AN independent school near Ringwood is to cut its fees, with most families to pay an average of 15 per cent less for the next school year.

Moyles Court School is introducing the fee changes as part of a new two-part strategy looking at its long-term vision for the school.

This, it says, is to bring its “outstanding individualised education” to more families.

Headmaster Richard Milner-Smith said: “Independent education is sometimes thought of as exclusive, the preserve of the very rich only. Our aim is to overcome that prejudice and to convince many more parents that it is the right choice for their children.”

As well as the fee reduction, the school is introducing an expanded and subsidised “doorstep to school” transport plan to ensure children within the catchment area are able to get to school.

Moyles Court is a co-educational day and boarding school for pupils aged three to 16, which currently has 150 pupils with capacity for 200.

Mr Milner-Smith added: “Many, perhaps most, parents would consider this to be far beyond their means.

“By reducing the financial cost very substantially we intend to show many families that they can in fact afford the undoubted benefits of an independent education for their children.”

Parents of children in Moyles Court’s junior school will be paying an average 15 per cent less next year – for example, new parents of reception class children will pay £1,775 per term, compared with £2,029 this year whilst existing parents from the nursery will pay only £1,500 per term.

In the senior school the average cut will be lower, reflecting the higher cost of secondary education, but new Year 7 parents will pay £3,620 per term, compared with £4,220 this year and again existing parents will get an additional reduction, making the termly fee £3,500.

Fees for the GCSE Years 10 and 11 will be frozen at the current year’s level. The school’s transport network, currently comprising four bus routes, will be expanded to cover a wider area with six routes.

Bursar Geraldine Smith said: “We will design the transport provision around families’ needs. If any child cannot be served by any of the bus routes we will provide a doorstep-to-school service to ensure that transport is not an obstacle.”

The school’s minibuses will be used to provide the doorstep-to-school service, which will be heavily subsidised.