Fees
Fees at St Mary’s represent good value for money and are competitive. We strive to keep fee increases to a minimum while still providing our pupils with the quality of education we and our students’ parents expect.
Kindergarten fees can be found at the bottom of this page.
We endeavour to be open and transparent with fees, to clearly outline what is included and what are potentially additional costs. St Mary’s School fees are inclusive of:
- accident insurance
- lunch and drinks (including milk in the Lower School)
- certain books are included in the fees, but there are some additional books (depending on the subjects) that do incur an extra cost
- extra tuition and learning support are also included in school fees
Additional fees or ‘extras’ include:
- Entry fees for external examinations are not included and are payable separately on application. This is normal at most independent schools.
- Private music lessons are available for singing, all string, woodwind and brass instruments, guitar and drums. The fees range between £15 – £20 per session and are payable to the individual music teacher.
- Breakfast Club, £4.00 per session
- After School Care (Lower School) 3.30pm – 4.30pm, £8.00
- After School Care (Lower School) 3.30pm – 6.00pm, £14.50
- Homework Club (Senior School), £3.50 per session
- There are some extra-curricular activities that incur an additional cost (eg ballet, tennis etc). These costs will be outlined before pupils sign up.
- Some trips, both optional and part of the curriculum, incur a cost.
| ST MARY’S SCHOOL TERMLY FEES: FROM SEPTEMBER 2023 | |
|---|---|
| Preparatory Class Full-time, Years 1 & 2 | £3,910 |
| Years 3 & 4 | £4,450 |
| Years 5 & 6 | £4,850 |
| Years 7 & 8 | £5,700 |
| Years 9, 10 & 11 | £5,900 |
There are three terms per academic year.
There are a range of ways for parents to pay their fees. More details can be found below.
Payment of fees
Fees are payable in advance by the first day of each term. There is a range of ways for parents to pay their fees, including bank transfer or direct debit.
You can also spread your fees and pay monthly through My School Fee Plan.
St Mary’s School (Colchester) Limited is an appointed representative of Premium Credit Limited which is Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. *School Fee Plan is a trading style of Premium Credit Limited (company number 02015200).
A single Entry Deposit of £400 is required on acceptance of a place and is refunded after the end of a pupil’s final term in the school, following final adjustments.
Financial assistance
Bursaries and Senior School Scholarships are available. Please contact the school for information or visit the Scholarships and Bursaries page. Additionally, parents may wish to contact an Independent Financial Adviser who can provide you with information on relevant savings’ schemes.
Annual changes to fees
Please note that fees are reviewed every Summer term.
Kindergarten sessions and pricing 2023-24
(subject to an annual review)
MAIN KINDERGARTEN SESSIONS
| Core Day (inc cooked lunch) | 8.30am-3.30pm | £60.50* |
| Early Start (inc breakfast) | 7.30am- 8.30am | £8.50 |
| Extended Stay 1 | 3.30pm-4.30pm | £8.50 |
| Extended Stay 2** (inc tea) | 3.30pm-6.00pm | £15 |
* A booking of five Core Days per week attracts a reduction in the Core Day fee. Please ask for further details.
** a minimum of 48 hours’ notice is required.
Fees payment
Fees are invoiced monthly in advance for regular booked sessions, while any ad hoc sessions are invoiced with the following month’s fees.
15 hours funding
To find out more about the Government’s Early Education Entitlement, please click the link below:
At St Mary’s Kindergarten you can receive funding for up to 15 hours of childcare a week, which is based on 38 weeks childcare. For those taking year-round childcare this will be stretched across 51 weeks.
St Mary’s Kindergarten does not offer the extended 30-hour entitlement.
For more information please contact our Registrar at registrar@stmaryscolchester.org.uk or on 01206 594256.
Childcare Vouchers
The Government closed the Childcare Voucher Scheme for new applicants from 4 October 2018. St Mary’s will continue to deal with all approved providers of Childcare Vouchers for existing Scheme members. Please contact our Finance Office on 01206 572544 to discuss your particular requirements.
Tax-Free Childcare Scheme
We are able to accept payment via the Government’s Tax-Free Childcare Scheme. For further details please click on this link: https://www.gov.uk/help-with-childcare-costs/tax-free-childcare
