More private schools offer parents financial support
Parents of private school students are being offered further discounts on fees, with a number of schools pledging to keep up financial support as remote learning continues in Melbourne’s stage four lockdown.
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Private schools are offering further discounts on fees and promising continued financial support for parents in light of continued remote learning.
Camberwell Grammar joins Carey Grammar and St Kevin’s in offering 15 per cent off tuition fees, putting pressure on other independent schools to do the same.
The Canterbury school’s headmaster, Dr Paul Hicks, wrote to parents on Tuesday telling them the school had made some savings without students on campus and wanted to pass this on to parents.
“These are difficult times for us all, but our community is strong, and together we will get through this,” he wrote.
Carey Grammar was among the first to announce discounted fees for this term, along with a 50 per cent rebate for children in the early learning centre.
The Kew school had already sent out its accounts for term three, but principal Jonathan Walter wrote to parents last week saying the school was “very aware of how challenging these circumstances are for all”.
St Kevin’s College in Toorak is offering a second optional fee cut of 15 per cent for term three fees.
Lauriston Girls’ School is giving each parent $1000 off for each child for the rest of the year and Melbourne Grammar is offering preps to years six 25 per cent off and senior students 15 per cent off.
Other schools, such as Trinity Grammar and Ivanhoe Grammar, have undertaken to assess the impact of the changes and make an announcement to parents soon.
The discounts come as other schools have undertaken not to raise fees for the rest of the year and 2021, although Wesley College’s parents fear a new “infrastructure levy” may be a stealth increase.
Scotch College, which has fees of more than $34,000 a year, has also promised parents it would not increase charges next year.
Other leading private schools have not yet decided, with discussions usually held in September and communicated to parents in the October fee statements.
It comes as parents at Catholic schools around Australia have been promised “dignity and privacy” if they need help to manage school fees as COVID-19 plays havoc on family finances.
Edmund Rice Education Australia, which manages 50 schools around Australia with about 38,000 students, sent a letter out to families over the past few days.
Among their Victorian schools are St Kevin’s, St Patrick’s Ballarat, The Parade Bundoora, CBC St Kilda, St Bernard’s Essendon and St Joseph’s Geelong. “I would like to assure you that no student will be denied a Catholic education in the Edmund Rice tradition due to inability or reduced capacity to pay school fees and costs,” EREA executive director Dr Wayne Tinsey said.
The EREA schools charge from $21,000 to $8000 a year depending on the school and year level.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN FINANCIAL STRESS
Modelling from Independent Schools Victoria earlier in the year showed two-thirds of private schools were in deep financial stress. Chief executive Michelle Green said “any major and long-term reduction in a school’s income can cause serious harm by disrupting the education of their students and threatening the jobs of their teachers”.
Some schools are weighing up their options and have withdrawn previously issued full-fee invoices.
Catholic Education Melbourne executive director Jim Miles said fees were a matter for individual schools, and parents and carers facing financial hardship should discuss it with the school.
Most Catholic schools have offered hardship provisions rather than blanket discounts.
Independent Education Union general secretary Deb James said this was “an anxious and uncertain time for everyone and there may well be longer-term financial implications for some schools”.
Meanwhile, at Lyndale Secondary College, the absence of preps to year 10 students is leaving a noticeable silence, with only 300 out of 870 pupils in attendance.
“All the younger year levels aren’t here so it’s a bit more peaceful,” year 12 student, Asma, 17, said.
“I just feel lucky to be in school because it’s so much better than online learning.”
Assistant principal Brian Snashall-Woodhams said there were “a whole lot of issues that still need to be worked out, but teachers have shown we’re pretty flexible”.