Parent Contract Update September 2025

Dear Parents

Updates to our Parent Contract

Woodhouse Grove’s parent charity, The Methodist Independent Schools Trust (MIST), has undertaken a full review of all its Member schools Parent Contracts.  In light of this review, you will find below a download of the School’s updated Parent Contract.

This new version of the School’s Parent Contract is based on the latest version of the Independent Schools Bursars’ Association Model Parent Contract widely used by independent schools and representing best-practice in the industry.  We will be bringing this updated version of the Parent Contract into effect from the start of the Autumn Term 2025, from which point in time the terms of the current version of the Parent Contract will be superseded.

The most significant amendments to the Contract reflect the changes to the VAT status of independent school fees, aligning the language of the contract with the VAT framework, clarifying what is being supplied by the school and the VAT treatment of each of those supplies.

Specifically, we have:

• updated the definition of “Fees” to cover all the termly fees payable to the school and made up of “School Fees” (for “Education Services” and, if applicable, “Board and Lodging”) and “Specified Charges” (for all services charged for separately and not included in the “School Fees”);
• introduced corresponding definitions of “Services” (being everything supplied by the School) and made up of: (i) “Education Services” (defined narrowly to reflect the VAT definition); (ii) if applicable, “Board and Lodging”; and (iii) all other services which are the subject of a “Specified Charge” and as listed in the “Schedule of Fees”;
• updated Clause 4.3 which deals with VAT.

In addition, there are changes which reflect recent developments in best practice, and changes which seek to further improve the clarity and transparency of the document, including:

• References to a Parent Code of Conduct, the purpose of which is to outline the school’s expectations from parents;
• Clauses giving the right to the school to collect information required in order to deliver our Anti-Money Laundering and other similar statutory obligations;
• Clarification about the rate at which Fees in Lieu of notice will be applied – being at the rate that would have applied for the final term in school if the parents had given a term’s notice; and
• Consolidation of various clauses, to minimise repetition and wordiness.

Please read the new terms and conditions carefully. If anything in the updated version of our Parent Contract is unclear or you would like to have anything further explained to you, then please email contract@woodhousegrove.co.uk .

Please note that you are not required to sign the new Parent Contract (no action is required)  – it comes into effect and replaces the current version of the Parent Contract automatically on 1 September 2025.

Yours sincerely

Mr James Lockwood MA
Headmaster