A Calderdale independent school is to slash its fees.
And Jack Williams, head teacher at Hipperholme Grammar School, says the cuts which average 10% will help families still feeling the effects of the recession.
The new fees will come into force next September at the 340-pupil school, which takes in students from the age of three to 18 from across Calderdale, Huddersfield and other parts of West Yorkshire.
Mr Williams claims that the cuts are one of the first by an independent school anywhere in the UK. Annual charges normally rise by about 3% or 4%.
“We are run as a charity trust and every penny we make goes to provide education or is reinvested in the school to improve faclities.
“We do get families coming to us who are impressed but I appreciate times are still difficult for many and by cutting our fees, we hope it will make it easier”.
From September 2015, the Grammar School is introducing a new fee structure, reducing the fees at the Senior School by an average of 10% from £11,750 to between £10,200 and £10,800.
The Junior School fees will drop to £8,800 from £10,100.
The school, which dates back to 1648, recently posted excellent results, bucking national trends in results at both GCSE and A- level and wants to ensure that as many families as possible can access the education it provides.
The fees are already ‘all-inclusive’, including lunches, books, stationery and examination costs, to enable parents to plan their finances more easily.
Mr Williams said, “In an improving economic climate we want to give more parents the confidence to invest in their children’s education and long term future. Our A-level results this summer show our pupils’ academic success, enabling them to leave our School as well qualified, rounded and confident young people.
“Our hope is that the new fee structure will now make that feasible for many more families”.
An open evening takes place on September 26.
