Do 'many' private schools cost the same as a family holiday?

Education Secretary Gillian Keegan has been criticised for comparing backstage schoolhouse fees with the outgo of a household vacation abroad.

Speaking successful Parliament, she insisted "plenty" of families funded backstage acquisition by redeeming connected overseas trips.

The acquisition caput told MPs: "Most of our backstage schools aren't similar Eton oregon Harrow - they're acold smaller and they complaint a batch less.

"Many outgo the aforesaid arsenic a household vacation abroad, and there's plentifulness of parents who take to forego life's luxuries to springiness their children these opportunities."

Ms Keegan was close to accidental the outgo of attending backstage schoolhouse successful the UK varies - not each are arsenic costly arsenic Eton College oregon Harrow School.

In 2022-23 Eton College charged students £15,432 per term, portion Harrow School fees were £15,570. The yearly outgo for either of these schools would beryllium astir £50,000.

The average backstage school successful the UK charged £15,200 per twelvemonth successful the aforesaid period, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS).

That is broadly successful enactment with the £16,000 fig quoted by Ms Phillipson.

The IFS did enactment that determination were cheaper backstage schools, with immoderate costing little than £10,000 per year. Some of these are spiritual oregon overseas connection schools.

Boarding schools thin to beryllium much costly than time schools due to the fact that the fees see accommodation costs. Primary schooling is usually cheaper than secondary.

The Independent Schools Council - which represents much than 1,400 backstage schools successful the UK and overseas - points retired that immoderate schools besides connection fiscal enactment which reduces the fees paid.

There is nary azygous fig for what a vacation overseas would outgo the mean UK family. It depends connected galore factors specified arsenic the size of the family, the destination and the magnitude of the trip.

The autarkic UK-based user rights institution Which? compared the average terms of bundle holidays successful six of the astir fashionable destinations for summertime 2023.

It estimated that a seven-night vacation to Spain would outgo £693 per idiosyncratic this summer. For a household of 4 this would beryllium a full measure of £2,772.

Greece, the astir costly destination connected the list, was estimated to outgo £867 per idiosyncratic - oregon £3,468 for a household of four.

These figures would beryllium somewhat little if the household included children who were excessively young to request to wage for flights.

Ms Phillipson quoted a fig of £2,000.

There person been different estimates of what families mightiness walk connected holidays for a full year. A 2018 Expedia survey suggested an mean fig of £4,800.

It is unclear whether Gillian Keegan was referring to yearly oregon termly backstage schoolhouse costs, oregon what she meant by a household vacation abroad.

But adjacent the mean termly outgo of backstage schools - astir £5,100 - is apt to beryllium higher than the mean outgo of a azygous vacation abroad.

The yearly outgo of attending backstage schoolhouse - much than £15,000 - is acold higher.

Some backstage schools complaint little than this average, but Ms Keegan said "many" schools outgo the aforesaid arsenic a household vacation abroad.

BBC Verify has asked the Department for Education to explicate the figures the curate quoted.