Hermannsburg School

On behalf of the School Board, we wish to provide you with the following information pertaining to School Fees and Charges and thank you for your continued support of our School. We have appreciated families meeting their financial obligations in a timely manner throughout despite a challenging global economic environment. The School Board is always sensitive to the impact on families that any fee increase incurs; however some increase is unavoidable in order to enable us to continue to provide a high-quality, well-resourced education for your child and, indeed, for all the scholars in our care.

As was the case last year, we are still working towards a consistent increase across all the Grades. Currently, we are working towards smoothing the gaps between Grades and Phases so that the annual Grade cost progressions, especially in the Pre- and Primary School, are less pronounced. This means that some Grades’ fees have increased more than other Grades, to allow us to achieve this smoothing of fee levels. Accordingly, our boarding and High School fee increase is set at 0.2% above inflation, and our Pre- and Primary School fees will increase by an average of 1.2% above inflation.

The full schedule of fees is given on the following pages, which also indicate the monthly payments over 11 months for all Grades (except Grade 12 fees, which are payable over 10 months). Please note that one important differentiator between Hermannsburg and many other schools is that we are transparent and inclusive with our fees. Other than supplementary and voluntary costs, which we try to make clear up-front (i.e. in this document), our fee schedule is what you pay and there are unlikely to be additional charges.

Please feel free to address any questions to the Executive Head at executivehead@hmbschool.co.za or, in the case of a specific account query, our bursar at finance@hmbschool.co.za.

Annual tuition, transport and boarding fees

• Payment of the annual school fees and boarding fees must be made either annually up-front in one lump sum (see paragraph 3, early settlement discount, below); or quarterly; or monthly.
• If paying monthly, payments must be made IN ADVANCE, in 11 MONTHLY INSTALMENTS from JANUARY to NOVEMBER. Payment of monthly instalments must be by debit order.
• If paying quarterly (per term), payments must be paid up-front, before the start of each term. Parents paying quarterly must sign a monthly debit order form which will be kept on file as a precaution.
• Parents of Grade 12s are expected to pay in no more than 10 MONTHLY instalments.
• Payment in cash will attract deposit fees at a rate of 3,5% of the amount deposited. This is to cover bank charges and security costs.
• Due to the high risk and costs of cash, the school encourages parents to pay by debit order or electronic fund transfer (EFT).
• When making a payment, parents are requested to use their school account code (e.g. MDA01) as well as the purpose of the deposit, as a deposit reference.
  • Example 1: when paying for school fees, the deposit reference would be: MDA01schoolfee
  • Example 2: when paying for music, the deposit reference would be: MDA01music

Family discount

• A discount of 5% (of the Total Annual Tuition Fee only), is allowed for the second child and subsequent children within the same immediate family, attending the school simultaneously.
• ‘Immediate family’ means biological children or adopted children, of the same care-givers - living within the same household.
• Legal guardianship does not qualify for a family discount.
• The family discount does not apply to the Boarding Establishment fees.

Early settlement discount

• Parents who provide proof of payment of the Total Annual Tuition Fee (or Total Annual Tuition & Boarding Fee) before 16 January, will be entitled to an 8% discount on tuition and/or boarding fees only.
• Where payments are made in advance, annual (as opposed to monthly) tuition and/or boarding fees will reflect on parents’ statements.
• Please note that this discount does not apply to settlements paid by credit card and/or cash, due to the additional bank charges incurred.
• International transfers take longer to clear so please make sure that you make allowance for this when paying for school fees.

Daily (day-scholar) transport costs

• Greytown: R7 700 a year or R700 per month over 11 months, paid up-front.
• Kranskop: R6 900 a year, or R627 per month over 11 months, paid up-front.
• Tickets for once-off trips may be purchased at a cost of R40/scholar/trip.
• Mid-term & holiday transport costs

This cost applies when children use school transport to be taken to the airport or to various centres for mid-term breaks and holidays. The availability of transport is subject to passenger numbers.

• Pietermaritzburg / Stanger: R340 (one way)
• Durban Airport / Westville / Ladysmith / Empangeni: R500 (one way)
• Vryheid / Harrismith / Underberg: R700 (one way)
• Johannesburg: R1 100 (one way)

New enrolments

• A non-refundable, early-bird application fee of R500 is payable on submission of a fully completed application form (effective from 01 January − 31 August).
• After 31 August, the non-refundable application fee for will be R1 000.
• Once a scholar is offered a place at Hermannsburg School and such an offer is accepted, an acceptance fee is to be paid immediately to secure this place.
• NON-REFUNDABLE ACCEPTANCE FEE
  • Grade RRRR to Grade 7: R1000.
  • Grade 8 to Grade 12: R5000. Scholars progressing from Hermannsburg’s Grade 7 to Grade 8 are not liable for this fee, provided they submit their signed enrolment form for Grade 8 before 30 September.
• Any amount paid to secure a place in the Kindergarten and Primary School during Grade 1 to Grade 7, will be treated as PAYMENT of the High School non-refundable acceptance fee. The non-refundable acceptance fee will be credited to the particular scholar’s school fees account, as per the enrolment contract.

Textbooks

• Textbooks will be purchased by the school.
• The school will issue the textbooks at the start of the year, as a debit on the parents’ accounts. At the end of the year, 75% of the initial debit will be credited as a refund to parents. This will cover the depreciated loss on the textbooks.
• If a book is lost, the cost of this book will be deducted from the credit refund.
• An amount of 75% of the amount charged for textbooks will be credited to the parents’ accounts for textbooks returned to the school in good condition. (This condition will be assessed by the School, whose assessment is final).
• For example: If a scholar receives 14 textbooks for Grade 8 then the parents’ account is debited with R3 000, which they pay. If the scholar loses one of the books, valued at R350, and hands back only 13 textbooks at the end of the year. At the end of the year, the parents’ account will then be credited with R1 900 (75% of R3 000 [R2 250] minus the value of the lost book [R350] = R1 900).
• Should none of the textbooks be returned, the parents will be liable for the full replacement cost of the textbooks (which may exceed the fixed cost in the table below).
• Non-reusable workbooks used by scholars during the year, are not included in the fixed cost below.

