How much do school fees go up each year ??

[mummyloveslucy]

In private schools, how much do the fees go up each year?
Last year they went up 8% at our school but the year before, they went up 6%.
Also does anyone have a rough idea how much all the extras would cost at junior school age. Thanks.

don't know but will be watching your responses since DS1 starts next september and the school are very cagey about the fees.

Around here one of the best private schools is advertising on the basis of "not as expensive as you think". I think some private schools are concerned about the economy and losing pupils and so you might find they don't go up much.

I hope not.

I was talking to the other mums from the nursery the other day and apparently well over half of them won't be staying at the school. They would all like them to but can't afford it.

Haven't analysed the percentage rise, but the fees for dd (year6) and ds (year 3) have just gone up by 5k for the year.

There is an increase every year as they get older, even without any inflation add-ons.

They go up every year by around 5%.
The extras are around £250 per child per term.

At ours the increase was 6.5% last year, but some things e.g. lunches went up by 10%. By extras do you include uniforms - as that was about £120 at the start of the year (lots in the second hand sale) and then probably about another £50 on uniform a term. Other extras were about another £150 per term.

Thanks everyone, 5% isn't too bad. I thought the extras would come to about that.

Not including uniform or trips.

Not including uniform or trips.

The lunches and snacks are included but you pay for stationary books etc, then ballet, sailing, music etc is extra.

If I can't get second hand uniform, I'll buy it big.

The fees will go out ( as in inflation etc) each year but also increase as the child moves through the school.
DS1 is paying way more now at 15 than we paid at entry at 11.

I wouldn't have thought 5% was right tbh - but DH sorts fees out ( i do utilities etc) so not sure...

not out - up - obviously

We were told, by our IFA, to assume 10% a year. Plus price goes up as child goes from pre-prep (infants) to prep ()and again when they go to secondary/high school, and then again at sixth form. Some may also go up a stage at GCSE years.

Our first year fees went up 8%, this year no increase in fees (but started to charge for after school club).

I thought you were taking your dd out of private and into state? [hmm}

Here's the thing about school fees:

1. They go up massively every year. They go up by more than inflation plus they get more expensive as you go up the school. So £5k in nursery which is subsidised turns into £10k by year 6.

1. The anxiety about losing jobs and consequently not being able to afford something the children have by now got used to increases roughly in proportion with the school fees.

1. The extras cost me around £1k a year per child. It is not just uniform and PE kit (all of which can only be sourced from a vastly overpriced school shop) it's music lessons, school trips etc. None of these are optional.

DO NOT EMBARK UPON IT LIGHTLY. IT IS A 15 YEAR COMMITMENT. 3-18. AND THERE ARE UNIVERSITY FEES AFTER THAT

Mine went up 4% for junior and 6% for senior.

Extras at junior for us were £125 piano and £25 pottery. There were a few little trips but nothing over £10.

Do agree with Quattrocento though about the long-term commitment aspect of it. 4% and 6% sounds little until you are actually faced with the full fees. Work it out weekly, do you have that spare? I set aside over three times my weekly food bill for fees and am happy to do that. I'm fairly certain that many parents of children that my dc's started with didn't extrapolate the long term cost.

For the cost of two sets of school fees over the 15 years - you will not get much change out of £300k. I reckon. For that much, you could trade up to a house conveniently next door to a state grammar school and pay for a tutor for the early years to make sure you get through the 11plus. And you get to keep the equity in your house.

my bill went up £150 per month this year.

It is very common for parents to drop out after nursery ime. They have had at least some chance to get a feel for the school and have a better idea as to whether the school represents value for money. It is also the year in which they will have applied for state school and therefore may be happy with their state options.

I have a £400 hike between FT nursery and reception and another £500 hike between Year 2 and Year 2 (per term so £1,200 and £1,500 per annum). I'd expect a further £1k hike per term before going to seniors. That is in addition to annual increases averaging 7%.

Only extras are optional ski trips and music lessons. But The one thing that you do tend to notice is the cost of shoes as they grow, as you're replacing schools, shoes, trainer, football boots etc.

So far ours have been going up by about £100-£150 per child per term. We have no extras. Trips, lunches etc are all included. There are certain optional extras like ballet, music or drama but dd does those outside school anyway.

Pre-prep is about £2,140 per term, Prep is £2,384 and Seniors is £2,747

I'm totally confused now. We've had the "shall I commit fraud to get DD into a good state school" thread, then I thought you'd decided to send her to the local state school. Have you changed your mind again? Private schooling seems to be a really big deal for you, so if you can afford it why don't you just do it. I'm not being unsympathetic btw and I know how big a deal it is to make the right school choice but sometimes you just have to make a decision and stick with it

My kids don't do any peri lessons, so it is not necessary. We have never been made to feel strange for it.

If you want your child to learn an instrument, it's not a cost solely to do with private schools. If they learn an instrument at state school, you will still have to pay.

Ditto uniform - may be a bit more expensive, but generally good quality and they really do take care of their uniforsm. Shoes - you have the same range that state pupils have.

Educational visits aren't subsidised, so can easily be £20 - 30 a go (museum trips, theatre, field trips), but you would unlikely have more than 4 or of these a year.

Lunches - they still have to eat no matter what school they are at. Some schools have the lunches included in the fees across the school, or compulsory for younger age groups, with half-termly notices for the other age groups. Like for like, school lunches shouldn't be a worse deal than in state schools.

As for fee hikes - it depends and is usually decided at Easter each year. They look at the number of pupils, and the outgoings, and work out the fees accordingly. Sometimes fees can go up a lot (10%) and sometimes a little (3%).

The main cost is that of the teaching staff, and the school has to fund the annual teachers' pay award set by the government. They may have additional teaching costs as teachers gain experience, but may save when an expensive teacher retires and is replaced by a NQT.

There are other costs that need to be passed on, such as insets and teaching materials to cover all the new GCSE and GCE courses, and the new culture of providing text books for keeps now that they contain CDroms (licensing issues).

Sundayschild- I had made up my mind that she is going to her local state primary, I was only thinking of moving in with my MIL to get my daughter in to the state school with the best SEN's facilities. I could have helped my MIL out by moving in as she has her 90 year old mother to look after as well as students and a big family, she's not in great helth herself either.
I just thought moving in with her would benefit us all. That's hardly fraud.
I've spoken to my Mum and told her that I'd decided to put her in to a state primary and she wasn't happy at all. She thinks she'll get picked on and lost in a big class. She's asked me to find out all the info I can so that she can see if she can help.

Like for like ours went up by about 8% but dd is going from year 2 to 3 so the increase is greater. Extras such as dance classes, tennis, clubs and swimming cost about £50-60 each per term, musical instruments about £150 per term, one to one learning support £30 per hour, although many clubs become free at Year 3.