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?

@Fudgeball123 Well done you! You must be very pleased.

Not necessarily… £12-15k a year for fees for primary is pretty much the same money ‘lost, plus the extra mortgage payments, and without the advantages of the private schooling

dipdips the point is everyone is trying to optimise and there's more than one way to do things. What's right for one family is not right for another and it's not as black and white as at the end they can sell their house.. London state schools are very good these days so it makes sense. Our local secondary school is dire..

I'm in London. In a secondary black hole. There is realistically one option - a sink school with awful results and behaviour. There are lots of similar places in London, and even more people in primary black holes.

Inflation- if food prices go up, meals cost more. If energy prices go up, heating and lighting classrooms costs more. Ditto labour costs for teachers, cleaners, groundsman etc

Teachers’ pension scheme and heating costs.

don't go private for primary unless you have a really good reason

Years 4 and 5 being blighted by 11+ tuition is a good reason

Unfortunately our school fees just improved by 11% ! Of course we are not happy at all about it. Not sure what's coming up next but revenues are not extensible.

We went private to enable me to work - (city worker and at the time no working from home). Local school had very very limited after and before school care. Felt it was worth it to avoid the hit to my career. If we had gone state I would have been a SAHM for those years - DH job is one when you can’t do flexible hours (he would have absolutely done this if he could). Every time I wince about how much we’ve spent, I remind myself that I wouldn’t have earned it otherwise!!

In the schools I'm familiar with, the long run average over the last six to ten years prior to this year has been 6%. But this year it's been 10-12%, depending on the school.
It's reasonable to suppose 7-10% is the new normal. So a senior school charging 22k this year would likely be charging 35k in six years time.