Supplementary costs

• These costs will be billed separately and parents will be forewarned of such expenses.
• Supplementary costs must be paid up front. An activity must be paid for before it is enjoyed.
• Monies received are first used to cover tuition and boarding fees, before being put towards the supplementary costs.
• Examples of Supplementary costs include:
  • Germany Exchange Programme for Grade 10 / 11
  • Grade 7 Tour
  • Heritage Trail
  • Materials for Art (Grade 8 onwards)
  • Music examination fees
  • Grade 12 IEB examination fees (including Further Studies examination fees)
  • 8th subject fees
  • Prefects’ camp
  • Extra-curricular / extramural activities such as Enviroclub and Pottery
  • Transport and participation in KZN Youth Choir and KZN Midlands Youth Choir
  • Sport Olympiad of the German Schools in Southern Africa
  • Sports Tours - various
  • Choir Tours – domestic or international
  • Examination re-writes
  • Voluntary activities
  • Additional tutoring
  • Special entertainment
  • Non-compulsory travel and accommodation
  • Stationery (this must be purchased by parents and is not provided at school)
  • Workbooks

Specified supplementary costs for extramural activities

• Enviroclub: R1 500 per annum
• Pottery: R40 per session per child
• Estimated School uniform cost: R4 500 per child

Aftercare

• Aftercare is provided at R40 per day from 14h00 − 15h00.
• Aftercare is provided at R65 per day from 14h00 − 17h00.
• This must be booked at least 24 hours in advance.
• A penalty of R60 per hour will be charged for aftercare not booked in advance.

Expenses for the Germany Exchange Programme (GEP)

• Every second year, scholars in Grade 10 & 11 have the opportunity to participate in the GEP. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this schedule has been disrupted and the costs below are given only as an indication. Actual costs will depend on more definite planning for the GEP, once the planning is completed.
• The cost for was estimated at R50 000 per child (which included flights).
• As this is a large amount of money, the School encourages parents of scholars wishing to participate in the GEP to start paying towards the cost of this programme from Grade 8 already. Please contact the Bursar to make the necessary arrangements.

Specific boarding establishment (BE) rates

• ANNUAL COST FOR WEEKLY BOARDERS = R86 940 (or R7 903 over 11 months for Grades 8−11; R8 694 over 10 months for Grade 12).
• A daily boarding rate of R450 per person per night (including meals) will be charged for day scholars staying in the BE for short periods. This amount is to be paid in advance on submission of the application form.

Laundry

A laundry service is offered to staff and day scholars on short-term boarding stays, at R600 per month (or part month) per person (this fee is included in the boarding fee for full boarders).

Additional subject costs (e.g. 8th subject, 9th subject)

• Should a scholar wish to take additional subjects (8th or 9th subjects) the cost per additional subject is R13 200 per annum, payable with the school fees, either up-front or by monthly debit order.
• Should a scholar select to do a subject which is offered online, parents are responsible for paying the service provider directly before the school provides tutoring support.

Grade 12 IEB examination registration

• 7-Subject package: R8 080
• Additional subjects (e.g. 8th subject): R1 399 each.
• Further Studies English: R1 160
• Further Studies Mathematics: R791 (Paper 1 only) or R1 160 (Paper 1 and 2)
• Internal course fee for Further Studies (per subject): R250 per term.

Music fees

• Music Fees are payable directly to the music teachers. R1500 per term
• For instrument hire: Payment of a refundable deposit: R750 (the instrument will not be issued to the scholar if the deposit has not been paid).
• Monthly hire charge: R450 per term.

Insurance and medical aid

• Parents are requested to ensure that their child/children are members of a medical aid scheme and to provide the school with a copy of the medical aid card and a copy of the main member’s South African identity document.
• The school cannot pay for doctors’ visits, nor for any prescribed medicines the child may require. Children not covered by a private medical aid scheme will have to be taken to a government medical facility for treatment, unless prior arrangements have been made with the school regarding payment for private medical care.
• Whilst every care is taken to prevent loss and damage, parents are nevertheless requested to ensure that their child’s/ children’s valuable possessions (e.g. cell-phones, laptops etc.) are adequately insured under their own personal all-risks insurance policies. The School cannot be held liable for theft/loss/damage of any scholar’s possessions.

Non-residents: payment of annual fees and potential surcharge

• Parents/guardians and scholars residing outside the borders of South Africa must comply with the following conditions.
• NON-RESIDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY A REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT OF 25% OF THE ANNUAL FEES (TUITION AND BOARDING) IN ADVANCE.
• Rigid Exchange Control regulations promulgated in 2004 necessitate one term’s fees (in addition to the acceptance fee) being paid to the school before a scholar, who is a resident of a country outside of the borders of the South Africa, can be admitted. During the time that the scholar attends Hermannsburg School, payment of tuition and boarding fees must always be paid one term in advance, in order to comply with the law. Additional charges must be settled as they arise.

Notice of withdrawal

• A full calendar months’ notice, in writing, or one month’s fees in lieu of notice is required before withdrawing a scholar from the School, the Boarding Establishment, or participation in extra subjects.
• This means that if your child is removed from boarding and/or school during any month, without written notice BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF THAT MONTH, then fees will be charged for the remainder of that month AND the following month.