London school choice should start with curriculum, year placement, admissions window, journey, school bus and exam pathway.

The named schools in this guide are planning examples. Families should also compare state options where admission, catchment and timing fit.

Admissions files often include passports, visa status, previous reports, references, learning support records and vaccination records.

Older pupils should check GCSE, A level, IB or US pathway transfer before accepting a place for location alone.

Employer support may exclude application, assessment, registration, capital, transport, uniform, laptop and exam charges.

Never sign a tenancy before the school route is tested. A good school on paper can break the working week.

The school-cost tool should be run per child and should separate tuition from one-off admissions money.

Southbank International School; IB curriculum; check campus, year placement and one-off costs.

American School in London; US-style curriculum; check grade placement and transport.

ACS International School Hillingdon; International curriculum; check campus and extras.

Commute; School journey must be tested with the working route. Keep each school's curriculum, campus, pupil placement and published charges in a separate dated record. Check the child's age, year, entry date, daily route and accepted-place conditions with the selected school. Record tuition, one-time charges, transport and employer support separately, using only the matching school's current schedule.

Record date of birth, present year or grade, curriculum, subjects, languages, reports, examination pathway, learning support and intended start. Send the same profile to each school. Ask it to confirm proposed placement and campus. Never treat an enquiry acknowledgement, assessment invitation, waitlist and confirmed place as equal.

For older pupils, compare examination board, subject availability and coursework sequence. A school may offer IB, US or another route without matching the child's present programme. Preserve the admissions answer and involve the appropriate education professional where a mid-course transfer could affect qualifications.

For younger pupils, check entry age, school day, early-years structure and transition support. Record the likely next-country move so reports and curriculum choices support it. The child profile should drive the shortlist, not a relocation brochure or colleague's preference.

Southbank publishes term fees with current VAT presentation and first-year setup amounts. In the London school record, the American School in London publishes annual tuition inclusive of VAT, a non-refundable tuition deposit, capital fee, bus price and semester dates. ACS Hillingdon lists annual grade fees inclusive of VAT. Use only the actual child's row.

In the London school record, build separate lines for tuition, application, assessment: Deposit, enrolment, capital charge, transport, meals, uniform, device, books, trips, examinations and learning support. Mark refund status and due date. For the London school check, never use the lowest early-years figure as a London family estimate.

Save the fee page and invoice date. School prices and VAT treatment can change by academic year, and a live invoice overrides a planning table for the accepted place. Leave an unknown extra blank rather than importing another school's charge.

Ask for the employer cap per child, eligible ages and schools, covered charges, invoice name, direct-payment route and reimbursement timing. A tuition benefit may exclude deposits, capital fees, bus and learning support. Keep the policy beside the school terms before accepting a place.

Put application, deposit and semester or term invoices on the actual calendar. The American School in London page shows advance payment dates and withdrawal deadlines. The household needs cash before the school year even where the annual package appears adequate.

Record employee payment and later employer credit separately. Never subtract a reimbursement from the original due date. If support depends on continued employment or the child's UK status, show that dependency and the early-exit case.

Plot the exact campus, proposed home, office and project sites. Test morning arrival, collection and after-school activities using the actual Tube, rail, bus and walk. Add the parent's earliest site attendance and late meeting. A short map distance can still require awkward interchanges.

Price school bus, public transport, second adult travel and emergency taxi separately. The American School in London publishes a bus charge, but route suitability must be confirmed for the address. Never assume an employer taxi account or project vehicle covers children.

Review the timetable during disruption and winter darkness. Identify authorised collectors and backup care. Never sign a tenancy solely because it appears near one campus before the place and household working pattern are stable.

Ask the chosen school for its current checklist. Prepare passports, status records where required, reports, references, transfer records, vaccination information and assessment material. Check names, dates and grade descriptions. Supply certified or translated records only where the school requests them.

For learning or medical needs, ask what support the campus can provide before accepting. The American School in London publishes separate learning-support fee information. A general offer does not confirm the service, timetable or price needed by the child.

Store sensitive reports in approved family and school channels, not a general employer folder. Record emergency contacts, medication procedure and collection permission. Review them after travel or household arrangements change.

Read offer expiry, acceptance, deferment, withdrawal and refund terms before paying. Ask in writing what happens if dependant permission, housing or project mobilisation is delayed. Never rely on a reassuring call where the family may lose a deposit or semester fee.

Maintain one workable alternative with known curriculum, admissions status, fee year and journey until the chosen place and family travel are stable. Track every application charge and close unwanted cases clearly. A second school name without a live status is not a fallback.

Compare the cost of temporary separation with lost school payments and rushed housing. Keep the decision child-specific. Siblings may have different places, dates and refund risks even when the employer describes one family education benefit.

