Prestigious schools exposed: ‘fees for nothing’

Parents are paying thousands of dollars to secure a spot at the nation’s most prestigious schools.

In Melbourne, St Kevin’s College charges $500 to register for enrolment, with $2500 charged on confirmation of enrolment.

Parents are paying thousands of dollars to secure places for their children at the ­nation’s most prestigious schools, with one West Australian school charging $8250 in non-­refundable fees before a student has their first class.

And families frequently apply to more than one school, with a recent survey finding 160,000 families admitted to doing so in a bid to boost their chances of a fiercely sought enrolment.

The Hale School in Perth charges $150 to lodge an application for enrolment plus an $8100 enrolment fee upon the receipt of a written offer of a place.

The school, which counts WA’s first premier Sir John Forrest, mining magnate Lang Hancock and former cricketer Geoff Marsh among its alumni, is not alone in the practice, with analysis by The Weekend Australian finding it to be common across high-fee schools.

Cranbrook in Sydney’s eastern suburbs has a $300 registration fee and $7275 enrolment acceptance fee, while SCEGGS, also in Sydney, has a $200 waiting list fee, $750 acceptance fee and $4000 final entry fee.

In Melbourne, St Kevin’s College charges $500 to register for enrolment, with $2500 charged on confirmation of enrolment.

 

The practice is legal, with the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission saying businesses are free to set prices as they see fit “so long as they do so independently of their competitors and do not mislead consumers”.

However Bessie Hassan, a ­finance expert with comparison website finder.com.au, called for a cap on application fees. She said a recent survey by the group, which highlights the vast number of families signing up for multiple school waiting lists, revealed the extent people were willing to go to get their child into a top school.

“That’s a whopping (amount) in application fees that schools receive from young families paying multiple wait-list fees, who get nothing in return,” she said.

“Many of these schools take applications from birth and they generally only accommodate 100 to 200 students in each year group, so demand often outstrips supply. That’s how schools can get away with charging the exorbitant application fees.”

At Hale, enrolment fees go towards “the ongoing provision of capital infrastructure”. The boys school, situated on 48ha, is known for state-of-the-art facilities, which are used by visiting international sport teams such as English cricket and rugby sides.

Headmaster Dean Dell’Oro said the enrolment fee supported the Hale School Foundation, which provides needs-based scholarships and funding for capital works and infrastructure.

“Families who accept a place for their son … understand the rationale for the enrolment fee,” he said. “I think they appreciate that the amazing facilities their sons will enjoy … come at a cost that is shared equitably.”

The Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia’s chief executive, Beth Blackwood, said registration fees typically covered the administration costs of managing the application list, while the purpose of enrolment fees varied, from representing a one-off contribution to capital development to future registration of the student in the school alumni program.

“I don’t know of any school that sets out to exploit parents through random setting of fee levels,” Ms Blackwood said.