Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Now we know the actual amount, it is nothing like as much as the original estimate, let alone the RR one. We have had a change of curcumstances, but I didn't think it would make much of a difference. I can't tell you how relieved I am...

What a weight off your mind after months of worry Volupturaptor! Perhaps we can all look forward to lower fees next year than we'd anticipated. Well, I can dream..

I asked for an estimation about a year ago, before we put our son in for the exams, the estimation was about the same as the ready reckoner.

Does this mean you've had your bill Volupturaptor?

I don't understand why the school (foundation?) are so bad in getting the fees to you - surely you need to know what is going on!

Great Plum wrote

I don't understand why the school (foundation?) are so bad in getting the fees to you - surely you need to know what is going on!

This has always been a difficult conundrum. Because the Counting House calculate fees for the forthcoming year based on your past year's income and outgoings, they need to wait until all the documentation (P60s, March payslip etc.) is available at the end of the financial year. This year, employees had to submit their financial declaration in mid-May, and I believe the deadline for self-employed parents is not until sometime in June. Then of course the Counting House staff must face a huge amount of work to process 800+ assessments. No wonder we don't get our final confirmation letters until well into the summer.

On the other hand - yes, parents do need to know what is going on! That's why I'm astonished that new parents this year have not been given any formal estimate of their fees as a matter of course. Real problems can arise when families are faced with unexpectedly high fees at such a late stage; I remember an instance reported elsewhere on this forum a couple of years back, for example, where a parent whose assessed contribution had risen by £2000 with no explanation was forced to consider withdrawing her child from CH - and the school threatened to pursue her through the courts for a term's fees in lieu of notice!

pinkhebe wrote:
Does this mean you've had your bill Volupturaptor?

Notice of our bursary award, yes. It says actual invoices will be sent approx. 3 weeks before the start of term. There's a direct debit form giving a choice of termly or ten monthly payments which has to be returned by 5th August.

I don't know how much music tuition will be though, and I'm not sure what our net assessed income is, so although it gave a guide in the new entrants pack, I'm still none the wiser.

ailurophile wrote:

Now we know the actual amount, it is nothing like as much as the original estimate, let alone the RR one. We have had a change of curcumstances, but I didn't think it would make much of a difference. I can't tell you how relieved I am...

What a weight off your mind after months of worry Volupturaptor! Perhaps we can all look forward to lower fees next year than we'd anticipated. Well, I can dream..

It would have been a bargain at the highest estimate, just not sure how we would have paid it!

Now we know the actual amount, it is nothing like as much as the original estimate, let alone the RR one. We have had a change of curcumstances, but I didn't think it would make much of a difference. I can't tell you how relieved I am...[/quote]

Am pleased your worrying wait is over, i will be listening for the postie in the morning!

ailurophile wrote:Great Plum wrote

I don't understand why the school (foundation?) are so bad in getting the fees to you - surely you need to know what is going on!

This has always been a difficult conundrum. Because the Counting House calculate fees for the forthcoming year based on your past year's income and outgoings, they need to wait until all the documentation (P60s, March payslip etc.) is available at the end of the financial year. This year, employees had to submit their financial declaration in mid-May, and I believe the deadline for self-employed parents is not until sometime in June. Then of course the Counting House staff must face a huge amount of work to process 800+ assessments. No wonder we don't get our final confirmation letters until well into the summer.

On the other hand - yes, parents do need to know what is going on! That's why I'm astonished that new parents this year have not been given any formal estimate of their fees as a matter of course. Real problems can arise when families are faced with unexpectedly high fees at such a late stage; I remember an instance reported elsewhere on this forum a couple of years back, for example, where a parent whose assessed contribution had risen by £2000 with no explanation was forced to consider withdrawing her child from CH - and the school threatened to pursue her through the courts for a term's fees in lieu of notice!

This is exactly the situation I find myself in!

What do you mean? Has your fee assessment come back higher than you anticipated?

Yes, in the process of trying to sort out why but a stressful time!

was it an awful lot more than you thought? Had you been on the RR before it was taken down?

ok, I'm getting worried now! nothing in the post today.

of course I won't receive my final bill - I haven't received/sent of my p60

Volupturaptor wrote:

I don't know how much music tuition will be though, and I'm not sure what our net assessed income is, so although it gave a guide in the new entrants pack, I'm still none the wiser.

If you want to know what your net assessed income is, ask for this information. For the first few years after DS joined CH, we were sent an annual confirmation which stated 'Your assessed income is X, and the contribution payable is Y'. Straightforward, simple and understandable. However for some mysterious reason, the Foundation has chosen in recent years not to give parents any context against which to set their assessed contribution. I suspect this may be because each year the amount left after Y was deducted from X got smaller and smaller... perhaps they thought that if they stopped giving us the figures, we wouldn't notice and ask awkward questions (like 'Why have my fees gone up by so much more than my income?', or 'How are we expected to live?'!!).

There have been numerous posts on this Forum calling for more transparency, and I for one write to the Counting House every year asking for more information about the assessment - information which they can easily supply, and which we have every right to expect. Perhaps if everyone was to do this, they might get the message!

Are there any grounds for a FOI request?