Private school extras fee dilemma

ViolaLass

I second ManOfLeisure's point about clubs usually being included in the fees.

OP, if your ex on the same low income as you? (more or less) If so, have you tried asking the school for financial help? There may be some available but you have to ask for it.

martinbuckley

Tell your ex that you'll pay maintenance or school fees, but not both. On £13K pa, you are earning less than half the average wage and are technically living below the poverty line.

barbarawright

ManofLeisure wrote: »

To be honest, I find these figures to be quite astonishing. All four of my children were educated privately and at different schools. For each of those schools the majority of extra-curricular activities and clubs were included in the fees. From memory, it was only music and tennis lessons which were at an additional cost. Are you 'absolutely' certain about these additional costs?

The Musicians Union Rate for lessons is £30 an hour. I assume other private lessons might be the same. 3700 / 30 is 123 so 40 classes a term. If a term is 12 weeks, then that's 60 schooldays. I also find these figures astonishing - that's a £30 on two out of three days. Unless it's to cover childcare during the holidays?

Spendless

I must admit, I've just looked up extra curriculum activities at the local private school and they are all included in the fees with the expectation that a child from yrs 3-9 participates twice a week and from yr10 once a week. Before yr3 they have a supervised prep (homework) club.

What isn't included is music tuition or the transport to and from school, which I got told earlier this year by a lady whose daughter attends was extortionate at about £8 a day and is the reason she picks her up herself.

Examination fees and examination text books have to be paid for. There is also an additional hourly charge for pupils requiring additional support or tuition which goes up to £30 per hour. Wrap around care for term-time and holidays is extra, but if the OP ex is also on a low income and this is approved childcare she could claim help towards in from the Government, it wouldn't matter that it's at a private school where (step) grandparent is paying the fees so long as she fits the criteria for help.

It would be helpful to know if daughter is a 15yo having horse riding lessons as extras, paying for extra tuition and GCSE exams and text books or a 5yo staying behind to do 'messy play'.

Ahhh -As I've scrolled down the website I'm looking on, there in bold is the following message

A full term's notice in writing is required of the intention to remove a child from the school or to discontinue any optional extra, otherwise one term's fees are due in lieu of such notice.

Assumming the same applies at your child's school, what previous posters have put sounds correct. If either of you can be asked for the money, either of you must be able to withdraw child. Give a term's notice you are withdrawing child from any optional extra. It is then up to Mum to enter into a new contract where additional costs are down to her.

Mr_Costcutter

ManofLeisure wrote: »

For each of those schools the majority of extra-curricular activities and clubs were included in the fees.

Absolutely agree and for my own granddaughter this is exactly the case. A huge choice of activities and all inclusive of the fee.

Here's what is included :


Aerobics (Senior School)
Air Rifle Target Shooting (Years 5-8)
Art Club (Senior School)
Art and Craft Club (Upper Prep School)
Athletics (Preparatory School)
Badminton Club (Preparatory and Senior School)*
Ballet (Lower Prep School)
Bat and Ball Games (Lower Prep School)
Bird Club (Preparatory School)
Board and Card Games Club (Upper Prep School)
Book Club (Years 6 – 9)
Chess Club
Choir (Senior School)
Construction Club (Lower Prep School)
Cricket Club (Upper Prep School)
Cross Country (Preparatory School)
Dance (Preparatory and Senior School)*
Drama Club (Senior School)
Drawing (Upper Prep School)
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme (Bronze, Silver and Gold) (Senior School)
Football (Preparatory School)
Fun Swim (Upper Prep School)
Fun with Clay (Preparatory School)
Gala Practice (Senior School)
Gardening (Lower Prep School)
General Knowledge Quiz Team (Senior School)
Green Club (Years 6-13)
Hockey Club (Upper Prep and Senior School)
Kayaking and Canoe Club (Year 6-13)*
Lego and Construction Club (Preparatory School)
Maths and Games Club (Senior School)
Mini Tennis Club (Lower Prep School)*
Music Lessons* including; alto saxophone, bass guitar, bassoon, cello, clarinet, drums, flute, guitar (bass, electric and classical), harp, horn, keyboard, oboe, piano, recorder, singing, teneroon, trumpet, ukelele, viola and violin
Netball Club (Preparatory and Senior School)
Orchestra (Years 6-13)
Parachute Games (Lower Prep School)
Public Speaking Club (Senior School)
Rock Band (Senior School)
Rounders (Upper Prep School)
Rugby Club (Lower and Upper Prep School)
Science Club (Preparatory School)
Scrabble Club (Years 6-9)
Singing Club (Lower Prep School)
Swimming (Senior School)
Table Tennis Club (Upper Prep School)
Tae Kwon Do (Preparatory and Senior School)*
Tennis Club (Preparatory and Senior School)*
Trampolining (Preparatory and Senior School)*
Ukulele Club (Upper Prep School)
Woodland Activities (Lower Prep School)

pearl123

Perhaps, the child attending this private school needs to understand that she can’t enrol in everything, due to her parents only having a modest income. I went to a private school and it was very clear that some parents were more wealthy than others. I knew my parents were only just affording the school fees so when it came to things like school ski holidays I opted out.

ManofLeisure_2

Mr_Costcutter wrote: »

Absolutely agree and for my own granddaughter this is exactly the case. A huge choice of activities and all inclusive of the fee.


Fundamentally, most private schools believe that you cannot educate a child solely by teaching academic subjects - hence the wide choice of activities which are generally available. Again, I have always found the majority of activities to be inclusive of the fee payable

triple_choc_chip

I've been paying fees for 15 yrs, I'm now down to last 5 payments :T
My DS does loads of sport, all included. I pay extra for lunches, day trips and exams. Its never exceeded £225, which is on top of normal fee 3 times a yr.
i agree op's amount seems way over the top but the op should receive a full breakdown of the extras a month before it's due. If they don't send you this op, I'd advise phoning the accounts office to make sure they are aware you're paying; I'm sure you will find them very helpful and you can ask about notice etc. at the same time.

fred246

When we looked at private schools they would have been quite a hindrance to the pursuit of after school activities. Every private school had a bus service which you paid for. They picked the children up from your area in the morning and deposited them back in the evening. The bus wouldn't wait for any after school activities so if they did one the parent would still have to pay for the bus and then go and pick them up personally. Much cheaper and better to send them to the local state school and then they could do all the activities they wanted. That's what we did. Free education and then they went on every holiday (including skiing very year) and exchange trip that there was. They did after school activities every day of the week. So the state school was much better in terms of after school activities and we had plenty of money to pay for them.

pearl123

You could also visit the headmaster/headmistress. Explain your situation sometimes concessions can be made.