Fees and ways to pay

Introduction

The GDST founding principle is to reach as many girls as possible, and this means making sure that a GDST education remains as accessible and competitive as possible.

The fees we charge enable us to invest in the best teachers, state-of-the-art facilities and the vital infrastructure shared across the school network. School fees are reviewed annually by the GDST Council of Trustees, who remain committed to maintaining the high standards of our education and facilities, whilst remaining excellent value.

Every school within the GDST family has its own ethos and place in its community, whilst benefiting from being part of a large group of schools and receiving cost savings made by economies of scale and sharing support services. We fully appreciate the significant financial commitment and sacrifice many families make to send their daughter to a GDST school and we continue to work hard to run our schools effectively.

To find out the current termly fee levels for our individual schools and what is included, please use the drop-down list below. 

School fees

You’ll find the most up to date fees on individual GDST school websites – head to the ‘find a schools’ page to find out more.

Prepayment plan

The GDST prepayment plan provides a means by which parents and other fee payers (such as grandparents or other relatives) can pay all or part of the school fees for a designated pupil’s education at a GDST school in return for a discount on school fees. Find out more.

Bursaries

At the heart of our charitable purpose is to reach as many girls as possible and provide access to an outstanding education for girls from all backgrounds and all walks of life. We value diversity of all kinds in our schools and the benefits it brings to the learning environment. That is why we strive to keep fees as affordable as possible, and make sure that families who wish to give their daughters a first class girls-only education can afford to do so.

GDST schools have a proud history of providing financial assistance towards school fees, ensuring that girls from all backgrounds have been able to access a GDST education. Today, the GDST is a leading provider of bursary provision in the UK, with 10% of our pupils from Year 7 through to Year 13 receiving financial support to enable them to attend our schools. In recent years, we have allocated the equivalent of 5% of the GDST’s overall fee income to funding the GDST bursary programme.

Thanks to generous donations from our supporters, we are able to reach those families and students for whom a GDST education would be out of reach. We want to identify those students who will benefit from our means-tested bursary awards the most. Find out more about GDST Bursaries.

Scholarships

As a charity, the GDST aims to reach as many girls as possible and in particular to seek out those girls with the most promise to continue to ensure our schools are diverse and inclusive communities, bringing together talented girls from all backgrounds to benefit from all a GDST education has to offer.

As well as our means-tested bursary programme, each school offers scholarships which are awarded on merit, irrespective of financial means. Most of these are offered at Year 7 (based on performance in the entrance examinations, auditions or other assessment means) or in the case of sixth form scholarships, for outstanding ability demonstrated in individual subjects or disciplines. A scholarship may be combined with a bursary where there is a financial need.

Information about the types of scholarships offered can be found on individual school websites – you can access these by visiting our ‘Find a school’ page.

FAQs

  • Fees
    • Who do I contact regarding school fees?

      Please contact our Fees Department at feesdepartment@wes.gdst.net for support with:

      • School fee payments
      • Nursery fees, childcare vouchers, and Early Years grants
      • Updates to your contact details
      • GDST pre-payment plans (two years or more)
      • Retained deposits
      • Changing direct debit details

       

      We’ll make sure your query reaches the right team and is handled promptly.

    • How do you invoice for school fees?

      School fees are billed on a termly basis, prior to the start of each term, in August, December and April. Your invoice will confirm the total amount due for the forthcoming term, the collection date(s) and amounts depending on the frequency of the direct debit mandate completed.

    • How can I pay school fees?

      Our required method of payment is termly in advance by Direct Debit.

      If paying termly is not possible due to exceptional circumstances, you may contact the Fees Department at feesdepartment@wes.gdst.net to discuss whether a monthly Direct Debit arrangement can be considered.

      We also offer a Prepayment Plan that enables fees to be paid in advance for two or more academic years. The plan must begin at the start of an academic year, and applications can be submitted via our online platform, accessible through the GDST website, which is open from May to August each year.

      To update the bank details for an existing Direct Debit, please complete a new Direct Debit instruction form and return it to the Fees Department at the same email address.

    • How does the direct debit scheme work?

      For payment by termly direct debit one-third of the annual fee due will be debited to your bank account on or within the first seven days of each term.

    • Do I incur a charge if an item is unpaid by my bank?

      You will incur an administration charge of £12.00 if your direct debit is unpaid by your bank. The Trust will write to you to confirm that the item has not been paid. If the unpaid item is due to an error made at your bank you should contact your bank directly upon receipt of our letter.

    • Can you re-present my direct debit if it is unpaid?

      We do not currently re-present an unpaid direct debit. You may transfer the funds direct to the Trust Account but must ensure that your deposit quotes your child’s unique pupil reference number.

    • What is a pupil reference?

      A unique pupil reference identification number is allocated to your child when they start at a Trust School; this reference will stay with them throughout their time at the school and should be quoted on all manual payments and correspondence. It would also be also useful if you could quote this reference when calling the Fees Department with any query.

    • When will I get my retained deposit back?

      For all pupils leaving during, or at the end of a term, retained deposits will be refunded (less any monies due to the school) within 8 weeks of the schools official last day of that term, providing the GDST hold valid Bank account details.

    • Are school fees inclusive of VAT?

      VAT will be charged on school fees from 1 January 2025.

Direct Debit forms

  • All schools

    Download

    Fees should only ever be paid into the GDST back account.

    The GDST bank account number ends: 1085

  • Howell's School, Llandaff

    Download

    Fees should only ever be paid into the Howell’s School back account.

    The Howell’s School bank account number ends: 6457

Find a
school