The 8% rule: why state boarding costs Forces families less than they think
21st Aug 2026
Article
Two rules in JSP 752 that nobody puts side by side, and what happens to your termly bill when you do.
Most Forces families weighing up boarding start and finish with independent schools. It is worth knowing that there is a second sector. Around 30 state boarding schools operate across the UK, where the education is funded by the government exactly as it would be at any other state school, and parents pay for boarding only.
What you actually pay
Continuity of Education Allowance does not work the way most families assume. It pays the lesser of two figures: 90% of the school’s fees, or the published CEA rate, currently £11,130 a term for a senior pupil and £8,918 for a junior. Whichever is lower is what you get.
That has a hard consequence. Above roughly £12,367 a term the rate cap bites, and every pound of fees above it comes out of your pocket on top of your minimum contribution.
The second rule is the one almost nobody quotes. The minimum parental contribution is 10% at independent schools, but 8% at state-maintained schools. State boarding fees sit at around a third of the cap, so at a state boarding school the 8% is genuinely all you pay.
| School | Fee per term | You pay per term | You pay per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Swinford Hospital | £4,600 | £368 | £1,104 |
| Wymondham College (senior) | £5,650 | £452 | £1,356 |
| The Duke of York’s Royal Military School | £7,700 | £616 | £1,848 |
| Gordon’s School (full boarding) | £8,494 | £680 | £2,040 |
| Independent boarding school | £15,000 | £3,870 | £11,610 |
| Independent boarding school | £18,000 | £6,870 | £20,610 |
Senior rates, based on 2025-26 and 2026-27 published fees. Assumes full CEA entitlement and no other discounts. Uniform, trips and music lessons are extra everywhere.
The independent rows are not an argument against independent schools. Many of the schools in our directory offer Forces remissions that pull those figures down substantially, and for plenty of families the right school is worth the difference. But a family who has never been shown the state boarding column has not been shown the whole choice.
There is no VAT on state boarding fees
Since January 2025, independent school fees have carried 20% VAT. The measure applies to schools that charge for education. A state boarding school charges you for board and lodging, and the education is funded by the government, so state boarding fees fall outside the scope of the measure entirely.
What state boarding is not
- It is not an easier route in. Colchester Royal Grammar, Cranbrook, Lancaster Royal Grammar, Reading School, Ripon Grammar, RGS High Wycombe and Haberdashers’ Adams are academically selective, and boarders sit the same entrance tests as everyone else.
- Boarding houses are small. Places are limited and, at the Forces-facing schools, competitive.
- Most take boarders from 11. CEA starts at 8. If you need boarding earlier, the realistic options are the Royal Alexandra and Albert School, which boards from 7, and Wymondham College Prep.
- Class sizes follow state funding. You are buying excellent boarding care attached to a state school, not small classes.
Two checks before you commit
The sector shrinks as well as grows. Sir Roger Manwood’s School in Sandwich, The Wellington Academy at Tidworth and Queen Elizabeth’s in Crediton have all closed their boarding provision, and all three still appear in printed directories. Confirm current provision with the school directly before you do anything else.
Then check the school is on the MOD Accredited Schools Database. CEA can only be claimed against a school registered on it, being a state school does not put a school on the list automatically, and schools are removed if they fall below expected inspection standards. The list is maintained by the Children’s Education Advisory Service and is available by emailing [email protected].
One school that works differently
Queen Victoria School in Dunblane is funded by the Ministry of Defence. Tuition, boarding, ceremonial uniform and books are met by the MOD, and parents pay a nominal termly charge of around £585. It is for the children of UK Armed Forces personnel with a Scottish connection, and it is not a CEA route at all. If you are eligible, look at it first.
Our directory now includes state boarding schools: filter by State Boarding under school type. Search the directory, or start with The Duke of York’s Royal Military School, the MOD-sponsored academy in Dover where CEA families pay £616 a term.
