Industry News
Private school fees 'could rise'
Posted on 14th January 2008
Private schools could be forced to increase fees if they are ordered to offer more bursaries, according to an education expert.
The Charity Commission is scheduled to publish new guidelines this week for the public benefit test that all charities face and it is widely predicted that they will include specific instructions about helping people on low incomes.
It is likely to mean independent schools will have to choose between providing more assisted places for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and giving up the tax breaks that accompany charitable status.
Michael Spinney, the chairman of the Independent Association of Prep Schools, told the Sunday Telegraph that while large private schools will be able to cope with changes, smaller ones may face financial problems.
"Fees will go up to pay for bursaries if schools are expected to go beyond a certain point," Mr Spinney warned. "My concern is that it is another taxation on our parents who are caught already."
Jonathan Cook, general secretary of the Independent Schools' Bursars Association, had earlier predicted that substantial changes to the Charity Commission's regulations would force schools to review their staffing costs.