactly. In such schools, as I mentioned before, there does seem to a bit of a ‘if you struggle to pay we can easily find a family that won’t’ attitude, simply because they are so competitive. These schools frequently prioritise a number of full bursaries to new pupils - and I’m curious to see how these priorities play out, particularly as schools will become less competitive with more opting for grammar.

This is really going to be very interesting to watch…..yes these schools are oversubscribed and 10 kids apply per place. If they are not careful, they will dilute the academic quality of their cohort….
They both have large endowments though, so will be interesting the see how much they pass on….and that’s not forgetting the huge capital projects over the last 10 years.
highagte, Kings, Dulwich all these will be similar.