Harrow

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has been criticised for comparing Private School fees with the cost of A Family holiday Abroad .

Speaking in Parliament, she insisted " plenty" of families funded private education by saving on foreign trips.

But in response, The Shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson .

Who is right?

Ms Keegan was making a statement in The House of Commons on Monday after the government's.

She was asked by the opposition About Labour's plans to

The education secretary told MPs: " Most of our private schools aren't like Eton or Harrow - They 're far smaller and They charge a lot less.

" Many cost the same as A Family holiday Abroad , and there's plenty of parents who choose to forego life's luxuries to give their children these opportunities. "

Ms Keegan was correct to say the cost of attending Private School in the UK varies - not all are as expensive as Eton College or Harrow School.

In 2022-23 charged students £15,432 per term, while fees were £15,570. The annual cost for either of these schools would be nearly £50,000.

The in the UK charged £15,200 per year in the same period, according to The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

That is broadly In Line with the £16,000 figure quoted by Ms Phillipson.

The IFS did note that there were cheaper private schools, with some costing less than £10,000 per year. Some of these are religious or Foreign Language schools.

Boarding schools tend to be More expensive than day schools because the fees include accommodation costs. Primary schooling is usually cheaper than secondary.

The Independent Schools Council - which represents More Than 1,400 private schools in the UK and Abroad - points out that some schools also offer financial support which reduces the fees paid.

There is no single figure for what a holiday Abroad would cost the average UK family. It depends on many factors such as the size of The Family , the destination and the length of The Trip .

The Independent UK-based consumer rights company Which? compared the in six of The Most popular destinations for summer 2023.

It estimated that a seven-night holiday to Spain would cost £693 per person this summer. For A Family of four this would be a total bill of £2,772.

Greece, The Most expensive destination on The List , was estimated to cost £867 per person - or £3,468 for A Family of four.

These figures would be slightly less if The Family included children who were too young to need to pay for flights.

Ms Phillipson quoted a figure of £2,000.

There have been other estimates of what families might spend on holidays for a whole year. A 2018 Expedia survey suggested an average figure of £4,800.

It is unclear whether Gillian Keegan was referring to yearly or termly Private School costs, or what she meant by A Family holiday Abroad .

But even the average termly cost of private schools - About £5,100 - is likely to be higher than the average cost of a single holiday Abroad .

The annual cost of attending Private School - More Than £15,000 - is far higher.

Some private schools charge less than this average, but Ms Keegan said " many" schools cost the same as A Family holiday Abroad .

BBC Verify has asked The Department For Education to explain the figures The Minister quoted.

Source of news: bbc.com