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Meeting the Cost

School fees, financial planning and financial assistance

In Scotland, the majority of parents whose children are educated at independent, fee-paying schools pay the school fees out of their monthly income, which often means that they have had to re-assess their priorities and perhaps make significant sacrifices in order to make ends meet financially. Investment products and saving schemes are available to help parents meet the cost of school fees, although many are sold ‘off-the-shelf' on a commission basis. To give you confidence that you are receiving the best advice for your family's circumstances, you may prefer to consult a Certified Chartered Financial Planner who charges on a fee-basis. A financial plan will be devised for you, designed to generate sufficient funds to meet the cost of school fees over the period of your child's education, taking into account your current and future commitments and expenditure.  SCIS recommends you look at the website of the Financial Planning Institute which has a searchable database of Certified Financial Planners.  A link is included, on the right. 

Information about school fees, payment terms, financial planning to meet the cost, financial assistance from schools and other external sources of financial support such as charitable grant making trusts, are all provided in the leaflet, Meeting the Cost of School Fees, on the right.  Also available to download, right, are details of what is included in school fees, which schools offer means tested financial assistance and which age groups of pupils are eligible, and how to make an application.   

Financial assistance from schools - free and part-funded places available

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. All 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 for assistance 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 over £17.5 million. The level of support that individual schools provide can vary considerably, depending on a family's financial circumstances. 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 their 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 sufficiently elsewhere or, in the case of boarding, if there is a family difficulty at home which makes the home environment unsuitable.

The reference section of most public libraries contains a number of directories of grant-making trusts, many of them published by the Directory of Social Change and SCIS recommends those listed, below. SCIS has researched and compiled a list of around 30 trusts that will consider applications for help in meeting school fees, including eligibility criteria and contact details. Useful websites are also included. Please email info@scis.org.uk if you could like a copy.

Since the number of applications trusts receive often far exceeds 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 two sides of 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 220 2106.         

A Guide to Scottish Trusts 2006/2007
Published by Directory of Social Change
ISBN - 10 903991676
ISBN - 13 8781903991 671

Directory of Grant Making Trusts 2007/2008 20th edition
Published by Directory of Social Change
ISBN - 978-1-903991-79-4

The Educational Grants Directory 2006/2007
Published by Directory of Social Change
ISBN - 10 1903991757
ISBN - 13 9781903991756