Private school fees (merged)

Strapped

Is the solution not to bring ALL state schools up to a decent standard?

princesslizzie

Sorry to ask, is your partner the dad of your child? If not, could the other parent help out.

I went to private school aged 3-15 and I did not enjoy it but I honestly believed it furthered my educational abilities. I chose to go to state Sixth Form and yes I hated that too and saw a massive difference between private & state. But it is what you make of it it, private won't suit everyone but I genuinely believe it has helped me achieve the things I have done today. I used to sit in my Sixth form lessons, wondering when the teacher would turn up and then someone from Admin would come in and tell us the lesson was cancelled. I was waiting for the supply teacher/work to be set but that never came either! I was genuinely shocked. Also that I had to buy my own text books.

I enjoyed the experience and would probably send my children to private and then state sixth form.

stellabgh

Help. I'm scared!

We have 1 daughter who we are planning to send to private school from age 4.5, she has just turned 2. We haven't started saving although we've paid extra into our mortgage which can be taken out again.

Is there even much point to starting to save now? If so, where do I put my money? Does anyone have any tips?

Thanks

Stella

sassybooboos

the average price for private schooling is £8000-£12000. so im sure you will want to save now. not sure where best place for you to put your money, sure someone will come along shortly.

natalie1974

sassybooboos wrote: »

the average price for private schooling is £8000-£12000.

Well my daughter is in Year 3 at private school and so far I have spent £13,000 on school fees , this being on of the cheapest private schools abouts so I personally would set the target figure for £20,000 - £25 ,000 in total up to Year 6 . There is also the uniform to factor in as well , they tend be stupidly over priced as well , to give you a rough idea my school uniform shop sells blazers from £90 upwards , school coats from £120 upwards , £15 a blouse , £20 a jumper , £20 a skirt , £20 a summer dress , £25 for the school hat etc . All those prices are based on age 3 so they obviously increase with age

Voyager2002

Are your local schools really that bad? Most people have a choice of school, and with a bit of effort can find somewhere that is at least acceptable. A fraction of the money that you would spend on school fees would cover private lessons in any subject where she had particular difficulty, and could also be spent in ways that would do a lot for the whole school.

natalie1974

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Are your local schools really that bad? Most people have a choice of school, and with a bit of effort can find somewhere that is at least acceptable. A fraction of the money that you would spend on school fees would cover private lessons in any subject where she had particular difficulty, and could also be spent in ways that would do a lot for the whole school.

Yes they are . My DD1's school has 100% pass rate on the 11+ , most of the local state schools have approx 10 kids out of 60-70 that pass . All I know is that education wise I am giving her and will give DD2 as well , the best start in life educationally .

Pink_butterfly_3

AND don't forget that the fees for secondary school can be double the price.

I can speak from first hand experience as to what a huge and horrible shock it is to go from a private school to a normal school because my parents couldn't afford it anymore.

stellabgh

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Are your local schools really that bad?

No, they're not that bad, they're pretty average, but it's not just about the academic side. Going to a private school gave me advantages that unfortunately state schools (around here at least) can't provide.

I would have been happy to send her private only for secondary school which is what my parents did for me but nowadays it's extremely hard to get in after the age of 7.

Financially it's a scary prospect but to me it's worth it.

Sugarfree_Babe

Friends of mine have 3 children. Both parents went to private school (in my day, they were called public schools). They have moved into the catchment area of a very good school in Clifton, Bristol. Would someting like this be worth considering?