St Trillions! How cost of private schools is soaring

THE cost of putting a child through private education in Scotland has soared to an all-time high.

Parents must now find an average of £128,589 for a fee-paying primary and secondary school.

A Bank of Scotland study shows that since 2004, there has been a 58 per cent rise in average annual fees charged by independent schools, from £7,170 to £11,310.

A fee of £11,310 is equivalent to 40 per cent of annual average gross full-time earnings of £33,149. The most expensive school is Gordonstoun, where annual fees for a senior boarding pupil are £32,361.

Despite the rise, the number of students at the 33 private Scottish schools represented by the Independent Schools Council in 2015 was 25,093, a 0.2 per cent increase on 2014.

The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) said that private schools provided value for money, despite their cost.

A spokesman said: ‘Independent schools in Scotland are just that – autonomous, but not isolated. This allows them the freedom to let passionate teachers create educational experiences that meet the individual needs of the children and young people they teach.’

A spokesman for Glenalmond College, which charges £32,229 for boarding pupils, said that parents were choosing private schools because they went beyond what was available at state schools.

She said: ‘At Glenalmond pupils are immersed in learning.

As well as six-days-a-week classroom teaching, there is an extensive programme of sport, music, art, drama, and other activities.

‘It is important to us that a Glenalmond education should be available to any child, regardless of financial circumstances, and we have a bursary programme to help those in financial need.’

In 2015, 69 per cent of students studying at its schools got an A in Scotland’s new National 5 exams, compared with 37.5 per cent nationally, while 95 per cent of students in a mainstream SCIS school sitting the new Higher courses achieved a pass.

One of the cheapest private schools in Scotland is Hamilton College, which charges £9,855 for day students.

The most expensive private school in the UK is Hurtwood House, which charges a total of £39,555 a year for boarding students.