ISC CEO writes to the Daily Mail

18 February 2010

Dear Sir  

Your headline "Private schools add hidden charges of 15% to school fees as they battle recession, 16 February" is unduly misleading to parents. As the article points out, parents receive itemised bills from schools that make it absolutely clear what extras they need to pay. These include uniforms, music tuition and fees for tours which are charged for even in the maintained sector. The bills also make clear if there are options such as insurance or alumni association membership that can be taken out if parents wish. There is nothing new or scary in this for parents, and it is wrong to accuse schools of underhand tactics.   You also imply that schools are somehow acting strangely by chasing unpaid bills or maximising the revenue from their facilities. Again this is nothing new, and is standard practice for all businesses - even our many charitable schools have to cover their costs. Although the recession is presenting challenges to our schools, there is no evidence of collapsing pupil numbers or a rash of school closures. Parents continue to see independent schooling as the best investment they can make for their children's future and extremely good value for money.  

Yours  

David Lyscom
Chief Executive Officer, Independent Schools