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Original poster

Independent school closure: school fees?

26 replies

KAKACARMEN · 25/03/2020 21:03

Anyone’s children in independent school and if their school charging full fees during school closure?

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fluffy71 · 25/03/2020 21:06

Yes ours is. Have just had a letter saying they won’t be charging for lunches next term and won’t raise the fee’s in Sept as they usually do but that’s it.

vinoandbrie · 25/03/2020 21:39

Charging full fees, and we’re happy with that.

All teachers are doing their utmost, and we are extremely grateful to them.

Zodlebud · 26/03/2020 07:58

Full fees apart from lunches and trips. Happy with that as we have a full online teaching system set up. The children have been following their normal timetable all this week with work being set and marked.

Compare and contrast with my friends prep where they have been sent a single A4 page with “suggestions” as to work parents can do with their children. I really wouldn’t be happy paying for that.

Blewbell · 26/03/2020 08:11

We've gotten 15% off our summer fees.

imhereforcake · 26/03/2020 18:39

We have just received our invoice for summer term. Full fees including lunches. I'm concerned that this week my year 2 child has received one comprehension reading with 5 questions and 2 maths print out sheets with 8 questions. And that is all. My year 5 is getting about an hours work a day. How much is reasonable?

waterbottle12 · 26/03/2020 19:28

We're getting good online learning and my daughter is in as a key worker's child with decent hours. I'm not expecting any fee reduction for the summer term though hoping I might get the coach fee back. What they will save on lunch etc is so tiny that it would make sense to just put it towards raising fees less than usual next year rather than have the admin of refunding it

fishface1979 · 27/03/2020 08:14

I think that those private schools which have large reserves should reduce fees for next term. Parents are struggling to work and home school simultaneously. Many will be working from dawn and into the small hours and children under ten really need supervising. Many will have lost income and not fall into the categories that the government can realistically or meaningfully help. They could potentially claim some relief themselves too, via business interruption/government-paid salaries etc.

ifoughtforliberty · 27/03/2020 08:19

I'm expecting full fees as they are still currently offering a full days teaching albeit in a very different way. However whether or not this level of teaching will continue next term I don't know but I am assuming so.

fluffy71 · 27/03/2020 18:20

Posted earlier in this post about school not charging for lunches and not raising fee’s in Sept. Yesterday got a very apologetic letter saying in addition everyone will get 20% off next terms fee’s.

QuestionMarkNow · 27/03/2020 18:25

Theyve put everything on hold until they can sort numbers out. I suspect theyve had many emails saying they cant afford it anymore and are trying to hold people a bit longer in case things settle and they can afford to stay.

I would expdect them not to charge for lunches though.

kulaexchange · 27/03/2020 18:30

... and what if schools were to remain closed in September. Would parents still be happy to pay if this continues past the summer term?

Devlesko · 27/03/2020 18:34

Yes, still paying our bit, gov still paying most.
Haven't heard of any reductions.
if it continues maybe private schools will just take a percentage to cover the online lessons.
Mine is still in daily, via Teams and skype.

StuntCroissant · 27/03/2020 18:37

DC's boarding school is charging 75% of the day fee, despite the fact that contractually they could ask for the full fees. Can't believe any schools are charging 100%.

QueenCranberry · 29/03/2020 10:40

DD's school has given 100% reduction for nursery, reduced fees by 30% for KS1, and 10% for everyone else for the summer term, not charging for school lunches and freezing school fees next year.

lockdownstress · 29/03/2020 14:58

Roundup from NW London of the schools I know of:

SHHS - 10% off, reception will be free
Channing - 15% off
Lyndhurst and Dev house - 30% off

Findumdum1 · 02/04/2020 13:21

Ours is charging full fees which I think is outrageous given they are presumably furloughing PE teachers, support staff etc

icantbelievethis001 · 03/04/2020 11:15

@lockdownstress SHHS reception isn't free. They have 30% off.

lockdownstress · 03/04/2020 11:21

@icantbelievethis001 don't know - relative has a child there and says it's a sliding scale with reception free and more off for KS1 than KS2

lots more schools now announced 15% off, that seems to be the standard

QuestionMarkNow · 03/04/2020 17:11

We have a 25% reduction, no school meals charged (even if by some miracle, the children go back t school before the summer hols).
And plenty of support for families struggling financially, including deferring payemnt until dec 20

waitingforwombat · 03/04/2020 18:29

50% off for nursery - y2 (as getting worked emailed but not online teaching) 25% higher up school (getting full day distance learning. Lunches, trips, wrap around care, clubs etc usually included in fees.

lockdownstress · 03/04/2020 20:07

other features I have heard from various schools:

  • no fee increase for Autumn term any increase for next year won't start til April
  • anyone who needs to leave for financial reasons can give notice up to the end of July and not be liable for a term's fees as notice
  • new hardship funds (and families invited to donate their fee rebate to these funds.....!)
  • building projects suspended
  • pledge that if any insurance policies pay out this money will go back to parents
Madcats · 03/04/2020 20:26

It has taken a bit of toing and froing this past fortnight, but we now have a revised summer bill of:

  • no lunches
  • no trips
  • 15% off fees (20% for pre-prep and something for the exam students)
  • no fee increase in September (but probably going up in January
  • Bursar receptive to hardship pleas
Yes, salaries are a huge proportion of costs but those 'salaries' invariably include a huge % contribution to all the teachers' final salary pension schemes. I imagine those contributions really ought to continue during furlough (I don't have the luxury of such a scheme and they possibly didn't envisage such an issue).

I see that some schools have set up parents committees to look at their cost-cutting strategy over the next few months to ensure that it is clear and transparent.

Some schools with lots of overseas boarders are really going to struggle, I imagine.

Lollygaggles · 04/04/2020 00:14

Full fees, no discounts whatsoever.

sussexinvader · 04/04/2020 08:08

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QueenMabby · 13/04/2020 08:27

20% off at ours and no charge for lunches, buses etc.
We were still getting pretty much full teaching via Microsoft Teams at the back end of last term (our school shut earlier than required) and they have a full academic programme planned for next term together with what looks like all the non-Sporting lunchtime clubs too!

They’ve given us longer to pay the summer term bill and we have a hardship fund. Building projects have been reduced/re-scheduled but fingers crossed the school should make it quite comfortably.