Mother with £100,000 income sparks private school debate after asking how much other parents earn

How much do you REALLY need to earn to send a child to private school? Mother with £100,000 household income is warned it’s ‘impossible’ to send her daughter to a £13,000-a-year pre-prep without savings

  • Anonymous mother said she was preparing to send daughter to private school   
  • Posting on the UK-based forum Mumsnet, she declared the family were ‘not rich’ 
  • Users responded with one saying it would be ‘almost impossible’ without savings

A mother has sparked a debate after asking how much parents of private schoolchildren earn to be able to afford the fees. 

Posting anonymously on Mumsnet, the British woman said she had a combined household income of £100,000, spent £1,000 a month on mortgage repayments and has enrolled her daughter in a £13,000-a-year pre prep.

She explained she plans to send her son to private school too when he is old enough.

The woman asked: ‘What is your combined income is if you have DC in private school? If we’re one of the more modest families there, will it impact the experience in any way, even at primary school sort of age?’  

A British mother with £100,000 income has sparked a furious debate on Mumsnet after questioning how much other parents who send their children to private school earn 

Posting anonymously on the site, the woman, from the UK, said she was sending her daughter to an independent school but declared the family were 'not rich'

Posting anonymously on the site, the woman, from the UK, said she was sending her daughter to an independent school but declared the family were ‘not rich’

The anonymous mother, who called herself Ponderingthisthing, later clarified her monthly expenditure and the fees for her daughter's school - adding the family also had a baby

The anonymous mother, who called herself Ponderingthisthing, later clarified her monthly expenditure and the fees for her daughter’s school – adding the family also had a baby 

The post prompted other parents to debate exactly how much disposable income you need to afford private school and the extras that go with it, like school supplies, uniform and after-school clubs. 

Others shared details of their own situation, with one parent revealing that the majority of parents at her private school earn at least £150,000 a year. 

One wrote: ‘We are on the same combined and couldn’t afford it. Is DD your only? Will be almost impossible without savings surely?!’

Another added: ‘Will she be your only child? We looked at sums for 2 on a much higher gross income and it was just too big a sacrifice. 50k ish for 2 school fees plus extras is £100k pre tax income. 

‘It would be too much pressure to stay in jobs/worry of redundancy. We felt we could do have a better impact by augmenting tutoring as needed, supporting hobbies and travel las a family.’ 

Several users took to the comments to disagree with the mother, adding that they were on similar incomes and couldn't afford private education

Several users took to the comments to disagree with the mother, adding that they were on similar incomes and couldn’t afford private education

A third wrote: ‘We earn 80k between us with 2 children. For us to sacrifice go give our children the ‘best’ as you put it we’d have to stop all extra curricular activities, sell our normal 3 bed house and move to a 2 bed terrace in a not nice, drug hotspot area.

‘I fee we’re giving our children the ‘best’ by staying in an area where they aren’t hearing about incidents in their local area every week, have a stable home, feel safe and are able to choose hobbies that we fully support them with.’

Several suggested putting the money towards extra-curricular activities or other additional tutoring to enhance their education. 

However, some parents were quick to reassure the mother that she’d be fine sending her child to private school, as they had done the same on a lower budget. 

The post prompted other parents to debate exactly how much disposable income you need to afford private school and the extras that go with it, like school supplies, uniform and after-school clubs

The post prompted other parents to debate exactly how much disposable income you need to afford private school and the extras that go with it, like school supplies, uniform and after-school clubs

They added that how much money the family earned shouldn’t impact the child’s experience, as many parents are helped by grandparents.  

One said: ‘Oh I’m terms of will there be a difference. It sort of depend on school and area I think. My DC1 went to independent primary and DD1 is in state school.

‘In terms of materialistic stuff I found state school much more judgemental and keep up with the Jones than sons private.

‘The only issue is maybe when it comes to other costs if your already spread thin with fees will you be able to pay for additional costs?’ 

A third added: ‘Depends on your local schools I’d think – where I live private schools seem to be very mixed in terms of parental income and often paid for by grandparents.’  

However, some parents were quick to reassure the mother that she'd be fine sending her child to private school, as they do the same on a lower budget

However, some parents were quick to reassure the mother that she’d be fine sending her child to private school, as they do the same on a lower budget