Just wondering... how do you think the financial turmoil will affect private school applications this year?

[PrincessPeaHead]

It was difficult enough to see who the hell could afford boarding fees of £8800 per term in a boom economy... now? Do you think there will be a big move from boarding to private day options (cheaper) or in fact also a big fall in private day applications as people try for grammars/use the good local comp ?

Just musing really.

Applications are down. It seems like once a week I receive literature from one of our local prep schools, which is a complete waste of paper as we just don't have that sort of money.

I know of private schools operating with just 7 children in a class due to falling numbers, a montessori primary school in our area closed last year and I know of people removing children from expensive private prep schools into average state secondaries because they are no longer able to afford the fees.

Would also add - there was a prospective Visitors morning at DD school today (academic/selective Girls school) and it looked packed - not an indicator of final application numbers but people dont seem to be put off consideration.

The really high charging schools are used only by the sort of uber rich folk who are not really going to notice the recession. The bog standard ones are going to suffer IMO.

ComeO - assume you're talking about Wentworth, which has reopened now. DD2 would be there if I had any money!

I hope so

It might help us get DD into the school we would like for her

Interesting all, thanks
I was thinking about it because this week I am looking at schools for DD1 for next sept, and in between tours etc I'm listening to apocalyptic radio coverage of the City and the economy. And it is pretty apocalyptic - to think that this week Merrill Lynch no longer exists as an independent entity, ditto HBOS, Lehmans down the pan, Morgan Stanley likely to go by the end of the week - so I was suddenly thinking "well, all these incredibly selective schools that have 4 applicants per place, and charge £4k (day) or almost £9k (boarding) per term.... how selective will they be at these prices next year? (Now THAT'S a long sentence!)

You say that the uber rich will always be able to afford boarding fees, but I know a few uber rich who have lost £10m and more at Lehman last week - living in HK where their house was paid for by Lehman even. They now have no savings (all in Lehman stock), no job, no house - will they be sending their kids back to blighty to go to Downe House? Doubt it. And will granny step in? Not if her equities are worth half what they were last week and she had £200k deposited in Bradford & Bingley (I give them a fortnight, max).

It is interesting.

well from a purely selfish point of view soapy - exactly!. Do we put her in for a school which she probably wouldn't get into in a boom economy, but might do if applications are down significantly?

I suppose the answer is yes?

We're also on the round of Open Days so will report back ....

Am at the story of £3.5 lottery winners who

1. Are still working
2. Can't live off the interest
3. Can't afford private school fees

What a load of complete tosh.

You could live off the interest and still pay the private school fees and definitely not work ever again.

maybe they wanted a fairly normal life so gave lots away?

They probably bought a big house, furnished it from scratch, bought a couple of cars, had a few holidays. Easy to burn up £1.5-2 mill leaving not so much to live on.

what a waste.

Think it must be having an impact as we've been rung twice by the independent school we looked at in the summer having already let them dc was going to the local state primary.

I teach at a grammar surrounded by good state schools but have noticed the increase in the number of private prep educated pupils in year 7 & 8. There is a mum who I think has found the transition to state education quite hard, as she writes weekly

I suspect what may happen is that some crappy private schools will go to the wall. The good ones will continue to thrive.

Yes Heated, I sent off for the Cheltenham Ladies College prospectus about 2 years ago (on a whim, no real intention of doing anything about it). Never contacted them otherwise, never looked around it. I had a letter from them last week saying "we note you expressed interest in Sept 2009 entry... please do come and visit and register your daughter".

I was amazed... surely CLC doesn't need to tout for business??

I know someone at CLC - I'll ask her how desperate they currently are! I suspect that the desperation stems from them needing to maintain diversity, as they have very large numbers of Chinese students.

I have heard rumours that numbers are down, or that schools are at least imagining it might be tight. I looked around the local GDST school for dd at least two years ago, and they've just started bombarding me out of nowhere with information about their open days.

It's difficult to tell though. Probably depends just how popular the schools you are looking at are PPH. I would have thought worth a go though.

Well, around here, they are all day schools bar one, but applications are not down- mainly I think due to the quality of provision.

Tbh, I am praying this downturn does have an effect, simply because my DD is only on a waiting list and does not have a place at our chosen school -selfish of me I know, but we were shocked at how early we would actually have had to register her.
Neither DH nor I were independently educated, though both our fathers were (boarding from 7, and 5 respectively).
I am fretting as she is extremely bright yet quite sensitive, and is not likely manage well as one of a class of 30.
That's before we get to issues such as the NC...grrr

They don't tend to contact you until the year preceding admission anyway.

None of DSs friends have left/are planning on leaving. I suppose somebody embarking on a whole new school career in the current economic climate might be thinking twice though.

I was hoping that waiting list at a non-slective prep locally would be down, but no luck. Not helped by the fact that other smaller private schools are merging/closing.

Umm Swedes- she should have started Kindergarten this month (tis the mner with DD same name as yours btw!!)

The private schools will keep going, unless they're rubbish ones.They just fill up with overseas students.

The private schools will keep going, unless they're rubbish ones.They just fill up with overseas students.

I can see it affecting people here (Hackney) maybe, with the transfer from primary (cheaper) to secondary school (about 1.6x primary school's cost). Especially since there are, I believe, new academies opening up? I'm not really sure. It'll be interesting to see how the private secondary school's admissions are this year, I agree. My eldest is in Year 6 and will be doing the rounds.

For us, if my husband lost his job, we'd head back to the US. What with losing his work permit, our visas and all. Although I think if he had to take a job with a big pay cut, we would move to the US instead of staying here. (We're all Americans)