Financial planning
Parents can count on schools as a source of help with fees
The high quality all-round education provided by Scotland’s independent schools may come at a cost, but nevertheless it is a worthwhile investment. With average annual fees of £17,000 per pupil, careful financial planning from parents is key from day-one.
Fees have been subject to debate in the last year as Uk-wide business rates relief for fee-paying schools is set to end in 2020. However, according to the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), some £47 million a year is available from Scotland’s autonomous educational institutions in assistance.
The organisation is confident schools will remain accessible by continuing to offer means-tested bursaries of up to 100 per cent. John Edward, SCIS director, says: “That is a historic commitment from the days these schools were founded.
“What the charity test did in 2005 was to make sure there was a certain percentage of means-tested fee assistance available equal to the size and cost of the school.
“That is something they will carry on doing as they always have done.”
Figures from the most recent SCIS annual census show that more than 24.1 per cent of pupils receive help towards fees, with 3.1 per cent of senior-school pupils receiving 100-per-cent fee assistance.
The costs of attending any school is linked to the number of children in attendance, overall school expenditure and – mostly – teachers’ salaries.
Mark Lauder, headmaster of Strathallan School in Forgandenny, Perthshire, says: “The big cost that any school has is the staffing. The building and maintenance is factored in, but you are paying for the school to have more time to get to know your child, be more inclusive and deal with a range of issues and requirements.”
Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools in Edinburgh has been running its Access to Excellence Campaign since 2007.
Principal Linda Moule says: “We want to make sure we have as big a bursary programme as possible and the campaign is a capital fund for that and it increases year on year.
“We are committed to keeping our fees relatively modest, and I think that is one league table that we are – in terms of affordability – at the bottom of and are proud to be.”
The independent schools sector is becoming more accessible as additional discounts for parents whose earnings are below a certain income are introduced.
Haddington’s Compass School offers the Somnerfield Award, which offers parents a reduction of tuition fees of up to 50 per cent for households where the joint income is no more than £35,000.
The scheme is supplementary to the means-tested bursaries and is in partnership with The Compass School Foundation.
Head of school Mark Becher says: “A key thing is making sure that any increase in fees are kept to the absolute minimum.
“Everything costs money and therefore we make sure any surpluses that are made are put straight back into the school’s facilities and resources.
“We want to ensure that we have a really good level of financial assistance for parents who are applying to the school but may struggle to send their children here.”
Many families have grandparents or other relatives who contribute directly to the costs of an independent education, but schools themselves take steps to make things easier. Whether it is boarding or day fees, parents can usually choose to make a one-off payment or use direct debit to spread the cost throughout the year.
Sometimes day-to-day arrangements can be similarly adaptable. Liam Harvey, headmaster at St Mary’s School in Melrose, says: “[Our] flexible boarding system means pupils can board for one night, two nights, three nights or four nights a week, and for working people in the Borders with a commute to Edinburgh, that is ideal.
“They can say ‘I have a meeting that has gone on too long, can you accommodate my son or daughter?’ and, if we have a bed available, we will do that at a cost of £25.
“Parents can sign up to boarding packages prior to the start of term which, for one night a week, works out at £200 a term or for two nights it is £400 and six nights is £600.
“Over the three terms, that pans out to an average of £17.50 per night for a pupil’s tea, supervised prep, supervised activity and bed.”
Of course, it is not just tuition and boarding fees that parents need to save for, but uniforms, textbooks, learning support, after-school activities and trips abroad.
Most independent schools offer fee deductions for families with more than one student attending and can help with sourcing materials.
For example, Dr John Halliday, rector at the High School of Dundee, says: “We support them by accessing cheap uniforms through thrift shops, and assist them with ipads.
“We find it is fantastic because it brings people into the school who otherwise could not afford to come and it enriches the school in all sorts of ways.
“Many of these youngsters go on to do amazing things and be contributors to society, so we feel it is very important to encourage that.”
We want to ensure that we have a really good level of financial assistance for parents who may struggle to send their children here