A boarding allowance at $3200 does not cover all costs but it definitely helps.
A boarding allowance at $3200 does not cover all costs but it definitely helps.
There's no denying a decision to send a child to a boarding school isn't to be taken lightly. That investment in your child's future could cost between $5000 for a state school boarding hostel to as much as $37,000 for boarding and tuition at a major independent school.
This doesnot include additional costs associated with any school, like a uniform, technology and a host of incidental expenses. Depending how far they are from home, travel costs become a factor, as do 'donation' costs for state boarding schools.
Balancing this out is your child's future let alone the time they/you lose being ferried to activities or a bus stop. As Federated Farmers' Wanganui vice-president, Tim Matthews, told Farmer's Weekly last year that, "All we seek is a level of equivalence to people who live in town, where there is a choice. If children end up on a bus it can be a very long day and they can't participate in sport or cultural activities."
Boarding allowances were paired back substantially in 2013 to an expected 1300 qualifying children this year.
Geographical isolation is now defined as living at an 'unreasonable distance' or more than 60 kilometres from the nearest appropriate school. This is further defined as being more than 20km from the closest school transport service or having to travel longer than an hour one-way to the nearest appropriate school each day.
Truth be told, a boarding allowance at $3200 does not cover the full cost of boarding but it definitely helps out.
There are also a range of bursaries on offer and if your child is gifted, scholarships too. It is well worth the time investigating what could be on offer for your child and the intended school may be able to point you in the right direction to look.
