Private schools

One child in seven attends an independent school - a much larger proportion in the case of post-16 students. Nursery, junior or pre-preparatory schools take children from the age of 3. Boys generally move to preparatory schools at 8, and at 13 many go to public school. An increasing number of boys' public schools offer places for day pupils and admit girls into the sixth form. Girls, who now make up 45% of the independent school population, usually transfer at 11 and remain until 18, although some prefer to transfer to the state system or to boys' schools at 16. Many of the best independent schools were formerly direct grant, cater mainly for day pupils and are frequently single-sex. About one-half of all pupils attending private schools are in the south east; the major provincial strongholds are Newcastle, Bristol and Lancashire.

Fees vary enormously and it is not always the most expensive school which offers the best education. As with state schools, it pays to look around. Except in some of the more popular public and preparatory schools, it is generally possible to obtain a place, although this might be difficult in some schools if the child is not at the required age for entrance.

In 2007/2008 the average fee at an ISC (Independent Schools Council) school was £3,751 per term. In addition:

• The average day fee at a day school was £3,023 a term
• The average day fee at a boarding school was £4,110 a term
• The average boarding fee was £7,353 a term

Fee increases in 2007-8 averaged 6.2%. This rise is similar to the inflation of all paid for education which was 13.7% in 2007. As for any service industry, increased staff costs are the chief determinant of annual fee rises. Salaries of teachers and other staff are the largest items of school expenditure, accounting for around two-thirds of a school's costs. In the past few years many of the other costs that make up the remaining third, such as utilities bills and insurance, have increased substantially. Energy prices, especially, have increased by up to 30%. School fees, therefore, are rising for the same reasons that costs for other services are rising: staff costs, utilities prices and limited supply.

ISC fee rises are the lowest in paid for education

School fee increases at ISC schools are less than half those of all paid-for education. ISC school fees account for less that a third of overall private education expenditure.  All other private education costs are therefore rising faster than those in ISC schools. (Information obtained from the ‘Independent Schools Council’).

Further Considerations

Parents should be warned that in most schools there are innumerable extras to be added such as clothing, sports gear, books, society fees, travel and extra food and these can easily add another 10% or more to the fees.

For parents with more modest incomes, one third of all pupils in Britain's independent schools, receive some help with their fees, mostly from their own schools, in the form of scholorships and bursaries.

The basic criterion for choosing a private school is, of course, the quality of the education provided. Some provide outstanding quality; many do not. Boarding may in some cases be unavoidable, although boarding schools are in decline.