Charges at Schools

SCHOOL FEES

School fees cover tuition in the subjects of the normal school curriculum plus boarding charges and must be paid in full before the start of each term. Boarding charges include accommodation and daily meals (breakfast, lunch, supper). The child's bedding and clothes will be laundered regularly by the school and every school has a resident qualified nurse to provide preliminary medical attention. If further medical attention is required, this is arranged with the local doctor responsible for the school.

All independent schools set their own fees, which are reviewed annually, and any increases implemented at the start of each academic year (from September). However some schools increase fees each January. Fees vary from school to school, as there is no governing body to determine what each school should charge. Generally schools charging higher fees offer better facilities or are more popular so can command higher fees, but this is not always the case. A school may be able to charge lower fees if it has large financial donations from parents, former pupils or other third parties. Some schools charge the same fees for all pupils, whilst others have a scale of fees depending on the age of the child, becoming progressively more expensive the older the child.

However schools also offer additional items and services (most of which are optional) which are charged to the child's account and presented on the end of term school bill. These charges must be paid before the start of the following term and the main items are described below.

EXTRA ENGLISH

Children from overseas may need extra tuition in English during the first term or academic year and most schools have well-run EFL (English as a Foreign Language) departments to cope with this.

If a child has limited English s/he will be given intensive lessons (up to 15 hours per week) at an extra charge. Where possible s/he will join the English pupils for lessons where a high level of English is not essential e.g. maths, some sciences, art, sport. As the level of English improves the child will be more fully integrated into the normal school curriculum.

Where a child has a good command of English but needs specialized vocabulary or structures to deal with a particular subject, English lessons will be provided to deal with the specific need. These lessons will be at extra cost or free of charge depending on the number of lessons required.

All charges for extra English tuition will appear on the child's end of term bill.

EXTRA SUBJECTS

A child may elect for extra tuition in a subject in which s/he is particularly weak or has a special interest e.g. additional foreign languages, computer studies. Schools also encourage children to develop artistic, musical and sports skills and offer tuition in a wide range of musical instruments e.g. piano, guitar, violin, flute as well as dancing and coaching in sports such as tennis, squash, swimming, horse-riding and judo.

BEDDING

Most schools expect parents to supply some bedding (duvet, pillows) linen (sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers) and towels (bath and hand towels plus towels for swimming) for their children. In some cases the school will provide basic items such as sheets and pillow cases for which there is a hire charge, other schools will supply all items (at a charge) whilst some schools supply nothing at all. Where there is a school shop for uniform, this sometimes also stocks items of bedding (which must be paid for at the time of issue), but if there is no school shop any necessary bedding must be purchased in advance.

SCHOOL TRIPS AND EXCURSIONS

Schools offer a programme of visits to museums, theatres and local places of interest as well as longer visits abroad such as winter ski-ing trips or cultural visits to various European capital cities.

INSURANCES

It is the parents' responsibility to take out comprehensive insurance in their own country before their child leaves for the UK, but in addition to (not instead of) this, most schools offer three main types of insurance cover for parents and children.

Personal Accident insurance provides compensation in the event of a permanent disability or death. Any injury which does not result in a permanent disability or death is not covered. The child is covered for the duration of the school term including the uninterrupted journey to the school prior to the commencement of term plus the following holiday period. Compensation will be paid in the event of a minor injury such as the loss of a tooth to the more serious such as the loss of a limb to the ultimate, death. The school can supply full details of the insurance policy. The premium per term is currently around £5.00 and most schools insist that parents take out this insurance for their child. Parents may also choose to provide private health and/or dental cover for their child and this is available through most schools at around £60.00 per term.

Personal Effects insurance covers loss of or damage to a child's personal property over the period of the official school term which includes uninterrupted journeys to and from the school at the beginning and end of each term. Certain items such as contact lenses and items of jewellry (other than watches) with an individual value in excess of £100.00 are not covered. The maximum sum insured is £500.00 subject to a limit of £150.00 for any one article, so parents should inquire about extra cover for expensive items such as computers and stereo equipment. The premium per term is currently around £6.00 and parents should make it clear if they wish to take out this insurance for their child.

School Fees insurance - if a child is absent from school due to illness, injury or any other cause, the school will not refund fees for the period missed. The school fees insurance scheme provides for a refund of fees in the case of absence due to illness or accident. Payment will not be made until after a minimum period of absence (from 4 - 8 days depending on the scheme). The premium per term ranges from 0.5% to 2.5% of school fees and parents should make it clear if they wish to take out this insurance.

DEPOSITS

In addition to pocket money to cover the child's day-to-day expenses, schools also require a refundable deposit which ranges from £50.00 to the whole term's fees (see the school prices). In the event that parents do not pay the end of term bill, this deposit will be used to cover any charges incurred over the term by the child. Provided that all end of term charges have been paid, the deposit will be refunded in full when the child completes his/her course of studies at the school.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES AND DEPOSITS

Some schools ask for a deposit for use of the school's libraries; there may also be charges for membership of clubs for extra-curricular activities; subscriptions for the use of facilities only available to Sixth Form students; donations for the maintenance of school buildings etc.