Prep school hidden costs.

[ComingtoEngland100]

Hi All,

Can someone advise on hidden costs for private primary school?

I understand if I accept a place I have to pay a big deposit that I don't get back until they leave? Some websites don't even mention this.

Do term fees always cover lunch and non-residential trips, or do some school charge separate?

I'm also confused with after school clubs, some seem to charge for activities , some don't .

Can I always pay monthly during the term for a terms fees, or will school insist terms payment upfront for the term?

Lastly coaches, some preps seem to have them, others not, is there age restriction on these? I can't imagine my DC in Reception on a 20 minute coach without falling asleep and being hard to wake up.

Any help would be appreciated!

I’ve had kids in 2 prep schools. One included lunches one didn’t, one included clubs, one didn’t. Both charged for before and after school care

There were residentials every year from year 3 and one had 2 in year 6. All children went on them.

Both schools we paid monthly

Parties were exactly the same as in our m/c state school. So either entertainer in a hall or soft play until year 3. Laser quest / go ape / making pizzas at pizza express / football or milt sports years 3-4 and sleepover and movie night or similar in years 5-6. £15 Amazon voucher was standard present

In total our extras were not far off £1000 a term (residential lamda music lessons clubs and breakfast / after school clubs )

It seems most of you are saying I cannot be shy and have to ask all these things BEFORE acceptance of any offer. And not to assume anything as all preps are working different

Yes, that is correct.

Would you be shy in asking me if your holiday was all-inclusive, full board, half board or B&B? Which action cities were included and which had a fee? When payments fall dire and which are non-refundable, and which are only refundable under certain circumstances and what those circs are? Whether any kit for the facilities is provided or if there's anything you need to bring?
And would you expect all leisure firms to have the same T&Cs at all resorts?
Of course you wouldn't!

My experience of your specifics:

Hi All,

Do term fees always cover lunch and non-residential trips, or do some school charge separate?

Can be either - one has stability of cost, other can be fractionally less expensive, but is more hassle.

I'm also confused with after school clubs, some seem to charge for activities , some don't

That may depend n whomrind rhem - staff run clubs are often free, these where people or come into run them are usually on a paid basis. And it can change over time.

Can I always pay monthly during the term for a terms fees, or will school insist terms payment upfront for the term?

Schools can offer payment plans (ask) but there is usually a surcharge to paying this way.

Lastly coaches, some preps seem to have them, others not, is there age restriction on these?

It depends entirely on the operator. I can even think of one service, shared by 3 schools (all with pre-prep and prep) and even though that's getting on to the same bus, only one of the schools lets pre-prep pupils use the service (that's a few years ago, mentioned to show how you just can't assume anything!)

Bottom line, if it matters to you, check it!

Op
I think you need to understand the dynamic of private schooling from being outset

You do NOT need to be reverential. You are paying a lot. You are the “client”. You are perfectly entitled y to question, probe, ask for feedback, ask for meetings etc

@implantreplace

Op I think you need to understand the dynamic of private schooling from being outset

You do NOT need to be reverential. You are paying a lot. You are the “client”. You are perfectly entitled y to question, probe, ask for feedback, ask for meetings etc

Thank you all for the responses, each poster I haven't thanked in person, I thank you! Great advice and hearing how 'extra's work in each of your DC's schools!

@implantreplace

This is my exact problem, I am very reverential to these place, I do find myself intimidated talking to these schools, especially as I want them to take my DC and don't want to upset them. I have to be a little more brave and ask these questions,

@AnotherNewt this is a great template and thank you so much!

DC is in pre-prep in a smaller prep school where the lower fees reflect the smaller size of school. When we did our research on schools, we found a huge variation in what fees included so definitely agree with PP who say need to find out from that specific school.

FWIW, these are the extras we have come across so far:
Lunch £200/term
Trips £30/term for one trip, more is added if needed
Afterschool clubs/wraparound care all charged for. Wraparound is expensive, £20/day is want care until 5.30pm. ASC are better value, around £7/session and usually taught by specialist teachers
Transport £20ish per term. This covers transport for other venues which are used to host events as the school itself is too small. For example, local sports facilities hired out for sports day, theatres hired out for school productions. They use coaches to take children to these evens
Tickets £10-20 per family per term - covers ticketing admin costs when they use above venues
Residential trips additional in Y3-6 but they don't leave UK until Y6

No coaches to school as it is so small, wouldnt be financially viable

There are lots of opportunities to buy things - books by authors who visit to speak to children, christmas cards designed by them and then printed professionally etc. No doubt the school gets a cut in sales from these

