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 love that most of MN use second hand shop, so much better for environment too.

At our school, there are only ever very small handful that attend second hand sale (less than 10 families), and its same families each time. On selfish level, it means more left for those of us that do go though!

@prescribingmum

I love that most of MN use second hand shop, so much better for environment too.

At our school, there are only ever very small handful that attend second hand sale (less than 10 families), and its same families each time. On selfish level, it means more left for those of us that do go though!

Oddly enough No one bought second hand in the stateschool my children attended. All new.

Prep school…. Thriving!!!

A lot of my childrens sports kit if third hand. I just stick a label over the two labels beneath it!

There's some kind of reverse snobbery with second hand. At the prep school its very common that people hand down uniform through families and not only various children but various families wear it. At our village primary hand me downs were not seen..

What’s the “reverse snobbery”?

Our school you get wraparound care from 8-6
All school lunches, break time snack and after school snack if they are staying for clubs.
Some clubs are paid, most are free.
School uniform isn't as bad as some others on here £90 blazer, but overall about £500 for new and then most parents either use the second hand shop or we swap on the WhatsApp group.
School trips vary in cost, residential are £3-500
Seniors school we do ski trips, historic, geography (Iceland) drama (New York) all around £1200
Don't recognize the idea of expensive presents, we buy and receive pretty standard gifts, unless it's a closer friend.
Musical instrument lessons £300 a term.
We only have a couple of events a year, fireworks and summer fete, which are more a pay on the day thing, ie face painting £1
Bouncy castle £1 drinks £3 for beer etc...
BBQ £2 burger, colour run £5 including T-shirt so you can choose how much to spend.

But I agree that the school have no problem and even expect parents to ask these questions.

I would imagine each school is different, but have outlined the additional costs at DDs (Year 4) prep school

Basic fees cover the schooling. Paid annually or can be paid monthly at an additional 3%

Extras
Lunch - £950 (compulsory, cannot take packed lunches)
Bus - £420 per term, so £1260 per year
Morning / Afterschool club (not sure of costs, as don't use it - but charge by the hour)
Music lessons - £20 per half hour
All additional 'clubs' - charge by the lesson
Residential (2 nights) - £300
Annual ski trip - £2000 (not compulsory but would imagine pressure to attend will increase as DD gets older. She isn't going this year)
Random activities (i.e. class skipping day, getting out of school speakers in) - charged by the event
Random PTA events
Uniform - £600 to kit DD out for winter uniform. Haven't bought summer uniform yet.

So although the 'headline' figure is around £12k in school fees per annum, in reality I'm paying closer to £16k

@implantreplace

What’s the “reverse snobbery”?

There's almost a nobility to re-using clothes and sparkly new everything is sort of looked down on ( certainly by the PTA clique at my DD's prep ).

Personally I do get miffed when turning up at these PTA school uniform sales and paying well over the odds for rags, but it's still a lot cheaper than new.

The whole summer /winter dress code is a bit of a con, so you kit out your DC in September, then get told in March, summer clothes can be worn from April, so official summer dresses ( And by September its back to winter uniform!)

There's also the school book bag , school backpack, school raincoat, school swimming cap!!! It feels endless....

There's almost a nobility to re-using clothes and sparkly new everything is sort of looked down on ( certainly by the PTA clique at my DD's prep ).

There’s no “almost” about it. Of course there’s a “nobility”, using your word, to buying second hand.

It’s absolutely brilliant to buy second hand.

There will always be those that seek out the negative in something.

Buying second hand is a good thing. Not worth delving in to it to look for the negative.

I buy second hand because really would make my stomach turn to pay the cost for all first hand.

But could I afford to buy first hand? Well yes, I suppose so.

Do I get pleasure from picking up a second hand jumper in perfect nick for a fraction of the cost. Hell. Yes.

But I suppose that makes me… ignoble in your eyes?

And “sparkley new looked down on”

Would anyone, literally anyone, see the difference in a new jumper to a decent condition second hand jumper on a 7 year old at the end of the day?! Both will look pretty grotty after the first day!

@implantreplace

And “sparkley new looked down on”

Would anyone, literally anyone, see the difference in a new jumper to a decent condition second hand jumper on a 7 year old at the end of the day?! Both will look pretty grotty after the first day!

