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.

3.5 million and can't approve private schools that's very funny thanks for that!

OK read the thread now I think it will affect some of the less desirable ones but here a lot of the state options are mediocre so people don't have a lot of choice.

PPH I'm shocked about your HK story surely they have UK property and a good spread to their investments? Even vicars and boarding school teachers often have other property to fall back on.

I wonder whether falling house prices + stock market decreases will lower number of GP paying private school fees

approve=afford sorry

Nothing happened at my son and daughters Prep school.... yet.

This September there have been 60 new pupils through out the school which for a smallish prep school is amazing. Fees for dd are £1640 for pre prep and £2600 for ds in prep, so not the most expensive school but not the cheapest in the area either.

Will wait to see if there is any fall out after Christmas, as if people are having trouble in Sept they would have needed to give a terms notice to remove their child/ren.

As for us, I would rather do without many luxuries first before changing schools, the same as many of my sons friends parents.

How can the lottery winners not afford private school? With their win and good investment, they should be very comfortable living off the interest surely?!

they have a uk property
it has a mortgage on it, secured against the lehmans stock

oh dear

Yes the CLC thing was wierd. Maybe their applications have plummeted after that program about the 3 girls in their first term there. They were all sad, lost, and unhappy. NOT a good advertisement for CLC!!!

hmmm

I suppose things might get a bit clearer in a few months.

cows go moo that is VERY good value. most of the preps around here (day, rural) are coming up to £4000 per term for prep. Aboput £3800 is the norm.

I think lots of schools have recently moved into 'commercial marketing' - can't really think what else to call it but following the appointment of a new head, a marketing and development director was employed to help overhaul the image of the school. And other local schools have done similarly.

This has meant that a massive marketing campaign (mailshots to families, mailshots to all primary schools, state and independent, follow up calls, letters, more open days in different formats at weekends and evenings) has been undertaken this year, coinciding with the credit crunch but not because of it, iyswim.

It's interesting to see how it could be creating an impression of desperation to fill places by prospective parents.

Schools here are mostly up to 6.5k per ANNUM for prep and £8.5k-£10k per annum for day pupils, rising up to £12k for sixth form (day) £15.5k boarding. With the exception of Foremarke/Repton which are substantially more.

On Monday I paid the first term's fees for my daughter's (fabulous) school (day, central Paris) - just over 1,300 euros for prep, plus just under 500 euros for lunch and lunch break supervision (1.5 hours). There are some really good things about living here .

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Oh does Anna888 live in Paris? I thought she lived in Sheffield.

hmmm...never knew Anna was over the chanel...interesting

@ the idea of Anna8888 living in Sheffield

over the 'chanel' haha freudian slip I mean't channel

In any case Anna's dd is only 3 or 4 and therefore pre-prep (perhaps not whole days and poss not even 5 days a week).

Swedes - your imagination is running wild

She goes four full days a week (Wednesday is not a school day in France), from 9 am to 4.30 pm, just as she will do right through primary, and the fees are just the same right through primary.

9am - 4.30pm 4 days a week at age 3?

pph have you tried Oxford High? It is GDST so cheaper than the rest (obv only for dd)

Yes, like every other child in France.

She adores it .

I was also at all day school at that age, in England in the 1960s... as I am quite sure plenty of other MNers were.

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Anna
Assuming a 12 week term.
1800 divided by 12 = 150
150 divided by 4 = 37.5
37.5 divided by 7.5 hours = 5 euros

5 euros an hour (including lunch) is extremely cheap childcare.

My dd who is nearly 3 goes to a pre-school two mornings a week and it costs £20 per morning for 2.75 hours session.

It's not childcare - the teachers are all qualified primary school teachers. Many of them have double qualfications ie France-US or France-UK.

And the children are learning how to read, write, count etc etc

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Maybe some schools are childcare - I don't know though, because the schools I know aren't, they are establishments where children are educated by qualified teachers.

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My daughter's school offers childcare at various times in the day ie at lunchtime either children may be collected by parents/nannies and taken home for lunch OR they may eat at school and are then accompanied to the playground by surveillantes. That playtime is most definitely childcare because teachers aren't present.