Private school lowers fees to ‘boost affordability’

An Essex independent school has announced it will be reducing its fees to allow “greater flexibility” for new and existing families – but the cost of termly tuition remains in the thousands.

Holmwood House in Lexden, Colchester, which caters for children aged from three months to 13 years, has revealed it is lowering fees to better support existing families, as well as those considering private schooling for the first time.

Termly tuition costs will be reduced across the board, in some cases by up to 30%, in what headteacher Alexander Mitchell describes as “a more affordable and flexible fee structure”.

However termly fees remain in excess of £3,000 for the majority of students – with parents of Year Seven and Eight pupils still paying £4,700 per term, plus a mandatory ‘lunch and snacks’ fee of £250.

Speaking about the school’s decision to lower its fees, Mr Mitchell said: “As a school, we are fully aware of the financial and time pressures faced by our families and we have worked hard to explore ways in which we can improve our support.

“Following a recent review of our provision, including valuable feedback from parents and staff, we identified ways which would enable us to achieve greater flexibility and affordability without compromising on the quality of the education we offer.

“The end result is a more affordable and flexible fee structure whilst preserving the school’s ethos of developing happy, adaptable and confident learners through a broad and diverse curriculum designed to enable every individual to reach their full potential.”

The new fee structure will apply from September 2019.