How much does a private education actually cost?

[FamiliesShareGerms]

lots of thread on here at the moment about private vs state, and one of the things that comes up is the cost of private education. I see all sorts of figures being bandied around re the fees, the costs of uniform, the trips... but then lots of people say that there are bursaries and scholarships so it's not actually that much... And we are doing some sums to work out really whether it's an option for Dc in the future.

So... How much does it really cost? Our sums are something like:

£6000 per term fees
£300 per term lunch
£300 per year uniform
£200 per term music lessons
£1000 per year school trip(s)

So c£21-22k a year? Is this about right? Have I missed anything out?

Uniform may be more. Petrol as local state school may be walkable?

Good point. So perhaps a further £750 a year for petrol / school bus?

At DS's school it is -

£4500 a term fees, which include lunches
£100 a year on uniform, but at his school it's only a sweatshirt and black trousers
£200 for music
£100 for extra curricular sport (in his case fencing)
£200 a term for school bus but sometimes he cycles.

School trips don't come about too often, but there's normally about £100 worth of compulsory ones.

I think this is very much area dependent though, and DS's school is a small, rural day school. Schools in cities tend to be a bit pricier as the running costs are higher with rent etc. Supply and demand also puts the cost up, so if it's a 'well known' school which may have more interest, they can afford higher fees.

But other than the fees you would have these other costs at a state school too?

Two of my DC go to well known schools in greater London. (one boys school, one girls school.)

Fees are approx £3600 for the junior school, £4,200 in the senior school. School bus is optional, as are music and extracurricular sport, (and lunch, but they will eat!)

Trips are more in the senior school, but we have just had to pay the deposit for a trip for my other DC in a state school, which will be more than £1000, and will not be the only trip of the year. (it is optional, as are all school trips, I believe.)

DC's is £14k a year but he has a 30% music scholarship and an exhibition (free music lessons). If we had to pay then it would be about £200 a term for lessons.

Uniforms can be quite expensive if you have a DD but for boys it tends to be bog standard plain black/grey trousers, blue or white shirts and a badged jacket.

Sportswear is about £250 what with school sports bag, general PE kit, field sports kit and cricket kit.

This year there has been about £80 in school day trips and a £400 language dept trip to France and £1000 skiing trip. The sport teams tour internationally. Usually it is just Europe but you do have some exotic trips. For example, last year the cricket team toured Australia and New Zealand. I don't know what the cost of that was.

As for extra curricular activities, that is all inclusive.

And £300 per year uniform is excessive, unless they outgrow it every year. Also, if weren't wearing uniform, well, I don't think nudity would be an option, would it?

Thanks all.

Margery - some of the costs are just general "school running costs" type, but one of the things I keep hearing is eg how much more expensive the uniform and sports kit is than a state school (and DS will definitely outgrow / trash it every year, he's a tall lad already...). And we currently pay £2 a day for school lunches, but the nearest private school charges £4.50 a day, for example. Small differences, but they all add up. If we are only just managing to afford the fees, this sort of thing might make the difference between it being viable and not.

DS will sometimes have a cheeseburger for £2. Sometime he will have a Chicken Korma for £4.50. I'm assuming that other indies have a similar choice price wise.

The uniform and sports kit is more expensive then Tesco stock but its not to the point where you feel ripped off.

School trips have been mentioned. Your DC will be expected to go on the local education trips (about £17 each) but I was surprised to find that only about 35% of his year actually go on the foreign trips so you will be in the majority if you opt out of these expensive foreign trips.

It varies hugely.

Lunches included in fees for us, uniform was about £300 initially but only ~£50 per year thereafter (just replacing odd bits). School trips have been minimal - typically less than £100 per year with the odd year being more - ski trip once (?£800), orchestra exchange trip once (~£200), french exchange (~?£160). Some trips have been remarkably cheap (mostly CCF ones) battlefields for ?£10, and several summer weeks sailing or windsurfing for £1.40 per day including transport. Music lessons I think are about £170 per term per instrument (but quite a few children get these for free). Sailing is very reasonable ~£15 per term as I recall.

So far then just the fees are the main thing, but another expense you will face is exam fees for years 10 onwards which are maybe a couple of hundred a year.

Also if your child is invited to national summer schools or to a national schools sports final that require a contribution, then the school is unlikely to pay whereas state schools often do. These are usually waived in cases of hardship, but it might be hard to claim hardship if your dc is at a private school.

DC at a rural 7 - 13 prep. Fees £3850 per term, which includes lunch and snack at break. A 50% bursary makes this a little less than £2000. Extras are mostly inclusive, but those which cost are charged to parents. Two extras per term are timetabled but it's possible to choose the free ones. Second-hand uniform shop is great for expensive items and the multiplicity of sportswear required. Music lessons £150 per term per instrument. We avoid the expensive trips and there are days out for about the same price as state schools

Our school dinner is included in fees, one trip per half term but once a term it is a free trip i.e. getting dropped off 8 miles away and walking with a map and compass back to school (with supervision of course). There is a big trip each year from yr4 onwards roughly £100 to £900 depending on length and where to. We get a set list when you join of how much each years trips will be for the next 5 years.

