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Meeting the Cost

School fees, financial planning and financial assistance

To meet the cost of school fees, the best advice is to plan early. Consider using a Certified Financial Planner who will design a bespoke plan for you, to generate sufficient funds to meet the cost of school fees over the period of your children's education, taking into account your current and future commitments and expenditure. The website of the Financial Planning Institute (a link is provided on the right) has a searchable database of Certified Financial Planners.  

Information about school fees, payment terms, financial planning, financial assistance from schools and grant making trusts are all provided in the leaflet, 'Meeting the Cost of School Fees', on the right.  Also available to download are details of which schools offer means-tested financial assistance, which age groups of pupils are eligible and how to make an application.   

In 2011 independent schools in Scotland awarded £35,000,000 in fee assistance 

Independent schools in Scotland are sensitive to the lifestyle sacrifices that many parents make in order to afford school fees, particularly in the current economic climate. The vast majority of SCIS schools offer some financial assistance, mainly in the form of means-tested awards. This is done to enable children from lower income households, who otherwise would not have the opportunity of an independent education, to benefit. Schools are keen to encourage more families on lower incomes to apply, so that funds can be awarded to those in greatest need.

A table showing what financial assistance is offered by each school is available in a PDF on the right.  Schools are listed alphabetically, by geographic area.

The total amount of financial assistance provided by SCIS schools is currently around £35 million. Some children receive a free place (where 100% of the fees are met by the school) while others receive a smaller contribution from 20% upwards.

In applying to an independent school for financial assistance, you will be asked to complete a form, giving details of your financial circumstances, including both income and assets. This enables the school to make awards fairly and to prioritise those whose need is greatest. Where means-tested awards are made, schools usually commit to continuing to support a pupil for the duration of his/her education at that school, although parents are required to provide details of any changes in their financial circumstances each year.

Understandably, some parents are hesitant about making an application for financial assistance to so-called "private" schools because they worry that their child may not fit in. The fact is that pupils at Scottish independent schools come from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and they are helped to settle in quickly through each school's induction programme and its guidance system.  Parents should not hesitate to contact individual schools for more information.  

Financial assistance from grant-making trusts for those in genuine need

In cases of genuine need, charitable grant-making trusts can sometimes help parents to meet the cost of school fees at independent schools. Some trusts will help where a child already attends an independent school but is at risk of having to leave at a critical stage of their education due to an unforeseen change in financial circumstances caused by, for example, serious ill health or the death of a parent. Some trusts will provide financial support to enable children to attend independent schools, especially where it can be demonstrated that the child's needs cannot be met adequately elsewhere or, in the case of boarding, if there is a family difficulty at home which makes the home environment unsuitable.

SCIS has compiled a list of trusts, available to download on the right, that will consider applications for help in meeting school fees, including eligibility criteria and contact details. Since the number of applications trusts receive often outweighs the available funds, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility criteria before making an application. Application forms are avaialble from most trusts while others require applications in writing, often resticted to an A4 sheet. Guidance notes issued by trusts should be followed carefully. The SCIS leaflet, Meeting the Cost of School Fees, available to download on the right, contains advice on constructing applications to best effect. For further advice and guidance, please call Sarah at SCIS on 0131 556 2316. 

The following directories of trusts, published by the Directory for Social Change, are useful sources of information.  They can all be accessed free of charge in the reference section of public libraries.         

• A Guide to Scottish Trusts
• Directory of Grant Making Trusts
• The Educational Grants Directory