Independent school fees and Coronavirus

[Creamegg11]

Our prep school closed on Tuesday due to the Coronavirus situation and the school has given the children some work and also some online learning via an App to do at home.

A parent on WhatsApp mentioned whether parents will get some refund on school fees especially as we don’t know when the children will return. I suppose no one predicted this was going to happen and it’s not the school’s fault but it had me thinking.

Got 20% discount for DD's school year 8 and 10% discount for DS's lower 6th form. DD is doing much more school-led work. DS has 1-2 subjects a day as he is doing three A Levels. There will be no exams. No sport, no army training, no internships. I wish the discount had reflected how little he will be getting out of school for a lot of money this coming term.

But then the school has a big bursary fund so I guess that's why they have to charge others more.

oneliner, that topic has been done to death on MN. No, of course private schools aren't fair - in the same way that faith schools, grammar schools, better schools in wealthier neighbourhoods, bigger houses, private piano lessons, trips to the museum, educational holidays, better diets, and any form of inheritance generally aren't fair - in fact any form of wealth-related privilege that buys your child an advantage over others. But this isn't a thread about the morality of private schools. Of course nobody would expect anyone whose children don't go to independent schools to shed any great tears about them struggling (although of course if loads of them do go out of business overnight because of this, then the pressure on admissions in the state sector in the next couple of years will be enormous, and won't do anybody any good).

Thank you @AtomicRabbit, I am not exaggerating when I say it has saved dds life. She was suicidal at aged 7 , had PTSD and OCD symptoms, overwhelming sensory issues and repeated vomiting. 4 weeks in and she is a different child already. Shame you have to pay a school to have them treat a child like a human being

Yes please @ElephantLover, can you please try posting again? That chart looks really interesting. Also, who created it?

Trying again

Please PM me if you want me to send the chart across via message

@ElephantLover I'll pm you but interested to know where the chart came from ? We're waiting on 3 schools and hoping for some cost cutting but equally with one in yr10 we've got to keep him plugging through the gcse programme.

any prep schools offering a discount?

Our prep school has offered the same discount as the senior school so 10% and lunch and travel not paid for. Also doing online lessons including sport and after school clubs on zoom

I've pm'd you @ElephantLover - could you send me the list please, thanks

Our well know boarding school has been very very quiet on this and my DS was about to sit his A levels..

2 schools emailed today. No additional costs ie lunches and one is offering 17.5% the other 15%. Parents generally moaning but equally if we want a school to go back to it's a compromise.

We have had a letter confirming no discount on fees but a promise that they won’t be increased until at leat January. I thought the suggestion of a fee increase in January was really taking the piss.

@branwensstarling the increased need for state places might well be solved by the Private Schools that are forced to close turning in to state schools, many of the lovely smaller ones won't make it through this sadly www.theguardian.com/education/2020/apr/01/private-schools-in-uk-struggling-as-coronavirus-costs-bite

Ours is charging full fees which I think is outrageous given they are presumably furloughing PE teachers, support staff etc

To everyone who has sent me a PM asking for the sheet - I am not ignoring your message! I can't send attachments in PM so trying to find a way to send you the info. Suggestions are very welcome.

Hi EL - I'm happy to pm you my email address?

@findumdum1 - please do if you wish & if its very urgent, i have also asked Mumsnet for help.

Have done EL - and thank you v much. Only when you have a minute.

I am currently typing this up into Excel if anyone wants it in an easier to view form and adding some other schools I am aware of. Seems a few schools unfortunately still need to be shamed into passing on the much needed help to parents from them benefiting from government from the furloughing scheme.

Findumdum1 The chart in excel format would be great. Should we send you our email address via PM to get a copy?

Hold off for now - i will try and put it on a dropbox share or similar and add the link here but if I can't I'll let you know to pm me your email address.

No worries. No rush on my part. Thanks.

Message from our school today, they're not charging any fees for Nursery age children for the duration of the closure, recognising that they can't offer an online provision (which they will for the rest of the school).

looking at the T&C I dont think I am allowed to link to external content from here so please do pm an email f you'd like a copy - and let me know if you want any updates on it.