Are private school fees really likely to increase by 7-10% a year?

[Ani57]

We are trying to put a financial plan in place and have been looking into the possibility of private schooling for secondary school. Our kids are only 4 and 2 right now but I read recently that you should expect a 7-10% increase a year. The fees are currently £21k a year for secondary which would mean £300k for both kids. However with a 7% increase per year, this would be £600k for 2 kids by the time my children go! Is there anyone with children finishing school that can confirm whether this is true or not?

i doubt that - on the grounds that that’s too low a likely rate of increase - they have been going up by inflation plus about 3% for some years now.

I think it’ll be inflation plus about 5%, as they hedge against continuing inflation in a system where prices can rise only once a year.

and also the school's contribution to the teacher's pension scheme went up significantly during covid, by 50% I think

Interestingly, I think school fee inflation significantly exceeding general inflation is neither new, nor confined to the UK. My mother has similar tales to tell of private school fee jumps when she was trying to enrol me in school in Australia in the late 70s.

Let's hope so. Privileged bullshit & take away charitable status.
See how all
The little lord & lady fauntelroys do without mummy & daddy's money.

Taking away charitable status, under current law governing charities and how they can be wound up, would mean the schools would need to close. And I really wouldn’t want to have DC in either sector whilst that was happening - the schools budget is creaking already, adding to pupil numbers would break it completely (it won’t be by the full 7% of private school pupils as some are in non-charitable schools and others are overseas pupils who may go elsewhere, but there’d still be enough to be a major problem)
Also knock on effects to any charity which provides education, who would no longer be able to spend charitable funds on that if education were no longer a charitable purpose in law.

Now, perhaps a proposal could be drawn up that would avoid those unintended outcomes. But I’ve never seen one, and this is a devil-in-the-detail issue.

Also, according to estimates (such as the one published by the Guardian) the ‘value’ of charitable status is about £200 per pupil per term. That’s less than variation of fees between schools, regardless of whether businesses or charities.

VAT on school fees is a separate issue, unrelated to charitable status. Now that we are no longer in EU and can therefore set out own VAT, there is more scope to make changes there (but again, the exemption for education as currently set up also covers nursery and university fees, so again a certain level of administrative competence is needed to avoid unintended outcomes and I’m not sure any recent government has insisted on high enough standards of late)

Mummy and Daddy will just enrol them in whatever takes the place of private schools as an indicator of being PLU if they are abolished.

Probably clubs like the Lansdowne or similar would have offshoots upcountry and run extra curriculars like debating/horse riding/rowing/cramming. Ties and rings and connections would still exist.

Shutting Public schools would be totally pointless, rich people will always buy advantage.

No doubt there will be an influx of former private school students into state schools. from families struggling with the fees.

I hope for the sake of both the students and the schools that they transfer smoothly. In my experience former private school students did not do well fitting in with their new peers - the sense of entitlement and superiority can be very ingrained. It may just be that I was unlucky - I know that no two students are the same - but I taught several former private school sudents - some moved sectors when their private school refused to allow them to stay there, either due to behaviour issues, or becuase they failed to hit the required grades. Others transferred because the family could not afford the fees. They all struggled with the move and many had a shocking attitudes towards their new class mates and teachers.

and also the school's contribution to the teacher's pension scheme went up significantly during covid, by 50% I think

That's true, but a huge number of private schools just pulled out of the TPS.

@Dahlietta the ones who have pulled out are offering substandard alternatives and therefore not attractive to good teachers anymore so long term going to lose out

@AlabamaSlam I know - I am the recipient of one of these substandard alternatives! It's had surprisingly little impact on staff retention or recruitment though. A lot of the independent schools in this area have left though, so perhaps that has an impact.

Hopefully more

1000% would be lovely to see

Ours were frozen last year and have gone up 2.5% this year

I’ve taught in both state and private. Currently in state.

I wouldn’t bother with primary private unless SEN is poor in local state and needed.

but for secondary school if you can afford it; do it. Since the conservative government came into play schools have been woefully underfunded and the lack of funding is really now affecting all the additional aspects of schooling eg quality of resources and extra curricular activities. That inflation rise in fees allows private schools to provide these that state schools can’t because of budget cuts.

Save your pennies until your children hit 11 and that should then cover the cost of the inflationary fee rises. It will save you 7 years of fees.

@carltonscroop I wasn't saying rises will be limited to 10% - just that the OP asked if 7-10% was real and I said no it will be routinely higher than that going forward. By how much will depend on the school. Ours has historically been quite low so it may take a while to reach 10% but it will get there...

