At this time of year many are considering which school to send their current primary school child to. We are now pretty good at checking league tables and Ofsted reports. But how often do we consider the seven financial implications to consider when choosing secondary schools.
Parental choice is brilliant – but just how available is parental choice to everyone? I know of families that chose a school, only then to realise that they could not afford to use that school. However I am not talking about families that had chosen a private Education I am talking about state funded education. Therefore you need to know the seven financial implications to consider when choosing secondary schools.
Why is September so expensive? I seem to have waved the children off to school and then they come home with letters for everything from new Art books to building fund requests. When I chose to send the older two children to a school a few miles from where we live, I knew this would have a travel and cost implication for us. When I applied I just didn’t realise just how much this would cost.
I was shocked that first year when I discovered that the yearly bus pass is over £750. I knew that I would end up with two children at the school and as such we would be paying out £1500 a year. However the costs do not end there with extra equipment being required, this takes the forms or Art folders and in our case a voluntary contribution to the building fund where the ‘suggested donation’ is explained and even an envelope provided for bringing in the money. Children can return an empty sealed envelope if the parents wish but I wonder how many parents do that.
Financial implications to consider when choosing a a secondary school.
- Research the travel options. Working parents may need to use school buses and these cost a significant amount either weekly, termly or yearly.
- Ask other parents who have children there about how often they are paying for other things. School trips, residential’s and after school activities quickly mount up.
- Does the school have an active PTA as they often can soak up some of the extra costs? They might have second hand uniform sales etc.
- Is the uniform all branded as that increases the cost of the uniform? Often now PE kits are also branded with logos’s and that reduces competition and leads to more expensive clothing.
- How will your child eat at school? A packed lunch is usually the cheapest option for those not entitled to free school meals. However this can soon add up. My children’s cashless system does mean that I can give them some money to spend. I find this compromise works well.
- Schools will provide lists of books and stationery that is required. But watch out for the extra’s needed for practical lessons or where you need to provide additional equipment. One local secondary school here insists or students have a school issued laptop which parents pay for on a monthly scheme.
- Speak to school if money is a concern as there are some ways schools can help if they know about your needs.
EmmaB
Blogger, teacher and more importantly mum to 3. Emma shares money-saving and making tips around the web.
wowsers, what a great list of things to consider, I would never have thought of some of these expenses, great post
sandra recently posted…HOW I DESIGNED MY MEDIA KIT
Wow! This is such good advice, I’ll defnitely be sharing with my friends who will be making the decision soon! xx
Sarah recently posted…Me, Myself and I #8
The costs attached to schooling have definitely gone up over the years. This is a great list to help parents think about the financial implications of their school choice
Zena’s Suitcase recently posted…Our Seaside Adventure
I’d never even considered travel costs. Wow, £1500! Luckily we live close to the secondary school our children will be attending but still, all the extras soon add up.
Kate ✚ recently posted…A great day | The Ordinary Moments
I’ve a few years to go before school time for us but the amount of coverage it gets at this time shows just how expensive it is, is it getting worse year on year? Thanks for the tips x
Great tips! I’ll have to remember these when my little one goes to high school which hopefully wont be for a very long time haha! It’s amazing how expensive it can be sending kids to school! xx
Oh wow, so much to think about. We’re not at primary yet, but I’m sure the same applies.
lifewithmunchers recently posted…Holiday Home Swaps | Love Home Swap Giveaway Worth £450
my son is just starting school in Reception and i was so surprised how much his uniform cost me. Apart from that we have had no other costs but I can see that changing once he goes up the years. x
Blogging Mummy recently posted…Gro Egg Review from the Gro Company
I think it’s disgusting the amount of extras that you get asked to pay for nowadays. Asking for specific, personal computers is a cheek – if the school needs them, then why not ask the kids to fund raise, or share. We didn’t have art folders and the like when we were kids. I understand the necessity for technology, but unless you’re doing coding programmes or computer design, why can’t a pen and paper do the job it did years ago.
The school bus thing is annoying too. In our county you get free buses if you go to your nearest school and it’s over 5/6 miles away. They’ve now announced that our catchment school, and the rural secondary that N will hopefully go to in the end isn’t our nearest school, therefore we’ll need to pay unless we use the bus that goes to the nearest school…which we wouldn’t get into (and wouldn’t want to) because it’s not the catchment school. Madness. Oh and the distance for both is 5/6 miles.
Emma T recently posted…Exploring nature at Butterfly World Project
This is such great information for people to have. It helps with the researching processing and weighting the options,. Thanks.
Sacha recently posted…Why we shouldn’t be envious of other people
This is a really long way off for me just yet but these are really fantastic tips, and so many are things I wouldn’t even have thought about! A really great idea to ask other parents about costs, simple but something I wouldnt have thought of
hayley recently posted…Christmas Prepping!
Great tips – I have two in secondary school and my eldest has been through and is in Uni. There was only ever one choice of school for us thankfully. Kaz x
Ickle Pickle recently posted…Where to eat at Bluestone Wales
The poor parents — sometimes I’m convinced that school officials, like any government employees, don’t consider at all the financial implications of all their demands.
Having homeschooled, we never underwent this process, but you ask good questions and point out good information.
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