Expenses in Sixth Form

MasterShoestring has just started Sixth Form and I have been a bit surprised at how expensive it has already proved ! Fortunately his school has a bursary fund that you can apply to but it made me realise that there are quite a few barriers to "staying on".

First, there is no school uniform so no school uniform grant. The good news is that by that time your sixth former might not be growing so fast and won't need you to buy clothes and shoes quite so often. They are also likely to fit into some second hand stuff so that can help. MasterShoestring is wearing some of his old trousers and is waiting to grow a bit before buying new ones. Bags can also be re-used.

He still moves around the school and to save forgetting things the school now rents out lockers ! This would have been an additional annual expense but they were all allocated by the time he knew he had got in, so back to carrying everything in and out everyday.

The Sixth Form does not provide textbooks so that was an additional expense we were not expecting, fortunately you can often get them second hand from people who have finished and yesterday someone gave him a Physics book for free, that's the spirit I like to see !

Another expense is bus fare at odd times of the day when I'm not free to collect him. He is allowed to come home in free blocks and naturally wants to do this, but as his Sixth Form is not within walking distance it means paying bus fare. He has applied for a Young Citizen's card to get a discount on the bus, so when that comes it will help a bit ! Yes, he could stay in and work but he finds it quieter at home and he is less likely to waste time by chatting to those around him !

All in all I think we've spent a couple of hundred pounds over the last couple of weeks on things for the Sixth Form, so I thought other people might like the run down so they can start saving for next year, like I am doing !!