How much do school fees increase every year?

[Luna9]

We are in South East London and considering private senior school. What percentage do school increase every year. I am sure this vary from school to school but would like to have an idea in terms of percentages. Thank you

Generally around 4% or so I understand. Ours is usually around 3%

Yes 4% is about the norm. Club fees rise too!

Over the last 25 years the average has been
double the rate of inflation

5% in south London. There are many bursaries/scholarships though.

It varies but when ds started at 8 in 2002 fees were 7,500. When he left in 2013 they were £18,000. London day school.

Allow at least 5%. Dc school has gone up almost 2k per term in 7 years. Plus you pay exam fees, text books and so on as extra.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-charts-that-shows-how-private-school-fees-have-exploded-a7023056.html

I would assume between 5-7%
Also factor in travel costs and lunch fees

Our local school in Surrey had each year fees higher - so something like

Year 6 - 13,000
Year 7 - 14,000

And so on let alone 4% inflation rate!

Thank you. I was thinking about 3 percent . It looks like 5 percent is more realistic. Will keep an eye on the increase this year.

Luna9. Remember that if a Labour government were to succeed they may well look at taking away the charitable status of indies. This would cause the fees to rise, possibly quite sharply. Also be aware that there can be a lot of extras on top of the basic fees, lunches, school bus, extensive sports kit, foreign trips, etc. I would advise caution if you think you may struggle to pay all the way through. Another option might be to take an indie place only from age 13 before GCSEs start and if you think your child would be mature enough to move schools. Good luck.

Around 4% has probably been common in the last 5 or 6 years, but 8-10% was widely known around 10 years ago. These things vary, so looking at just a couple of years simply cannot tell you.

I agree that doing calculations based on 5% is a good idea and starting with a decent contingency fund is also important. The bigger this is, the better, but even if you just have £5k or even less than that, you know that you can cope with bigger increases if they come.

Another way to save, if you have lots of savings, is to arrange a fees in advance agreement. These can either help avoid fee rises in some places, or are a way to pay upfront and accumulate interest effectively on a compound basis.

I think 5% is a good place to start.

Removing charitable status of indies will never happen because the govt just couldn't afford to find extra state school places for all the kids who can't afford the fees any more.

^ I should add, 5% but compound and also noting that fees are usually higher for higher year groups. Eg. Might be £3k a term in Reception but £8k a term for years 12 & 13.

Thank you. This is very helpful

Agreed that removing the charitable status will cause lots of problems.

Need to do all the maths and see what state school we get before committing; also wait if we are offered a place at the independent.

"Remember that if a Labour government were to succeed they may well look at taking away the charitable status of indies."
There's always hope!

Remember that many private schools charge more as you go up the school-make sure the "headline" figure they give you takes this into account. And make sure you k is what "extras" you have to pay for.

5-10%. I know a school that has had five years of 8% rises which gives a doubling time of about ten years.

I'm in the south east. Fees went up 4% last year for senior school