"Worrying times" for private school parents

Those saving for their children's education may be interested to hear that the economic slowdown is causing parents of children at private schools to consider taking them into alterative education.

Sue Fieldman, regional editor at the Good Schools Guide, said that a lot of interest is being shown in selective grammar schools.

She said that many people are educating their children privately until they are 16, as they cannot afford to take them into the sixth form.

According to Ms Fieldman, funding private education is a "very worrying problem for a lot of parents now".

Research from Halifax Financial Services has found that private school fees have risen by an average of 40 per cent over the last five years.

This is more than double the Retail Price Index, which has risen by 18 per cent.

According to the research, the cost of a private education has increased as a proportion of average gross earnings to 33 per cent in 2008, while it was 28 per cent in 2003.