Second hand uniform is the way to go, when we first joined the school we were returning from overseas and had one chance to get it all so had to use the school shop 2 DCs cost us just over £1000 Now DC3 is there and we use the second hand shop it only cost us £200 to kit him out. It is the little costs that add up modern pentathlon, cubs/scouts, judo etc etc

We have noticed DC4s state school asks for more throughout the year and if you add it all up it is about the same trip and activity wise

DD1 gets a scholarship which is worth 20% of fees, will go up when she gets to the senior school.

If you are wondering how much uniform cost roughly then look at perryuniform.co.uk as a lot of private schools are starting to use them as their main uniform supplier (ours included)

I think the more specific the uniform, the more expensive it is. At DN's private school they have a very specific uniform, and whilst you can get the big things like sports kit and blazers second hand and the hideous skirts, they ask for specific shades for shits, tights and trousers so they can only be bought from one specific shop. The teachers can apparently tell the difference between M&S blue shirts and the proper school ones . Also things like in general shoes are more expensive as they can't be 'fashion' shoes so have to be bought from more expensive shops. I must admit I was relieved that DS's school is not strict on uniform, it's saved me a fortune!

"specific shades for shits"

No wonder private schools cost so much!

No, it's actually quite cheap to change the shade of your shit. Particularly if they want beetroot.

My DCs school obviously isn't that strict. Their shit can be whatever colour they want.

Ours is much cheaper than yours!

£6000 per term fees - we pay about 10k a year (secondary), so about 3,350 a term
£300 per term lunch - lunch included
£300 per year uniform - this is about what I spent in the first year. Replacements will be less (none for DD1 yet except shoes, but she now needs some shirts. DD2 has grown out of her £50 skirts after a year! )
£200 per term music lessons (about the same)
£1000 per year school trip(s) (less, probably averaging 300 per year)

We also buy books and stationery, not sure what the cost is - perhaps 1-200 a year? No idea what the situation here is in state schools. Travel is a significant cost for us - they could walk to the local state school, but take a bus to their private school (some days school bus, £2 each journey, some days public bus with a longer walk 80p per journey).

So ours is maybe 11-12k a year.

Sadly we win - inner London.

£6500/term
£1000 uniform initial outlay and can only be purchased from Harrods
£300-500 yearly school trip
£200/term music lessons

Ouch!

FamiliesShareGerms - I was told loads of horror stories about all the extras once my DS went to independent secondary school (Surrey). Someone even said I should expect to pay "twice as much as the basic fees"! Slightly alarming, but I'm happy to say it hasn't been bad at all. Here's what we pay over and above what we would pay at state school, which I guess is what you're asking:

Uniform: blazer's an eye-watering £95 and there's quite a bit more sports kit than local school but other than that it's just M&S trousers etc, so maybe £150-£200 more in the first year and then whatever they grow out of after that.
Trips: no difference really. Day compulsory trips vary between £7 and £22 - much the same as local school. None of the foreign trips are compulsory atleast in yr 7/8.
Music lessons: about the same as local school
Lunches: £200 per term (not sure how much at local school)
Transport: free bus so no difference

Only other thing to factor in is extra weeks holiday (about 6 extra weeks a year) for childcare if you work full-time.

Good luck with your sums!

Oh, meant to say his fees are £5k a term - that's quite an important factor too!

The senior school we're looking at for DD is approx. £4000 per term (meals are included). Plus she plays 2 instruments so we're expecting £300-350 per term music lessons. She would like to start a 3rd instrument but i've said she'll have to get a scholarship first

I don't know what the transport costs are but i'm hoping we can share lifts/cycle some of the time.

Looking at the other answers i am so glad we are not in London!

we have (for mid ranking mixed Surrey day school)

£7.5K per term, lunch included
c. £300 for starter uniform, mabe £100 pa for replacement bits
£50 per term stationery shop
Trips - here is where it goes eyewatering, although not compulsory. Trips so far this year have cost c.£1500 (3 foreign trips). There are many more opportunities if you are into Art, Languages, Sport etc. It could be thousands a year if you took them all up.

Other child cheaper at c. £4000 a term, fewer trips and a better second hand uniform shop.

We pay £3k a month into savings to cover annual costs

Thanks all, lots of food for thought.

And slightly at a uniform only available in Harrods!!

OK: DS - top London day school

Fees: 18,000, lunches about £900, trips about £1500 pa (optional), uniform plus sports wear - no more than £200 per year (notwithstanding the £360 cricket bat but he would have that anyway). So £20,600. Music was given up years ago but probably about another £700 per year.

DD - middle ranking Surrey school.

Fees £14,500, School bus £1000 (ish), Music £1500 (but no sport), Lunches about £750, trips about £1000, Uniform probably about £150 per year. So about £18,900.

Overall then just under £40k post tax income per annum or about £3,300 pcm for two children. No bursary's here though. To be fair DS was offered a scholarship at Winchester but wouldn't move and DD would easily get one at a school one notch down.