Brisbane school demands extra fees if students out of class for holidays during term

A Brisbane church-run private school is demanding parents pay fees adding up to more than $9000 if they take students out of class for a holiday.

Parents have reacted angrily to a school’s demand for more school fees if students holiday during school terms.

In a sensational and unprecedented move, a church-run private school is demanding parents pay additional fees of up to $9200 if they take their children out of term for a holiday.

St John’s Anglican College at Forest Lake in Brisbane’s southwest has imposed a “beyond the control of” test to decide which families will be slugged the extra costs.

Decisions to take kids out of school for “financial reasons” or “an extended break with family” would not satisfy the new test but absences for competing in elite sports competitions would.

Outraged parents have contacted The Courier-Mail, forwarding a letter from the Kindergarten to Year 12 coeducational college outlining the move.

“Considering the fees already paid, what a joke!” one said.

The school has told families the extra fees are necessary to safeguard existing funding grants which are an “essential component of our school budget”.

In the March letter, St John’s said it had “no alternative but to charge the equivalent of the grant funding sacrificed” should a student take “voluntary absence”.

In term 3, if away for the entire first four weeks, additional fees for a year 7-12 student will be $9200. For children in prep to year 6, the cost will be $8500.

In term 1, if away for more than 10 school days during the first six weeks, the respective costs are $2750 and $1830.

Annual 2024 tuition fees only (excluding levies) are from $8250 for prep to $14,172 for year 12.

“To provide further clarity on the types of absence which might not be considered voluntary, and therefore beyond the control of the family: these may include student illness, natural disasters, death or illness of the student’s immediate family, or competing at elite sports competitions,” the school said.

“In all such cases, the college will require documentary evidence of support. Choosing to arrange a trip during term time for financial reasons or taking an extended break with family would not satisfy the ‘beyond the control of’ test, making the family liable for the extra fee charge.”

The school said it understood family commitments and personal circumstances might necessitate holidays during the academic term.

“However, it is crucial to communicate the potential consequences of such decisions on the college’s financial resources,” it wrote in the letter, signed by business manager Karen Lewis.

“Grant funding is an essential component of our school budget, helping us maintain high standards of education, invest in facilities, support various academic and extra-curricular programs, and maintain fees at an affordable level. These funds are allocated per student and are based on student attendance, therefore absences may lead to a significant reduction in such funding.”