Uniform - most schools have uniform information on their website which you can look at and find out cost of items. In our case, dresses are extortionately expensive if you happen to have a girl but the rest is fairly reasonable in price for pre-prep. Once you are in the school, you often find parents with older siblings who are happy to pass around uniform which reduces some cost. For context, I have spent around £400 to date for winter and summer plus PE kit but have predominantly purchased one of everything new and rest second hand. Sports kit costs increase in Y3 but not as much as many others have described

Parties - exactly the same as state schools. Soft play/trampoline parks/hall and entertainer. No difference in the party or money spent. Presents we received for DC were all around £10-15 in value which is what I usually spend if attending a party

It all adds up. In addition to the uniforms, trips, lunches, extra curricular activities and clubs, wrap around care you also need to account for the following:

*Birthdays
*Teacher's gifts collections
*Insurance
*Constant Charity fundraisers (independent schools have charity status so expect a lot of fund raising events - Christmas fair, Easter fair etc and everything will be ridiculously expensive.
*Sometimes clubs and activities require a whole term's notice before you withdraw otherwise you are charged a term's fees.
*Tutoring - many children (especially at selective schools) will be tutored at home. People don't like to admit it but tutoring is a 'thing' and not just for exam preparation but all year round 😒.

On the plus side, some schools do hold second hand uniform sales which really helps.

You don't need to pester the schools - just read the website. It's usually clear under fees what is covered.
Our school fees include lunch and after school activities. Music lessons and LAMDA is extra, but the cost of these are on the website.
School uniform - ours would cost about £600-700 if you bought everything new. But I used the second hand shop where everything is half price and several families with older children have given me their old clothes so I would say I spend at most £50 per year in total on 2 children (mostly boys knee high socks because you can't buy them anywhere else). But I have a massive stash I've inherited which we will work our way through..

Keep your eyes open on the websites etc and ask plenty of Qs at open days - one we briefly considered had compulsory school lunches, but these were charged separately.

Some have secondhand uniform shops.

Some include wraparound care between certain times. If they say they offer a holiday club check how often it's been cancelled - saw some friends shafted by this!

@justasmalltownmum

Parties at our school are v lavish, and average gifts seem to be about £25-50. Was a bit shock when we joined

we found this too. Not all families, but the average I spent on a gift went up from about £8 at the state school to £15-20 at private. At my DC's first party they got a gift which cost more than our main present to him! This was home counties - we've subsequently moved and its the same.

[quote Disfordragon]@justasmalltownmum

Parties at our school are v lavish, and average gifts seem to be about £25-50. Was a bit shock when we joined

we found this too. Not all families, but the average I spent on a gift went up from about £8 at the state school to £15-20 at private. At my DC's first party they got a gift which cost more than our main present to him! This was home counties - we've subsequently moved and its the same.[/quote]
My daughter went to a girls school with a lot of rich kids (we’re not!) and I remember a school acquaintance buying her a Kipling bag for her birthday(!)

Our fees cover 08300-1545. We pay extra for breakfast club and after school club (£3 each). Lunches are extra (£200 ish a term). Coach travel for us is £250 a term (mornings only). Uniform cost £250 and will hopefully last a while. Trips are extra. We can pay fees monthly or termly, in advance.

@welshweasel

Our fees cover 08300-1545. We pay extra for breakfast club and after school club (£3 each). Lunches are extra (£200 ish a term). Coach travel for us is £250 a term (mornings only). Uniform cost £250 and will hopefully last a while. Trips are extra. We can pay fees monthly or termly, in advance.

Early finish for an prep school!

Standard finish time here. Most finish between 3.15 and 4. I had one who finished at 3.30 and one at 3.45 preprep and 4 prep. Both started at 8.30.

Both of mine have attended private schools from the start.

Birthday presents were not that expensive, lots did the 2 for £15 from Argos to be honest.
Uniform - the branded bits e.g. dresses were expensive. For my son it was cheaper and a lot of the stuff was generic eg grey trousers which I got from Sainsburys.

Our prep finishes between 5.30 and 6.15.. state primary finished at 3.15..

Will depend on the school.

