About UK Boarding

I grew up in the 1970s during an era of memorable straplines designed to promote products in the UK. With Esso it was ‘Put a tiger in your tank’. Then there was ‘Trebor mints are a minty bit stronger’, ‘A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play’ and ‘Have a break, have a Kit Kat’. No doubt many...

Age group Average fee per term Sixth form £11,821 Senior £11,001 Junior £8,243 In state boarding schools, tuition is paid for by the state. Extras can add considerably to the bill (perhaps up to 10 per cent of fees), depending largely on which activities your child chooses to take part in – for example, music tuition or school trips. Allowance...

Parents contemplating school bills have often found them difficult to fathom. Increases in school fees have several causes. First, there are the inevitable salaries and employee benefits for academic and administrative staff. Second, and most recently, national insurance increases and employer teachers’ pension increases have added significantly to costs. Schools must also maintain buildings and facilities and absorb increases in...

Working at a school like Eton was an extraordinary privilege. That extraordinariness showed itself in so many ways, not least the outstanding quality and endless dedication of all the staff. But teachers are nothing without pupils, so it was the extraordinary boys who passed through Eton each year whom I will remember most. Eton students excel and shine not just...