Chalking up the costs

‘Although enquiries about and acceptances of private school places appear to have increased slightly in recent months, we won’t really know if the recession has started to bite until September.

‘Although enquiries about and acceptances of private school places appear to have increased slightly in recent months, we won’t really know if the recession has started to bite until September. Even if parents have already paid perhaps £1,000 for a boarding school place, the downturn may mean that a few lose their jobs between now and then and pupils don’t actually turn up.’

That’s the view of Dick Davison, spokesman for the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (an association of heads from some of the most prestigious schools in the world), drawing parallels between this recession and its predecessor in the early 1990s, when the impact on schools took a year or two to kick in.

Private schooling isn’t cheap. According to figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC), the average day place costs just under £10,000 per year, while boarding fees — accounting for less than 15 per cent of the market overall — can reach £25,000 per year.

If the fees, which can’t be offset against tax, are not painful enough then the extras can be equally daunting, warns Davison.

‘Exam fees and essential textbooks may not be included in the cost of the fees and in the majority of schools, lunches, trips and residentials will almost certainly be added on to the bill. It’s very important that parents find out exactly what’s included before they sign on the bottom line.’

Many hard-pressed parents are already switching from boarding to day school places or even back to the state sector, but in Davison’s view, the majority of private schools are bending over backwards to prevent a loss of pupils.