A poll of 12 independent schools conducted for The Times has revealed annual increases for the academic year beginning in September range from 3.8% to 8%, with an average rise of 5.5%, The National News has reported.

The latest published UK inflation rate was 3.2% in March.

The schools imposing the highest fee rises of those polled were James Allen’s Girls’ School in south London, which is increasing its fees by 8% to £24,543, and South Hampstead High School, part of the Girls’ Day School Trust network, which will raise its fees by 7.5% to £24,474.