• At our Prep, fees have increased between 3% - 12% for 22/23 depending on which year your child is in. You’ll need to budget for fee increases like this. Pay termly or by dd over 10 months. Big deposit - £2k I think. Notice of 2 terms if you decide to leave, otherwise you’ll be charged.
• wrap around care 7.45am - 6pm (from year 3; pre-prep times are different)
• LAMDA and instrument lessons are c.£30 per lesson
• some school trips included, others paid for
• ballet lessons, tennis lessons incur an extra charge but most after school activities included
• lunch, morning and afternoon snacks included
• mini buses can be used from yr6, charged per term
• uniform is very expensive (£600-£1k for a new starter) but can be bought from the second hand uniform shop or via a second hand WhatsApp group organised by parents. Eg new kilt is £45, second hand free-£25 depending on condition. Uniform gets more expensive as you go up the school. Shirts, socks, tights etc from M&S or similar. Some sports stuff has to be embroidered with initials - so a pain if buying second hand as you’ll have to remove embroidery before having re-done.
• parties have been no different to previous state school except for one huge party which was more like a weekend break for 9yo! Gifts from £10-£30. We usually spend £15ish, more for besties.
• some social events ticketed but not extortionate.
• lots of charity donation events with sponsorship expected.
• class gifts for teachers - budget £60 per year per child
• socialising with parents who are more affluent and different expectations!

Lots of things included - better resources, lots of interesting guest visitors, better trips, costumes for performances, refreshments at performances and opportunities to hang out with other families, fewer dressing up days, match teas provided at weekly sports events (for children and grown up spectators), child therapist on site for pupils with worries or home problems, medical center, smaller classes… wouldn’t go back to state now that we’ve transitioned to our lovely (but very pricey!) school.

Don’t be frightened about asking questions or seeming rude. Staff will be used to far worse from assertive, paying Prep school mummies and daddies

For a complete outsider, this has been great, such good advice. Thanks to all who have posted!
A real insight on all costs beyond just the fees .
especially useful to remember fee increases and smaller things like teacher gifts and birthday parties , small things adds up quickly!

Don’t be frightened about asking questions or seeming rude. Staff will be used to far worse from assertive, paying Prep school mummies and daddies

I'll keep telling myself this!!

These things all vary from school to school, so the best thing is to contact the school directly and ask. They’ll be used to prospective parents asking questions about these things so I wouldn’t be shy about it.
Although having said that, the school my DC went to had a lot of this information on their website.

In terms of the specific questions you ask, for the school my DC went to:

Deposits - yes. We had to pay a non-refundable deposit to apply for a place, and then a term’s deposit once a place was offered. The term’s deposit was technically refundable - but according to the small print in the contract, they only refunded if the child stayed until they aged out of the school, or if the school asked the child to leave.

Lunches were a compulsory extra on top of the termly fees. No pack lunches allowed!
PTA membership fees were also a compulsory extra.
Non-residential trips were extra charges on top of fees.

After-school clubs - cost depended on the club. Generally, if it was run by one of the school’s teachers, it was free. If it was run by an external teacher / coach, it was an extra charge.
We were also charged extra for wrap-around care before and after school.

How to pay fees - we could choose whether to pay fees upfront in advance, or whether to pay monthly (through an approved finance scheme) - but they charge for the monthly fee option so it costed more overall.

Coaches - our school had an age restriction, and again, it was an extra cost.

Uniform was also expensive. Most of it was branded.

And as pp mention, the fees increased every year.

Ours starts at 8.15 sharp
Finishes 4.30
But the after school club choice is out of this world - so majority stay for clubs until 5.45

We’re talking
Chess club
Board game club
Debating society
Dodgeball
Engineering club
Waterpolo
The Green club
Explorers club
Judo
Dance
Football
Cross country.
Yoga

And more

All included in fees

And this is prep

Ours is the same. 8.15 start. Lessons finish 4.30 then an hour of sport. Then optional clubs til 6.15.. all manner of clubs which are free.

At ours you have to take packed lunch.
There's no deposit, but I know of other schools that require that.
Uniform is more expensive.
As for parties/ski trips etc...we buy reasonable gifts, just as we'd buy for anyone. The parties are also normal. You do you.
We aren't doing the ski trip. Simple.
I think you're fine as long g as you can comfortably afford the fees and aren't bothered about keeping up with the Jones'!

@implantreplace

Ours starts at 8.15 sharp Finishes 4.30 But the after school club choice is out of this world - so majority stay for clubs until 5.45

We’re talking
Chess club
Board game club
Debating society
Dodgeball
Engineering club
Waterpolo
The Green club
Explorers club
Judo
Dance
Football
Cross country.
Yoga

And more

All included in fees

Wow, this is a lot of choice!

Especially good if it's all included in the fee!!

Only thing you pay extra for in terms of clubs is
LAMDA

And like PP

90%second hand
Handbags at dawn at he second hand shop!