Feeling fleeced by "Non-refundable registration fees! Post Reply

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So, we are planning for our smallest person to go to Secondary school in September 2015 and they all require a "registration fee". Why is this? Paying the money doesn't secure anything at all from our side and one of the schools we are looking at apparently closes its books after 600 registrations (by then they have created revenue of £66,000 - money for nothing).

We will have to apply for 3 different places at 3 different schools, so close to £400 to put a name down is - I think - really steep.
I feel very sorry for people with lots of children and am glad I only have 1(and part time share of 2 big ones!!)

What are other peoples thoughts on this point? Am I just being tight?
Should the schools drum up revenue in this manner when the fees paid are almost £15k a year for each child....

[SREducation]

Yes, I am afraid this is the fee they charge for all the 'administration' they have to do. Applying for secondary schools is an expensive business, and if your child does not gain entry by examination, you don't get the fee back. We recently had a client apply for 12 secondary schools, costing a small fortune! Add up the parking, time off work to take your child to and from exams and interviews and it certainly is not a cheap process. Unfortunately there is no way around it. http://storekrichardsoneducation.com

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Perhaps there would be a fairer way of apportioning costs though. If putting a name down is £20 (to pay for somebody to administrate a list) then a cost could be charged for interview & exam separately should they reach that stage. It is a massive investment of time, effort and money all round, it would just be really nice to not feel like it's a thankless task that you have to pay for....which may prove both frustrating & fruitless.
I don't know if you have an answer, but how many schools should I be putting his name down for? He's at the top few children in the class intelligence wise. I'm divorced and my entire settlement goes towards his school fees each month, are scholarships etc as intrusive as I fear? I would welcome financial help, just because it would give me more options for Seconday Schools. Is there anyone who is a font of brilliant knowledge on this? Having not done it before and the bigger boys went to Boarding School so I can't get any advice there (my shrimp wouldn't enjoy the lack of "me time" that boarding allows!!) I'd be ever so grateful for some advice. Thankyou!

[lorrwa]

Probably shouldn't be advertising another site here, but take a look at
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk and the education threads. There are many threads on scholarships/bursaries at various schools you may be interested in and others you may have never considered! There are lots of very knowledgeable people posting. I warn you though, its addictive!

[beachfacts]

Talk to people, friends, those with older kids, talk to neighbour's children at the schools and see what they say and visit the schools if you can, to really get a feel for the place. Your Head should be able to guide you as to which are realistic options for your son. I am assuming this is for year 7 entry. We had a chat with our head and registered at two schools, our top choice and a back up.

Relative to the actual financial commitment of paying school fees (£15k per year is a low estimate once extras are added) the deposits paid pale in to insignificance!