School fees rise by 4.2 per cent

Independent school fees increased by an average of 4.2 per cent last year, almost twice the rate of inflation, according to the Independent Schools Information Service.

The organisation, which covers most of the private school sector, said the rise took the average annual fee for day pupils to £4,386. The average annual fee for boarding school pupils was £10, 245.

The service said that nearly one-third of pupils received help with fees, mostly from the schools themselves. But 32,922 were helped through the Government's assisted placement scheme.