Before every transfer, match pupil, grade, term and charge to the accepted schedule and invoice. Verify beneficiary changes through an independently obtained school contact. Never follow an unexpected bank instruction merely because it appears in a familiar email chain.

Retain the bank receipt and school acknowledgement. Update the employer claim and refund ledger. A successful transfer proves processing, not that the correct pupil account was credited. Use the required payment reference and resolve an unmatched payment promptly.

Track deposits and future credits outside tuition. Never count them as available until returned or applied. The calculator compares annual cash cases and cannot assess educational quality, admission likelihood or safeguarding.

After the first term, reconcile schedule, invoices, receipts, transport, extras and employer credits. Replace planning figures with actual amounts and retain the accepted case. Put the next advance invoice, notice and reimbursement dates in one calendar.

Review curriculum fit, support and journey separately from price. An expensive school can still be unsuitable, while a lower fee cannot fix an impossible commute. Preserve the family's reasons and records rather than turning the calculator result into a recommendation.

At enrolment, record withdrawal notice, report, transfer and refund rules. Before leaving London, request destination records early and close transport and fee accounts. A final report or refund is not automatic when attendance stops.

For each child, record age at the school's cut-off date, current curriculum and year, language profile, support needs, proposed entry term and status of every application. Keep enquiry, submitted application, assessment, offer, accepted place and enrolled status distinct. A school appearing on a shortlist or accepting an application does not mean a place exists for the required year and date.

Use only the selected school's 2026-2027 fee row for the child's grade. Southbank, the American School in London and ACS Hillingdon publish different structures, inclusions and setup charges. Record VAT presentation, application, deposit, capital, transport, meals, support and other extras separately. Never create a London average from three unlike schools or imply that a published fee guarantees admission.

Read payment and withdrawal terms before acceptance. Put every application, deposit, tuition instalment and notice date on the family calendar. Mark refundable and non-refundable amounts from the school's own terms. If immigration, housing or mobilisation timing is uncertain, obtain the school's written position on deferment or withdrawal rather than assuming a delayed arrival will preserve money or the place.

Map employer education support against the actual invoice lines. Confirm eligible children, annual cap, covered schools, covered charges, payment channel, reimbursement date and consequences of early employment termination. Retain the policy and approval. A benefit that reimburses tuition after payment does not fund the earlier deposit or protect the household from an invoice due before payroll.

Test home, campus and work together at morning and afternoon times. Include school bus availability, public fare, collection, activities and the employee's project obligations. Check the current route rather than using distance alone. The calculator can compare time and entered charges but cannot judge educational quality, admissions probability, safeguarding or the child's welfare.

Reconcile reports, references, assessments, medical information and support records against the chosen school's checklist. Use secure channels and disclose only what is needed. Confirm how medicines, allergies, emergency contacts and authorised collection will operate. Never allow a fee comparison to postpone a necessary support discussion or convert a general school statement into a promise for one child.

Before the first day, confirm place, paid balance, timetable, transport, uniform, device, meals, contacts and contingency arrangements. After the first term, reconcile invoices, employer credits and actual extras. Calendar the next fee and withdrawal dates. This page is a planning and cash tool, not a recommendation of a school or a decision about a child's education.

Compare the accepted grade, attendance date and published 2026-2027 charge structure with every invoice. Query a different fee, omitted credit or unexpected service through the school's official finance route. Keep VAT, deposit, capital, tuition, bus and optional items distinguishable so an employer reimbursement does not conceal what the household actually paid.

Match the child's timetable, transport and support arrangements against what was confirmed before entry. Record any agreed change and its cost. A different class, bus stop or activity can alter household travel and care commitments even when tuition is unchanged. Review authorised collection and emergency contacts after each home or work-pattern change.

Track employer claims from submitted records to received credit, retaining any request for clarification. Never reduce the school ledger by an amount that payroll has not paid. Where the package cap is annual, record which academic and employment year each invoice consumes instead of assuming the balance rolls forward.

Before the next term, recheck fee due dates, school calendar, withdrawal notice and family travel. Preserve the current report and admissions records needed for a later transfer. The school calculator remains a payment comparison only. It cannot evaluate teaching, child welfare, curriculum fit or the effect of a future move.

Label every fee with school, campus, grade and academic year. Refresh the source before a later application or invoice is assessed. Published 2026-2027 figures support this planning case only; they cannot establish another year's charge, a particular child's admission or the terms of an individual offer. Keep the dated school document and invoice together so later changes are visible. Reconcile the accepted school's invoice and payment terms before replacing any planning figure. Record the invoice date, payment route, employer claim and received reimbursement as separate events. Preserve every dated result.