A top body for Private Schools has launched a new partnership with leading Debt Collection Agency Frontline Collections.
In a statement on their website, the Independent Schools Association (ISA) has given Frontline Collections a ‘Gold Supplier Status’ for it members.
The ISA has over 500 members which include some of the UK’s leading Independent Schools. The financial sustainability of the Private Education sector has been questioned in the current pandemic with many schools facing severe cash flow shortages.
Frontline Collections has been provider of Debt Collection Services to Private Schools for many years. The success they have achieved was echoed to the ISA by a number of Private Schools who had used their services.
The positive news wasn’t greeted by all with some quarters claiming that non paying parents will be ‘hounded’. Lord Storey told Schools Week “Imagine the national outcry there would be if state schools employed debt collectors to collect dinner money or after school club [fees]. Parents need support, not being hounded by a debt agency.”
Mr Storey’s comments were frowned upon by the Debt Collection Industry. State Schools have been turning to Debt Collection agencies for over a decade to help collect unpaid Dinner monies so it underlined just how out of touch some politicians are with society.
Responding, Frontline’s operations manager Chris Spencer told Schools Week they had only seen a “small recent spike” in the number of parents not paying their fees due to Covid-19. But added it was too early to say whether this was as a result of the pandemic.
He said “We are extremely mindful of the delicate nature and discretion need when approaching the subject of unpaid school fees. We normally will only accept instructions where the child has left the school already.”
Debt Collection has a major role to play in the resurgence of the economy and of course there will be those that question its value.
Debt collection for unpaid Private School fees is nothing new and will continue to be valuable outlet for Independent Schools.
