of reassurance. Immersed in academic excellence and traditional values and beguiled by stunning surroundings, you can, for a few minutes, convince yourself that while we may still be going to hell in a handcart, the pace has slowed. For schools, so far at least, the current downturn
Visit
is proving less problematic than the last. Pupil numbers are holding up well. Overall, they dropped by just 0.2% between 2010 and 2011 and actually grew at boarding schools and boys’ only prep schools, according to fi gures from the ISC (Independent Schools Council) and ISPA (Independent Schools’ Preparatory Association). “We’re not getting any feedback that the recession
is hitting schools like it did in the 1990s,” says Niall Browne, a senior consultant at Gabbitas. Talk to thriving schools like St Nicholas’ School
in Fleet, Hampshire, and you see what he means. The school, co-ed from 3 to 7, then girls-only to 16, provides a fi rst-class education that ensures many of its Year 11 leavers go on to become high fl yers at A level and beyond. Sixteen years ago, however, in the depths of the
last recession, St Nicholas’ made the tough decision to close its sixth form. Given the school’s location – surrounded by league-topping, well-funded local sixth form colleges – it was a logical move that made clear educational and economic sense, enabling the school to up-sticks and move on to a new site, concentrating all its resources lower down the school. “We moved premises from the centre of Fleet into
the countryside about fi ve miles away,” explains current head Annette Whatmough, who joined the school after the closure of the sixth form. “We built an infants’ department from scratch, turned [the] old main house into a junior school and converted the golf range into playing fi elds.” And it hasn’t stopped there. Recent
developments include a new sports hall, an art and textiles block and a music centre. “I’m pretty delighted with the whole thing, really.
I want people to know that you can do these things without having a big foundation. We’ve managed it out of school fees and careful management.” Of course, schools aren’t immune from hard
times. As a so-called lagging sector, they may just feel the pain rather later than everyone else as desperate parents cut all other spending to the bone
a thriving independent school in these troubled economic times and you’ll get a hefty dose
so they can continue funding their child’s education. And there are casualties. As Paul Simpson,
professional development director at ISBA (the Independent Schools’ Bursars Association) points out. Schools have always come and gone, in good times and bad. “Regardless of this recession we’re in, there are always schools
closing...for whatever reason.” Do a quick internet search and you see his point.
“Top schools to merge,” screams the apparently shocking headline on one local history website. It’s only when you clock a teacher’s salary – £13 6s 8d – and the date – 1584 – that you realise you’ve been had, with a tale that sounds contemporary but dates back more than 400 years. But schools can’t rest on their laurels. As St
Nicholas’ demonstrates, getting the money side right is vital, especially now that increasing numbers of parents are asking for fee reductions as they start to feel the pinch. While it’s impossible to know just how many are
still paying rate card fees, make no mistake, it takes more than a hard luck story to convince schools to reduce the bill. Hard evidence is also required. “In some schools, there is formal means testing. Parents can fi nd it intrusive but from the school’s perspective you can see why…[if] they see the parents driving in in some fl ash car yet claiming penury.” You can’t blame schools for their caution,
especially given their own dedication to introducing recession-busting tactics that help keep them in good fi nancial health – and enable them to off er a helping hand to parents. Where new buildings were once, if not the default
development option, often the preferred one, there’s a distinct “here’s one I made earlier” feeling in the air. Schools, more cautious about embarking on new-build projects, are working out how to box clever with existing space, re-thinking areas like the computer room – thanks to the unstoppable pace of technological development, they’re increasingly becoming old hat. They are also adept at coming up with
imaginative, revenue-generating wheezes, from installing solar panels on the roofs to inviting couples to get hitched in their spacious grounds: Stowe School has been doing it successfully since 1978. You can learn drama, dance, cricket or football at Sydenham High School for Girls, take advanced cookery courses at Ipswich High School and get married at either. One Surrey pre prep is rapidly acquiring a reputation as party capital of the home
Conquering Adversity...
As the recession bites, Charlotte Phillips fi nds that schools are balanacing the books in some enterprising ways
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