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School Fee

A School fee in the UK is only payable at independent and private schools. The average school fee per term for a day school is about £3400. Day pupils at boarding schools would pay an additional £1000 per school fee on average. A Boarding School fee for boarders cost on average £7800 per term. Over recent years, school fee payments have been increasing at around 6% per year.

There are large regional variations in each school fee, the South being generally more expensive than the North. School fee payment also rises as the children get older, a senior school fee being appreciably more expensive than a preparatory school fee.

Parents normally pay each school fee termly in advance, but discounts may be applicable if the school fee is paid annually. Further reductions for school fee payments are normally offered for siblings.

The overall annual cost of educating your child is likely to be higher than the cost of the school fee bills alone. Additional expenses are incurred for school uniform, sports equipment, school lunches, music lessons, extra-curricular activities and additional tuition.

Many schools provide assistance towards school fee payments by offering scholarships for children for high achievers in academic studies, music or art. These are normally awarded by exam results or an audition. Scholarships normally don’t cover more than 50% of school fee payments.

Bursaries are means-tested, may also be available to cover part of the school fee bill for pupils whose parents could not otherwise afford the full cost. They are awarded at the discretion of the school, which may set specific criteria.

Financial assistance towards school fee payment may also be available from educational charities. These normally reserve awards for children whose parents can demonstrate a genuine need for an independent education or to enable a child to complete the current stage of education in the event of an unforeseen change in circumstances.

Planning your school fee payment is vital. Independent School Fees are likely to be the largest expenditure encountered throughout your lifetime. SFIA are the leading School Fee Specialists in the UK and we aim to make school fee payment less taxing. A key strategy to make school fee payment affordable is to pay them over a longer period, but even for those that can afford school fees, we can offer plans that utilise tax you have already paid (or about to be charged) to fund school fee payments.

Contact us, to discuss this further with the option of a free, no obligation, consultation at a place of your choice.