Should the fee paying independent sector worry about the ‘squeezed middle’ ?

Last month the Daily Telegraph reported that that middle classes are turning back to the state sector. The interest is primarily fee driven but has been spurred by the opportunities for parents to establish their own school free schools and the transformation of comprehensives into academies. But is this an accurate assessment?

Analysis by the research team at mtmconsulting of over 100,000 independent school parent postcodes over an eight year period, and the postcodes of those who choose free schools, has shown that whereas the number of wealthier families has increased quite considerably in the fee paying sector, the number of middle range families, who are most likely to be first time buyers, has decreased. These middle range families do make up a high proportion of parents who send their children to free schools.

This graph shows the typical profile of mtm‘s clients in 2003-5 and 2009-11:

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The research suggests that the fee paying sector remains attractive to its core market but that due to the rising cost of fee paying education and prolonged economic uncertainty it is finding it more difficult to attract aspirant first time buyers. At the other end of the scale, the number of bursaries provided by independent schools for those who need help to pay fees has increased, and there are dynamic new initiatives that are breaking through to increase access.

It looks as if it’s not only the Chancellor who should worry about the squeezed middle.

The full article by Dick Davison appears in School Matters, mtmconsulting’s  newsletter, which will be delivered to heads, bursars and marketing managers in the next few days.

For further information on how to help your school plan for the future, please contact us on 0843 308 7548.

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