W:
www.ie-today.co.uk
schools, the ease or difficulty with which parents (sometimes supplemented by their own parents) afford their children’s fees is harder to quantify. A September 2013 Daily Telegraph article said: “The cost of independent education has almost doubled in just over a decade, with the average boarding school now charging around £27,600 per pupil.” In February it reported: “Parents
(are) offering houses as guarantee on private school fees,” suggesting that “recession-hit families desperate to keep their children in the best schools are deferring fees by effectively securing a loan against their property.” Such reports hint at a tipping point being reached by some parents, as the sacrifices needed to pay for independent schooling become unsustainable. The UK economy’s recovery should help struggling parents, while independent schools themselves are helping when possible. That the increase in school fees in 2013
Fig 1. Change in pupil numbers by region 2000-2013 125
120 115 110 105 100 Greater London
East Anglia & the South East
(excl.London)
The rest of Great Britain The North
was the lowest for almost two decades reflects the measures taken by schools to either increase their income or reduce their expenditure to keep their services affordable. Steve Robinson, head of independent schools and academies at accountants Grant Thornton, has been working with independent schools for 15 years. He has experience of a trend highlighted in the ISC 2013 census. “If a school with boarding facilities starts struggling, it can focus on the overseas market while ensuring boarding does not become too large a percentage of their operations. We advise on the VAT implications of using overseas agents who ‘scoop up’ pupils in the Far East. A lot of schools are approached by India or Far East countries to use their brand as a British independent school – seen as a positive – to build schools overseas. Others don’t invest in capital but can provide a consultancy role and curriculum advice.” More regularly, it is bricks and
90 2000 = 100 in all regions
TOP: King's School, Canterbury, has reduced its utility bills innovatively. ABOVE: the North-South divide has clearly accelerated in recent years (graph courtesy ISC)
mortar, or grass, in situ which are used to generate income. “Schools have become quite sophisticated and seek to get the maximum use out facilities like sports pitches. Places like Stowe School stage weddings and marquee parties whereas Denstone College is one of two or three schools staging Manchester United football schools.” The independent education sector,
though, has experienced mixed fortunes. “Nationwide, some schools are oversubscribed while others are struggling,” says Robinson. “In general,
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