I buy second hand, but I do think the PTA overprice the second hand items ( I buy regularly for myself and DC in Oxfam and others, and at my Prep, the second hand clothes are expensive )

I think its a good thing, but the trouble is often the clothes are really ready for recycling, completely bleached out , limp shirts and threadbare jumpers and skirts. If they were on sale for half the cost they are, I wouldn't complain.

I used to volunteer at the nearly new sale. We would throw out any clothes we would not buy ourselves or that did not meet the uniform code. Usually less than half price with a % to parents and % to school fund. So blazers £20-30 depending on size and condition instead of £50 plus. However sports kit would change every few years so rapidly became obsolete before reaching the nn shop.

If the PTA overprice then it’s be use their market are willing to pay those prices

And the funds go to the school / kids, so… 🤷‍♀️

And increasingly sports kit is personalised with embroidered initials (stops pilfering or "borrowing" when forgotten) so cannot be resold.

@LIZS

And increasingly sports kit is personalised with embroidered initials (stops pilfering or "borrowing" when forgotten) so cannot be resold.

My daughter is wearing a PE jumper with embroidered

Emma pryer

On it. I ironed a label over it and school have not said a word in 18 months. Long may it last!

All above posts make it even more strange that second hand is ignored by majority at our prep.

It is organised by school, not pta. All items cost just £3 no matter what the condition - so that can be a barely worn dress (£45 when brand new) for just £3, same for ballet shoes, PE clothes etc etc. School jumpers are usually very well worn and falling apart at sleeves so we buy new but the second hand sale is perfect for branded hats, scarves, ties (if you have a boy), dresses (if girl) and all the other random specialist stuff the school insists you have and is lightly used and promptly grown out of

Our second hand shop is half price. Some is tatty but some is good. I could pay full price but it's more 'fun', more of a challenge to find it for half price / free. And it's recycling.

@prescribingmum

All above posts make it even more strange that second hand is ignored by majority at our prep.

It is organised by school, not pta. All items cost just £3 no matter what the condition - so that can be a barely worn dress (£45 when brand new) for just £3, same for ballet shoes, PE clothes etc etc. School jumpers are usually very well worn and falling apart at sleeves so we buy new but the second hand sale is perfect for branded hats, scarves, ties (if you have a boy), dresses (if girl) and all the other random specialist stuff the school insists you have and is lightly used and promptly grown out of

I'd love that at my school, sounds like heaven.

Just goes to show the big differences in at each prep.

I’m fairly sure DD’s pinafores and summer dresses were about 5th hand and probably still going. Nobody ever said no to anyone offering uniform around. Even at her secondary she moved from the new kilts I bought into year 7 and is currently working her way through 2 other girls outgrown kilts and I’ve just passed the year 7 ones to a friends daughter which she happily grabbed from me

We have almost no compulsory extras at our prep, however our fees are toppy compared to other schools. If the fees are lower it's usually either geographical, or because not everything is included. Our school publishes information booklets which are on the website and very clearly set out fess etc.

We have a family member who never did ask these questions. Her son is now in year 6 and is asking for money for uniform for his birthday.
Personally I think it’s time for her to make the switch and secondary is only going to get worse.

Another person here who had no extras other than uniform at prep and even then many people used the second hand store usually rhe richer people!!

Our old prep had a wonderful 2nd hand shop. No tat in there. It was run as “nearly new” and it was. It was also where you placed orders for new uniform if you couldn’t get the nearly new you were looking for.

My experience of fees has been that the higher the fees the more you get included. We had extras for specialist teachers such as music , dance etc. General after school clubs were included and so was tea.

The big unknown is school trips and they are never on fee sheets! Schools often run residentials and at secondary there are subject trips too which are often abroad. These are the biggest unknown cost but ask for past info on trips. Then you can compare each school.

The big unknown is school trips and they are never on fee sheets! Schools often run residentials and at secondary there are subject trips too which are often abroad. These are the biggest unknown cost but ask for past info on trips. Then you can compare each school.

The ski trips etc are voluntary and I felt under no pressure to decline
The French residential - £400 but for 3 nights and we have been given 14 months notice.
All day trips are included, even the packed lunch

No pressure to accept