“In the next year,we will embark on exciting infrastructure projects that will … enhance the physical environment of our school but also contribute to the overall academic,emotional,physical and spiritual development of our students,” Sinclair said.

Across the independent school sector,fee rises are expected to range between 5 and 15 per cent.

At co-ed Rosebank College in Five Dock charges will increase 13 per cent to $12,884,and at William Clarke College in Kellyville fees will rise 15 per cent to $5700.

Real estate agent Tam Orr sent both her daughters,Zoe and Zara,to Pymble Ladies’ College – and has no gripes with the school’s fee increase of 8 per cent this year.

“We’re of the mindset that it’s worth it,” she said.

The school also appealed to her husband Phillip,who works alongside his wife as a real estate agent,for its strong academic track record and HSC performance,while she liked the extracurricular activities on offer.

“It is not just academics,we felt it was a very balanced program;it was literally world-class facilities,” she said.

Private schools are also managing the loss of millions of dollars in government money, with changes to funding levels adjusted under the Schooling Resource Standard which calculates how much government support the schools receive after parental income is considered. Those cuts are being phased in before 2029.

Association of Independent Schools NSW chief executive Margery Evans said the median tuition fee at a NSW private school was less than $5500. “More than 70 private schools are factoring in government funding cuts due to changes introduced by the previous Liberal government or rises in their direct measure of income score.”

“Schools,along with many other organisations,have been significantly impacted by the increases in operational costs,including salaries and IT costs such as cybersecurity. Salaries represent 70 per cent of schools’ costs,” Evans said.

The multi-enterprise agreement (MEA) governing teachers’ salaries at 185 private schools has entry-level pay at $86,600,rising to $122,700 for band 3 teachers. Bargaining for the next enterprise agreement is due to begin next year.

Shore has previously said it pays 16 per cent above the multi-enterprise agreement,while Newington pays about 14 per cent above.

In a letter to staff in late November,The King’s School headmaster Tony George said the school was “experiencing the most significant disruption to teaching salaries in the past 50 years” as a result of rises across the public school system.

He said the school pays a “King’s premium” of 14 per cent above the MEA rate,which in part is due to teachers having “mandatory commitments to co-curricular activities.”

“This is a temporary situation … To remain competitive in attracting and retaining talent,independent schools will seek to maintain their positions as employers of choice by setting salaries at a level that ensures the sector attracts and retains the highest calibre of staff,” George said. Teacher salaries at the school range from $98,000 to $140,000.

Education lending group EdStart,which provides a financial payment management service to schools and loans to parents for school tuition,said it was now managing fees at 775 schools across Australia via its payment plan and fee-management service products.

EdStart chief executive Jack Stevens said:“We’re seeing larger fee increases in 2024 compared to previous years which has been largely driven by a higher cost base for schools including wages,building,maintenance and insurance.”

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