@beachcitygirl your fauntleroy reference is v outdated. not come across many of those in the 12 years at independent schools so far. dd could have taken a grammar place at 11+ but instead we are paying. So someone more deserving has that spot. Had the school fees been 20% higher (with VAT) then we would have had no choice but to accept. No way the state can afford to educate even half of the 7% who currently go private so be careful what you wish for......

@Ani57 our fees have typically gone up by 5% a year, but each school is quite different. Some schools add a surcharge on quite ordinary subjects like music tec, art & music. Some are fully inclusive of everything, including UK based trips and UK residentials. Second uniform supplemented with new swim suits, base layers etc, is perfectly normal at virtually every independent school I am aware of.
Another option which is incredibly popular is state until 7 / 8 and independent for years 3/4 onwards. We also know people who have opted for prep until 11, state for secondary and back to the independent sector for 6th form, typically boarding.
State plus tutoring and extra curricular can be a hard slog for both the child and the parents, unless the state option is a fabled leafy comp surrounded by 1.5m + houses, and there is a stay at home parent to facilitate it all.

I've often read posts where people suggest that independent schools entrench inequality, but in the same breath say they saved the cash or are saving it for university and or a house deposit for their child. I would say all are equally privileged positions.

I've got one who started in yr 7 in 2019,

He went to a small state primary, consistently rated good, and says it took him two years to catch up with classmates who had attended the pre-prep. But he has caught up, and well before his GCSEs start.

I used the primary years to save up, (I'm on my own) allowing me to pay fees now.

I’m not sure many people here have experience of a top prep. They really are very different from a state primary and probably take DC to 13. The differences will be music, art and drama taught by specialists and in dedicated classrooms. Sports of various types and coaching. Sports hall and a pool plus outside space. The best schools will prepare DC for scholarships and awards at senior schools. My DC have been to both and the difference is obvious. A little private school with no ambition that’s a haven for delicate DC isn’t what I would pay for but many do. A decent state school is definitely better than these!

Senior school: didn’t pay extra for meals as such, but they boarded. Day pupils had meals included. Day fees go up to £9000 per term at our school.

You will find they have to afford bursaries out of fee income. New building projects and other long term improvements are vital and fees make a contribution. Plus paying staff enough to attract the best. Some private schools are not great but when you can access a top one, you really do get something extra. Ambition can be one thing you notice amongst parents and DC. Unfortunately you do need to factor in above inflation rises. Our fees started at £6800 per term in 2003 for DD1 and were £10,250 when DD2 left in 2013. Boarding is now £12,800 per term for 22/23. Some schools will charge £13/14,000 for boarders.

By the way: DD1 went to a state primary and others had to catch up with her at senior school!’

Although she hadn’t done French at all at primary she was top in y8. She was always in the top sets snd got the best set of GCSEs. A decent primary really can teach bright children and they won’t be behind!

This thread is modern Britain at it's worst. Grim reading for the 90% plus parents for whom private education is beyond their reach and radar.

Tips and tricks at how to work the system. Welcome to 2022 UK.

Thank goodness that there are bright kids and supportive parents in the state system.

Having paid for every second of our DTs education from age 3 to 21, I would second those saying save your money at the prep stage and go private for secondary. Unless your local primary state options are truly dire, you can make up any shortfall at home.

Let's hope no one takes up a much coverted place in an excellent state primary from a child who who comes from a deprived background, just to send them private in Year 7.

Let's hope no one takes up a place in a state sixth form following private education up to year 11 in order to give their child a chance of a contextual offer from a uni intendended to help children in genuine need of that little extra support.

Let's hope....

The numbers in independent education jump to 20% at 6th Form.

The percentage of pupils on free school meals at some of the more desirable state schools is 3%.

5% for us this year.

They warned us it could be 7% but managed to keep it down somehow.

So State Primary schools are to be means tested now? You can only send your DC to an excellent State Primary if you earn below a certain amount? When DD began Primary we couldn’t afford Private School so should I have pulled her out in Y5 when our circumstances changed?
And she is now at State 6th form because that’s what she chose to do - I didn’t actually know it might help her get a lower Uni offer. Her school didn’t have a 6th form so where should she have gone?

So many children do brilliantly in state schools - secondary not just primary, the nice and not so nice type of schools . This thread is hilarious. Lots of bright state school kids go on to do brilliantly on their Uni courses, proving to be independent workers with huge talents. there are many ways of getting a good education beyond just paying school fees for socially prestigious institutions. Blimey.