Private school fees explained – what are you paying for?

To work out how you feel about the various options available to you in the private sector it's worth knowing a little more about what your money will buy – and what it won’t.

Your child’s age

Private school fees will increase (often dramatically) during your child’s education and junior/prep schools will tend to be less than senior schools. So while reception fees may appear do-able even after your hefty mortgage payments, fast forward to the GCSE years and the picture may look starker.

Not only do private school fees persistently rise beyond inflation (they have increased more than 20 per cent above inflation since 2009/10) but your child’s age will have an impact. Take Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate in York. You'll start off paying £13,455 a year for a day pupil's place in Reception which doesn't sound too bad for any parent used to paying nursery school fees. But at the top of the school you’ll be forking out £22,785 (that’s in today’s money – in reality, you will need to factor in a 3 to 5 per cent increase for every year that passes to work out what you might be paying before your child finishes school). If you’re looking to board (available from year 3), that fee range is £37,800 - £42,720 and even more for international boarders.

Geography and school fees

A lot comes down to the location (and demand in that area). A good private school in, say, Northern Ireland or the north of England could (with some, mostly famous, exceptions) cost half of what you’d pay for the leading private schools in London and the home counties. Annual fees for The Manchester Grammar School, a leading academic boys school, are £18,666, comparing favourably with London’s St Paul’s School which charges £35,847 for day pupils.

We know that families move away from London and to the home counties specifically to get more bang for their buck. ‘There was no way we could look at private schools unless we sold our house, but selling up in the South East enabled us to put away fees for both our children’s entire education and still get a bigger house!’ one parent told us.

A private school’s facilities and setting

‘We’ve seen some serious school buildings in our time, but this takes the biscuit,’ our review says of Stowe School, Buckinghamshire. UWC Atlantic is based in a castle and Lancing College in West Sussex boasts an architectural stunner of a school chapel. Old and exceptional grounds and buildings cost a lot to maintain but contribute to a school’s character and appeal. It is a cliché that private schools automatically come with a portfolio of imposing properties (not to mention rolling games fields) – many don’t – but those that do know they have an attractive selling point and will charge accordingly.

And while once upon a time the most famous UK private schools were worth investing in purely to get the prestigious name on your curriculum vitae, that’s no longer necessarily the case.

As for facilities, we have visited independent schools with university-style lecture theatres offering 3D imagery, science labs that would turn research centres green with envy, Olympic-standard sports halls and theatres that wouldn’t look out of place in the West End.

All this comes at a cost, of course (boarding at the three schools named above costs more than £50,000 per annum). These bells and whistles won’t necessarily buy you a better education, as our reviews reveal, but they can inspire, broaden horizons, offer more opportunities, and are often accompanied by perks like professional sports coaches, PhD science staff, and working actors.

The schools with the best grades

Do private schools guarantee success? While academic track record has a bearing on fees (being near the top of the league tables creates more demand and increased prices, as St Paul’s Girls’ School illustrates with its £37,242-£40,227 fees), it’s important to remember there are no guarantees regardless of how high the fees are.

And while once upon a time the most famous UK private schools were worth investing in purely to get the prestigious name on your curriculum vitae, that’s no longer necessarily the case.

Our reviews and consultancies show that finding the right private school for the right child is a much safer bet for getting them to reach their potential than assuming that the most famous schools and highest fees inevitably lead to top grades. Also, note that in some schools, exam results can ebb and flow – just take a look at the ‘latest results’ section of our reviews for evidence.

A decade ago, the top-whack fees of Eton, St Paul’s, Harrow, etc bought your offspring a good chance of getting into Oxford and Cambridge, as well as being fast-tracked into a top job via the ‘old school tie network’. But a growing focus by top universities to ensure equality, and by employers on diversity – coupled with an improving state school sector and growth in international students – means that’s no longer the case.

Oxbridge admissions are now more interested in students who have genuine passion for their subject, a natural intellect, and have overcome barriers in achieving top grades rather than over-prepared independent school students. So if the school you have your eye on still trades on its Oxbridge admission rate to justify its eye-watering fees, don’t disregard the hype but take it with a pinch of salt.

Many parents choose private schools, at least in part, for the holistic, all-rounded experience. The independence of private schools permits them to move away from the national curriculum and channel resources to non-academic pursuits – the sport, drama, music and art, the clubs and societies, the visiting speakers and the trips. And generally speaking, this is an area where the greater the quantity, quality (and, as mentioned, the facilities), the more you pay.

Be warned some cost extra – it can be quite a shock to see certain clubs and a US football sports tour added to your bill. And that’s already on top of potentially expensive uniform, exams (yes, really), sports equipment, food (which, in some schools, is restaurant-standard and comes with a similar price-tag) and one-to-one learning support when you find out your child is, for example, dyslexic.

Pastoral care is the number one priority for many parents. These parents want their money to go on a nurturing environment that puts the spotlight on wellbeing, that works hard on prevention (eg of anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm) and nips thorny issues in the bud. Often, common features of private schools such as smaller classes, more sport, more art, etc are also beneficial when it comes to promoting good mental health.

The good news is that some of the cheaper independent schools we’ve visited have exceptional pastoral care (eg Heathfield Knoll, Worcestershire, where fees start at £11,725 not including lunch). Bad news is good pastoral care isn’t a given even in the most expensive schools.

As families increasingly feel the pinch with the rising cost of living, schools in less densely populated areas are having to look at their fees. It is not unheard of for schools to reduce their fees (VAT not withstanding). Market forces play their part and if a school has interest at open days but disappointing applicant figures, they may consider dropping or freezing the fees for the following year. Making fees more affordable for more people may mean that the school doesn’t have to drastically cut outgoings. Proof again that the old adage, ‘you get what you pay for’ simply isn’t true.

The precise future of school fees is a little uncertain but don’t assume the figure that you're charged is set in stone. There are many ways you can reduce them, including means-tested bursaries, scholarships based on merit, grants (eg from Education Trusts, LAs, and philanthropists), sibling discounts, reductions for certain professions, employer support, paying up front, and contributions from grandparents.

Or you could combine both state and independent education. Many families do.