Soaring school fees force parents to dig deeper

Parents with children at independent schools face a fees increase of up to 12 per cent for the academic year starting in September.

The spiralling fees could cost parents an extra £2,000 a year at Britain's most expensive schools. But despite the increasing costs, the number of pupils at independent schools has risen steadily since 1995, with an increase of 1.4 per cent this year alone, the Independent Schools Information Service (Isis) says.

Isis, which predicts average rises of slightly more than 7 per cent this September, warns that the cost of private education is accelerating and that only a recession is likely to produce a slowdown. Dick Davison, a director of Isis, said: "Schools are aware they are operating in a market place and they cannot afford to price themselves out of the market.

"There is no evidence that increasing fees are choking off demand. School fees tend to follow increases in average earnings rather than inflation. People who send their children to independent schools are by no means all rich, but the current strong economy does seem to mean that many families can afford to pay."

Mike Sant, general secretary of the Independent Schools Bursars' Association, predicts an average increase of about 8 per cent this autumn – more than three times the rate of inflation. He said: "Amazingly, there has been very little backlash against the increases. But independent schools are going to have to watch it – if recession hits then that's when you will get problems with people withdrawing their children or being unable to pay."

Mr Sant said that while most schools planned fee increases of between 7 and 8 per cent, some had raised fees by 11 or 12 per cent. Last year fees rose by an average of 6.7 per cent, up from 6.3 per cent in 1999-2000.

For some parents, the rise in fees has proved prohibitive. At Godstowe Preparatory School in Buckinghamshire, four out of the school's 460 pupils have been withdrawn because of a 20 per cent rise in fees. Day fees were increased from £2,465 a term last year to £2,960 a term from September after the school began a policy of adjusting its prices for day pupils to bring them nearer the boarding fees.

Godstowe – one of Britain's few remaining boarding establishments for junior girls – had been charging boarders 70 per cent more than day pupils but is narrowing the gap, arguing that day girls benefit from many of the same out-of-school activities.

Other independent schools blame rising wages in state schools for the higher fees. Salaries have risen sharply this year as independent schools try to maintain their competitive edge by paying their staff more than the state sector, where teachers now earn up to £35,000.

The introduction of the new AS-level exam has also been expensive for schools, requiring some to invest in new buildings, extra desks and classrooms. Parental pressure for high-quality sports and recreational facilities for their children as well as the latest computer equipment has also pushed up prices, bursars say.

While the number of pupils going to independent schools rises, the Government stresses that since the number of school-age children has risen from 8.19 million in England in 1997 to 8.35 million in 2000, the proportion at independent schools has remained steady at 6 per cent.