Private school fees rising due to ‘inflation and a lack of government funding’ with parents now paying over €10,000 at one school

Data collected by the Irish Independent has revealed that some parents will now pay over the €10,000 mark to send a child to the most highly priced private school.

And costs have increased by up to 17pc across the sector as fee-paying schools experienced inflation in energy, food bills and other costs.

The most expensive private school in the State is St Columba’s in Rathfarnham, south Dublin, which is now charging €10,258 – an increase of over 6pc from a year earlier.

Labour Party spokesperson on education Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said: “We really have to break the toxic cultural assumption that education means money and putting your hand in your pocket.”

The second most expensive private school, according to the data, is Cistercian College in Co Offaly, a boarding school which charges €8,600 for day fees – an increase of 4pc on last year.

The third most expensive according to the figures, is the King’s Hospital in Palmerstown, Dublin, which charges €8,484

This is followed by Alexandra College, which charges €8,472 and Rathdown School, Co Dublin, (€8,200) which has increased 5pc, followed then by St Gerard’s in Bray, Co Wicklow, (€8,169) with an increase of 5pc, in a year.

A very small number of private schools failed to provide information on their fees despite repeated contacts made in recent weeks.

However, the vast majority were very co-operative when discussing their fees and felt the payments represented value for money for children’s education.

Rockwell College, near Cashel, Co Tipperary, charges €7,125 in day-boarder fees. It charges €15,025 for five-day boarders and €16,195 for seven-day boarders.

Principal Audrey O’Byrne said the €7,125 day-boarder fee “includes lunch, dinner, extracurricular activities and supervised study to 8.30pm”.

Ms O’Byrne said she wanted to make this clear “in the interest of transparent comparisons between schools”.

Private schools have said inflation and a lack of government funding has attributed to the increase in fees.

Earlier this year, figures released by the Department of Education showed €128m funding from the State last year to private schools. This funding pays teachers’ salaries and pays for special needs assistants.

However, the State does not pay capitation funding, which voluntary schools receive based on the number of children in school.

Capitation funding is intended to contribute towards the daily running costs of schools, such as heating, lightning, cleaning and insurance.

Mr Ó Ríordáin said paying for education was now “an industry”.

“Education should never be an industry, it should be free, of good quality and available to all, regardless of if you’re well-off and you live in a certain area. That’s not right.”

He said the private school sector didn’t get the same State support as non-fee-paying schools and that this was the correct approach.

“To be honest, if people want to send their child to a private school, the school should be totally self-funding,” he said.

“And if the private schools want to increase their fees, that’s up to them. They should be financially independent and the State should not support them at all.

“Private schools pride themselves on exclusivity and what they have to offer, therefore it shouldn’t be for the State to support them at all.

“There are legacy issues there but it’s not sustainable. All education should be free and that includes all schoolbooks.

“We’re glad to see the free books for primary-age children but we want to see that extended to second-level too.”

Dundalk Grammar School in Co Louth, was found to have the cheapest fees, according to the data. That school is charging €3,990 for day fees.

The school is also the lowest-priced in the country for boarding students.

Parents pay €9,330 for five days’ boarding for their child.

St Columba’s is also the most expensive school for boarding, charging €27,588 for seven-day boarding.

This is followed by Clongowes Wood College in Clane, Co Kildare, which charges €23,150 for seven days’ board.

Last month, Dundalk Grammar School principal Jonathan Graham, revealed how the school intentionally kept fees as affordable as possible for families.

“We try to make the school competitively accessible for families who want to send their children here,” he said. “We’re very proud of that – 15pc of our students get some support. They’re not necessarily from well-to-do families.

“We want to encourage people to have the choice to come here… The school caters for a minority faith and sometimes that’s lost in the debate, although we are also a multi-denominational school.”

The Joint Managerial Body, which represents voluntary and fee-paying schools, said recently that fee-paying schools are positive examples of public-private partnerships and families were making financial choices based on their children’s future.