Private schools ask for more
It seems that when there is a slow news week in education, the rise in school fees - especially in private school fees - always guarantees some noise in the media. An article by SMH (31/12/05) called “School fees lock in the smartest”, reported that some private schools are asking parents to
“pay huge, non-refundable enrolment fees more than a year in advance, in a move critics say is aimed at keeping the smartest students away from selective public schools.”
With the number of year 6 students sitting for the selective high school exams increasing and becoming more competitive, private schools are resorting to this method in an effort to lock in the more academically-gifted students that have private schools as their alternative choice. This in turn reflects well on the school when these students perform well in state-wide exams such as the HSC.
As well as asking for high enrolment fees, annual fees have also risen at Sydney’s top private schools with Shore passing the $20,000 a year mark and The King’s School and Sydney Grammar close behind. The schools cite building repairs and salary costs of additional teachers to reduce class sizes as the main reasons for the increase.
