ISC writes to the Financial Times

26 June 2009

ISC has written a letter to the Financial Times following their article 'Top schools raise fees in excess of inflation.'

ISC's letter can be read below:

Sir

Your headline "Top schools raise fees in excess of inflation" (June 20/21) is based on a Good Schools Guide survey of just seventeen schools. Which schools have been chosen and whether they are in any way representative seems to have been ignored. Also ignored is what is meant by inflation. Decisions on fees have to be taken on the balance of pressures faced by schools. In this respect your readers should know that the annual rate of increase in the education component of the CPI index was 8.6% in May 09, reflecting significantly higher costs of salaries, pensions, energy, rates, etc. Independent schools will set their fees with the needs of parents very much in mind. But at the end of the day they cannot ignore economic realities.  In this context, we have constrained expenditure to under half of that which is spent on state education. 

Yours

David Lyscom,
Chief Executive,
Independent Schools Council