Private schools face cutting fees to survive

Published on Monday 14 September 2009 22:15

PRIVATE schools will be forced to cut costs and scale back fees to survive in the long term, according to research.

Above-inflation rises in fees are already turning middle-class families away from private education, and this is set to continue, the report by education firm mtmconsulting found.

Fees in Scotland rose 35 per cent between 2003 and 2008, according to Bank of Scotland figures.

A study by the bank revealed that several occupations could no longer afford a private school education.

Scientists, tax experts and senior police officers, who could afford to educate their children privately in 2003, were priced out of the market by last year.

The new study warns that schools may need to raise class sizes or cut the number of subjects offered to stay viable.

The authors warn that, from 2015, pupil numbers could fall by at least 1 per cent per year if independent schools do not act to make themselves affordable.

Gavin Humphries, the author of the report, said: "The growth in the number of pupils going to independent schools has stopped. It is one indicator that they are pricing themselves out of the market."