Top private school freezes teachers' pay to keep down fees

Published on Sunday 4 October 2009 22:15

STAFF at one of Scotland's most prestigious private schools have had their pay frozen to keep down fees in an effort to help parents hit by the recession.

Fettes College, which lists Tony Blair among its former pupils, charges up to 24,000 a year for boarders.

The Edinburgh independent is thought to be the only school in Scotland to impose a pay freeze on its staff, including the headmaster.

The average fee rise, revealed by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) last week, was 3.8 per cent for private secondary schools this year.

Fettes, where fees are among the highest in Scotland after Gordonstoun in Moray and Glenalmond in Perthshire, will raise its annual rates by 1.5 per cent.

The school's headmaster, Michael Spens, said governors made the decision which staff had accepted.

Mr Spens admitted the move partly arose from fears that financial worries might force parents to remove their children.

He said: "When the recession hit in the earlier part of the year, the governors had a meeting and took the view that we had to be sensitive to our parent body.

"A lot of people have taken pay cuts and are working four-day weeks.

"The governors felt it was very important that the school acknowledge that life is very difficult for the parents, and that it was incumbent on all of us to share in that."

He said the teachers understood the reason for the freeze.

"It's certainly been greatly appreciated by parents and the fact we haven't had a drop-out of pupils probably, at least in part, owes to that fact."

In fact, the school is able to boast record pupil numbers enrolling this year.

Mr Spens added: "Would we be in the same position had we not kept our fees down?"

He accepted Fettes staff might get paid slightly more than many teachers in the state sector but said the difference would not be large.

State school teachers' pay rises are guaranteed through a three-year deal comprising increases of 2.25 per cent for last year, 2.5 per cent for 2009-10 and 2.4 per cent for 2010-11.

Christine Penny, publisher of Tom-Brown.com, a UK online private schools guide, said increasing numbers of parents were taking their children out of the independent school system and turning to the state sector instead because of the recession.

"Schools are very conscious of the pressures families are now facing and increasingly taking a number of measures to help," she said.

"Some schools are going even further and offering deferred payment plans, as well as working with parents to help them spread fees across the year."

Figures from SCIS last week showed independent school rolls were remaining steady, despite the recession.

Sarah Randell, deputy director of SCIS, said Scottish schools are being prudent in a bid to keep fee rises low.