Parents of schoolchildren educated at fee-paying schools say the stress of keeping up with the lifestyles of other families is becoming unbearable.
With the cost of living crisis impacting households across the UK, relatively affluent families have spoken out about how they are feeling the crunch just as much as everyone else.
Speaking to the i newspaper, Lara, 52, says she and her husband are able to scrape together the pennies to afford £42,000 school fees, but it is the ski trips and music lessons that are really “breaking” them.
Their two sons attend fee-paying schools afforded by inheritance money received from their parents which went towards a flat that now brings in £2,000 income in rent each month.
But while the two school fees of £14,000 per term are affordable for them, it is the private school extras that are a real drain on the family income.
“We’ve spent in the past few months: £1,400 on a ski trip, £200 on an adventure activity week, £650 on a trip to France”, Lara said.
“Both children also have music lessons which we pay over £300 for each, per term. The school uniform for the older one – who grows fast so we have to replace it – was £600”
Next term there is a trip to the National Gallery, the theatre and three days at The Somme, as well as a rugby trip abroad which brings the costs to around £1,000 a term for extras.
Oh, the humanity!
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