Private school fees - are they negotiable?

[Macaronsandcupcakes]

Has anyone ever negotiated private school fees? I don’t necessarily mean because of bursary. Someone recently told me that fees can be negotiated, especially with more than one child attending - is this a thing? Is it school dependent, ie if they’re oversubscribed it’s unlikely. Would love to know everyone’s thoughts. Incidentally with two children what is a bursary threshold on income likely to be?

West Country schools are negotiable for sure. Some by a huge margin

Do Tell - do you have some information on that?

The school is full with waiting lists. No discounts.

This is a financial advisors private school section.

I’m pretty sure it’s not full & definitely no waiting list.

Yes but these are not negotiable unless you have an exceptional talent that they want. For both, you have to apply and be awarded the reduction through a strict (and for scholarship competitive) process, so it is an award not a discount in that sense. They are fully in control of who gets what, not the parent.

Do you think your children will qualify for either?

In which case you have to question its sustainability

One child has an academic scholarship, but it doesn’t come with financial benefit.

its a very old boys school. They have introduced co-ed in sixth form. I imagine if numbers slip they will have to consider going fully co-ed - so I’m not concerned about long term sustainability - but perhaps I’m being naive.

I don’t think any of us really know. However, you should be able to look at the schools accounts and see what their reserves are like compared to peer schools? Also their income and costs.

I've worked in independent schools for many years and have not heard of fees being negotiable. It sounds like a total minefield. Parents at these schools are v competitive and would be outraged by the concept. Many of them may be rich but they still have a close eye on the pennies.
There is often a fee discount for employees' children. At my most recent school, lots of mums were keen to work as classroom assistants and I'm sure it was for the fee discount.
In general, as a business, an independent school will have worked out the cost per pupil and yet will want to have competitve fees so I would think there isn't much room for negotiation.

I told a school that we had decided not to send our DS due to their fees being too high for us - as I thought it better to be honest and not waste their time - and they came back and asked me what we would consider paying. They are a relatively well-known good school that seems to have retained their numbers in recent years, so I don’t think that they’re desperate for pupils - and knew nothing about my DS other than than his school year, so it wasn’t that he has a particular outstanding quality that they wanted!

I live in an expensive part of the country (SE). The only private schools I have ever known to negotiate were ones who were desperate for any bum on a seat. I’d be concerned about a school that needs to negotiate on their fees.

https://www.ft.com/content/30fe8c0a-5022-46d4-be53-101c4af0185e?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Just saw this article- seems negotiations are happening.

If schools do this they will be the ones closing next. Would you want your child to be attending the next school that goes to the wall and your child has to find a new school with little or no notice and potentially change subjects or exam boards mid course? VFM is not the same as cost.

If you need to negotiate a discount, you can’t afford it, Uniforms, sports kits, equipment, instruments, trips etc can add thousands to annual fees.

Yes, it’s a thing. We are thinking about moving 1 son from 1 school to another that is slightly more expensive (£2k ish a year in total) and would mean losing sibling discount. Told clearly by admissions that they would be able to ensure we were no worse off. You need people with recent experience of private schools not those whose kids are through as the landscape has changed since the vat addition. In addition, anecdotally know of lots of people with quite significant bursaries despite professional incomes - which I’m fine with btw as it is literally becoming unaffordable otherwise to the middle classes.

Non negotiable. I work in a private school and DC have just finished in a private school after 11-18.

Both schools outside London in southeast. One of the schools definitely short on numbers.

Until the schools can negotiate their electricity bill, their staff NIC and their catering bill for food, fees will remain non negotiable.

Depends on your leverage. I would probably negotiate if I were paying for the entire duration of expected school fees rather than term instalments. Which can be beneficial to stop price increases impacting over time.

Some schools offer a discount for multiple children attending at the same time.

Big coed boarding to school near us is secretly offering free boarding to existing day girls for the sixth form.
I've heard of other schools offering free boarding to attract families.

If you pay several years in advance you'll get a few percent off. But you'll lose it if the school goes bust. If money is genuinely tight them ask about a bursary but be prepared to show them all your tax returns etc.

Also if you turn down a schools offer and say you are going to a cheaper school I've heard of them matching the fees of the cheaper school (eg with free boarding)

Rugby School seem to offer out quite a few bursaries

For so long as there’s any tier in fees it should be negotiable!

Many of us are outraged to find out just how tiered the whole system is. The squeaky wheel (or those in close knit communities who have access to the bursar or administration) seem to be the ones with the greatest ‘discounts’ we full fee payers paying the sticker price starting to question!

Contractually it’s not just one sided we must pay so that we do not breach contract however, school must deliver. The past year+ we’re paying more yet co curricular cut or cancelled, trips cancelled or requesting outrageous charge! If I’m paying in full I’m also wondering … if fees are tiered …. Are all the extras tiered too?

Hundreds of pounds for local residential trip? Or day out which I can see does not cost that much should I take my child there myself. So not just subsidising the tiered fee system…. Is everything tiered? I pay termly lunch bill is that also tiered……