A different way of reducing school fees  

“The Gateway to Education Bursary Program”  

A Bursary which can exceed 50%  

As consultants on school choice, we are frequently asked by parents about bursaries and scholarships. We are not a charitable institution, but we have devised a different way of reducing parents’ school fees liabilities. Several of us originally came from financial services and therefore have quite a lot of experience of (a) advanced tax planning and (b) the independent financial adviser marketplace.

Working in conjunction with some advanced tax and investment planners we explored several completely different planning methods to save substantial amounts of money on school fees. Of course, the Inland Revenue withdrew tax reliefs on school fees trusts many years ago, but these planners are often able to achieve comparable or better results, in many cases reducing the parents’ fees liability by over 50% - the equivalent of a Bursary. In some cases the parents saved nearly 100% but we had to stop publicising this because people would not believe it!

We have been extremely careful to follow certain principles

• All advice must be impartial from a properly FSA authorised IFA.
• All arrangements must be bespoke and appropriate to the individual parent
• There should be positively no hard sell or arm twisting. In particular, there should be no product pushing.
• All advisers must be experienced and reputable.
• The properly authorised IFA will be responsible for the advice – not the school – not Education Advisers

Why should a school be interested?  

All schools are besieged with requests for bursaries and scholarships. There is a limit to how many you can grant. You know that many people have more than sufficient wealth to afford the fees, but still they ask for a discount. This is a way of deflecting the possible acrimony from your refusal. “I am terribly sorry, but the school has a limit to the funds at its disposal for bursaries. However, you may like to try the Gateway Program which can sometimes save substantial percentages of school fees – more than our bursaries. It is not run by the school and we do not guarantee their service. However, you may like to approach them and find out for yourself”

The Gateway Program then becomes a marketing aid for you. There will be parents you would like to attract, who might otherwise go to a competitor school. The Gateway Program can help many parents, even those who are not seeking a discount. Furthermore, it can even help your bad debts and late payers.

Which parents does it suit?  

The Gateway Program does not fund fees for those who simply cannot afford an independent education. However, in this modern age there are plenty of examples of those who are “asset rich, income poor” or simply live up to the limits of their disposable income. To be eligible for the Gateway Program, parents must be either higher rate tax payers or have free assets exceeding £100,000.

How does it work?  

Each arrangement is bespoke, but we are happy to explain several examples to you in a private discussion to illustrate that they are all legal and effected through major financial institutions. You may also vet the adviser, if you wish.

School seminars  

We can also run a seminar on your school premises on the theme “Choosing and affording an independent education” The advantage of this program is that many parents attend your school to experience the presentation, but then become interested in your school.

What now?  

You may see more information on www.education-fees.co.uk but please contact us direct on 0845 226 28 20