Top Shropshire school offering fixed payment plan

Wrekin College, in Wellington, charges £13,695 a year for junior day pupils, rising to £28,770 a year for full boarding in its sixth form, and headmaster Dr Haydn Griffiths hopes the idea of a fixed cost for the child's entire education at the school, paid in monthly instalments for the time a child is at the school, will appeal to parents worried about costs rising.

Independent school fees have shot up by 21 per cent over the past five years, and Dr Griffiths said this was creating uncertainty among parents.

"The cost of independent education has been escalating over the years. A lot of parents don't want to enter into it without knowing what the final costs will be. When parents come to the school we would set it out," said Dr Griffiths. He added: "It may be that other schools will follow."

Dr Griffiths said the school's chairman of governors had been "adamant" that parents wanted to know how much they would have to pay, and the idea had already proved popular with parents of sixth-formers.

Parents on the plan will pay about £135 extra over five years at the current fees. But Dr Griffiths said families could consider themselves to have got a good deal compared to annual fee increases.

Andy Nicoll, Wrekin College's marketing manager, said: "We've been talking for a long time about how to make it accessible. This is like a fixed-term mortgage with fixed monthly payments for five years. We've been able to offer it to families joining this year with 11-year-olds They will pay 60 equal monthly instalments. For sixth-formers it's fixed for two years."

Wrekin College, established in 1880, is one of the "cheaper" independent schools. Many charge around £30,000 a year for boarding, whereas at Wrekin the annual cost is £24,780.

Last month the retiring head of Etonwarned some independent schools were becoming too expensive for middle-class families.