Paying school fees out of annual (taxed) income can be a major problem for many parents. If you are lucky, you may have parents who will help or your children may qualify for some of the other help available (see below).

There are ways of mitigating the calls on your income if you plan your personal investments with school fees in mind. In general, there has been a move away from specific school-fees policies in favour of a more holistic approach to the management of your money so that you can accommodate a range of likely demands (your children’s fees for school and university, a new conservatory, your retirement etc). It is worth using one of the many companies, regulated by the FSA, that offer private client investment advice. The approach will be different if school fees are your immediate problem or if you are thinking ahead just after the birth. Either way, the solution will best be tackled within the context of your overall investment planning rather than in isolation.