Extra costs in independent schools

[HoneyB2025]

My DD just got an offer into an independent school and I just wanted to ask current parents with kids in independent schools what are the extra costs you potentially incur in a term or how much do usually pay termly in extra costs excluding tuition. I assume these costs cover things like uniform, lunch, books, trips. Just wanted to know a rough estimate. Also, if you have been offered a bursary, will the bursary cover some of these costs? Thanks

Each school is diffreent so you need to ask them but our fees cover everything apart from transport. So it includes lunch, all equipment, extra curricular etc.
Transport is £500 per term paid at start of each term
Uniform was 1K to start Yr 7 but mid Yr 8 now and not had to replace anything.
School trips ie holidays are extra but optional and in line with the costs at state school.
VAT is the biggest bloody addition ie over 1K per term 😡
We loan a school device at £100 per term for 3 years as mandatory to use their devices as really string firewalls etc

Every school is different. I've been surprised how few extra costs there are with ours tbh - DD has a music bursary scholarship thingy which covers a variety of random costs but no-one ever explains which - so, for example it bizarrely covers any exam fees for music exams (on any instrument, not just the one she's there to study) but doesn't cover hiring the actual instrument.

More generally uniform is cheaper than the state school was, lasts longer and the secondhand prices are better. Trips cost the same as they did in state (DofE was cheaper). There are pricey overseas ones but they aren't compulsory and fortunately DD isn't sporty as they all seem to be trips to Dubai to play netball etc.

The main costs that get added to our bill seem to be endless branded hoodies for every conceivable activity, but they are cheaper than her school leaver hoody was for state primary, reeds for her main instrument (cheaper than at the london shop where we'd otherwise buy them), and sheet music. Revision books appear regularly and we've never been charged for them, or text books, but again I'm not sure why not.

We found extras typically at about 10%. Could be more with exam fees. However some fees already include lunch, books, insurance et al. Some bursaries include uniform and there may be a second hand shop but bear in mind it gets regular updates such as new pe kit.

I have a kid in an indy primary (London)
Rough extra costs on top of fees are, approx per term:
Music lessons and instrument hire: £400 (obv this is optional)
Afterschool/ wraparound: £500
Hot lunches / top ups to cafeteria account: £300
Trips: £30-50
We don't have to pay for transport but other local schools' costs for their bus routes are approx £200-300 per term
It adds up!!

Agree with a pp that up-front initial uniform costs can be ££££ new as everything is bloody branded, but the second hand sales are great and usually well-stocked.

Our school doesn’t charge extra for books, lunch or trips during the school day (eg a coach to a museum). There is also a good selection of free after school clubs for a hour after school every day (in addition to optional paid ones). There is a very good secondhand uniform market managed by the PTA, with all money from sales going to the bursary fund. The uniform policy doesn’t include expensive items like blazers anyway.

But every school is different. Maybe our base fees are higher to account for all this stuff, I don’t know.

At ours all clubs are included in fees, Uniform is roughly the same as State (although other than trousers you have to buy from 1 shop), books and meals are around £250 per term

Wow, I'm amazed how much this varies from the replies! Our son is yr 5, hot lunches and after-school clubs / care are included in fees, as are books and other classroom learning resources. Extras we paid for last term were music tuition and a music exam (nearly £300 total), LAMDA lessons (£200) and a couple of trips (£65 total) - so apart from the trips, all optional.

thanks for your response, is the music optional or it’s compulsory in your child’s school?

The music and LAMDA lessons are optional for us, in theory at least. It annoys tbh that he has a music scholarship but we still have to pay for the 1:1 singing / instrument lessons, but I'm sure there's some logic to it all somewhere!

Bursary only covers fees in most cases unless you get a 100% one that states otherwise.

Our termly extras bills aren't too crazy. Trips we sign up for and pay separately if they're over £50 and I'd be buying uniform regardless of which school they went to.

Maybe two trips of £30-40 each and then a couple of art supplies and if DC have bought stuff on their accounts at things like book fairs.

Less than £200.

So far like for like with my friends state school trip costs ours are cheaper. That being said my DC are KS3 and some of the older year trips are pretty pricey. They're optional though.

We will start private primary this year and costs we've tried to calculate include

£350ish lunches per term
£similar for school bus but can't use that until age 7.
£9.95 per hour breakfast/afterschool club.
£69/day holiday club, we as may try to use standard local provision not just from the school - but remember the longer holidays when other cover may not be available
£25/half hour for instruments
£10/ half hour group drama lesson
£85/ term dance lesson
Above not 3 not compulsory, also various other extra curricular activities can be chargeable if it's externally run but there's plenty of included ones.

Exam fees are chargeable but that's for secondary level, same with some materials for art/textiles at that stage. All other books and materials are included.

Uniform is expensive £50 for the standard pinafore dress, we are hoping to use the 2nd hand shop a bit.

Also echo secondhand uniform is all so fab. Got a perfect condition will blazer for £30 etc. So I don't think I spent more than I would have elsewhere really.

And our school all food etc is included in the fees so that's not an extra. I know other local ones differ though.

Every school is different.

I had one DC at state grammar and one at private. The grammar was actually the most expensive for uniform and trips.

State school blazer was £70
Private school blazer £40
School lunches at the private school were cheaper and far better quality and were healthier.

It was cheaper to give my DS £3.50 to grab a supermarket meal deal on the way to school that it was for him to buy the same from the state school canteen.

Music lessons were the same price.

Residential trips were pretty much the same cost although the ski trip run by the private school cost £200 less and yet was far superior ( better hotel , better food and they flew instead of doing the overnight coach journey )

State grammar didn't offer additional tuition but the private school put on loads of extra before and after school tuition/catch up classes at no extra cost. They also ran school holiday GCSE revision classes free of charge too.