School Fees and Contributions – 2023

St Bede’s College has three types of fees: compulsory fees, contributions and cost recoveries.

Type Charge $ May be eligible for tax credit
Compulsory Fees Boarding Fees 16,500  
  Attendance Dues Levy 1,500  
Contributions St Bede’s Old Boys’ Association Membership 80  
  Special Character Contribution 395 Yes
  Building Contribution 750 Yes
  School Contribution 800 Yes
  Co-Curricular Contribution 100 Yes
  Proprietors Contribution 190 Yes
  e-Learning Contribution 80 Yes
Recoveries Classroom costs   Usually
  Sports costs    
  Activity/EOTC costs    

All contributions and some classroom costs included on student statements are eligible for a donation tax credit. We issue a donation certificate in April each year to allow you to claim the credit from Inland Revenue.

Many of the costs associated with running St Bede’s College are not paid by the Government. Some of our teachers, parts of our academic programme, our chaplaincy and special character program, our wellbeing program, and many of our facilities are not funded. For these we rely on your support as parents to pay all the fees and contributions on your son’s school fees account.

There are optional activities and sports that your son may choose to join while at St Bede’s College. As this relies on parent payments to cover the cost of the activity, if you have agreed for you son to participate then you will be required to pay these charges. Unfortunately if these fees are not paid it may result in your son not being able to participate in the associated sport or activity.

An explanation of how your school fees and contributions are used is at the bottom of this page.

Payment of Fees

Fees are charged at the start of each term and should be paid by the end of the term.

Boarding fees must be paid monthly by direct debit.  We also encourage all parents to setup a direct debit for all their fees – it makes your and our lives simple and means your sons’ fees are paid without you having to organise anything. Information on how to sign on to a direct debit will be sent at the start of the year, or you can email at any stage to receive a form. Statements are emailed at the start of each month, and on the 20th of each month from February to November, the monthly portion of your fees plus any recoveries loaded during the month will be direct debited from your nominated account.

To check your sons’ fees and payments at any time, please log in to the Parent Portal (https://portal.stbedes.school.nz/index.php)

We accept payment via direct debit, automatic payment, EFTPOS at the office, or internet banking. Fees paid by credit card are charged an additional 2% to cover bank fees.

Our bank details are:
BNZ 02 0816 0253094 00
Please include your son’s five-digit student ID and last name on any of these payment methods.

If you have any queries regarding payment options or require further information about the fees and charges, please contact the School Fees Administrator (schoolfees@stbedes.school.nz).

Financial Assistance

St Bede’s, with the support of our parent community, the Christchurch Diocese, and the Society of Mary, has funding available to assist families who are struggling to pay their school fees. If you need assistance, or would like to learn more, please contact Rachel Pitcaithly rpitcaithly@stbedes.school.nz, the head of our Ministry Team, in confidence.

Follow this link for a copy of the financial assistance application form.

Overdue fees

Each month, a fees account will be emailed to all parents and whanau which shows any new fees charged, any unpaid fees, and the balance outstanding. Fees are payable by the end of the term in which they are charged. 

Any compulsory fees which are not paid by the start of the term following the term in which they are charged will incur a monthly 2% late payment fee.  This late payment fee will be charged on the first day of each month until the fee is paid in full.

St Bede’s College staff will contact parents and whanau with a large balance of overdue fees to request payment.  Families which are unable to pay the fees in full may request a payment arrangement, which the College will generally consider favourably.  If a satisfactory payment arrangement is not reached and the compulsory fees remain unpaid, the debt will be referred to a debt collection agency and you will be liable for any debt collection costs. If Boarding fees are unpaid at the end of term your son’s place in boarding for the following term may be withdrawn.

If you are having difficulty in paying school fees we may be able to provide financial assistance. To learn more please refer to the Financial Assistance section above or contact Rachel Pitcaithly (rpitcaithly@stbedes.school.nz) the head of our Ministry Team.

How School Fees and Contributions are Used

Charge Purpose
Boarding Fees These fees recover the costs of feeding, housing, and providing pastoral care for boys boarding at St Bede’s.

This is a compulsory fee which must be paid for all boarders.

The Boarding Fees of $16,500 are not tax deductible.
Attendance Dues Levy Attendance Dues are used by the Proprietors to maintain integrated property and to repay loans taken out to fund the earthquake rebuild and new or improved facilities (such as the Grimes Teaching Block and strengthening of the Performing Arts Centre).

Attendance dues are $1,500 and are not tax deductible.
St Bede’s Old Boys’ Association Membership This membership fee keeps St Bede’s College Old Boys connected to the St Bede’s Community beyond their school years. Paying this $80 membership fee each year for the 5 years that your son is at St Bede’s entitles him to a lifetime membership with the Old Boys Association.

The St Bede’s Old Boys’ Association Membership Fee is not tax deductible.
Special Character Contribution The Catholic Special Character Contribution is collected to cover costs associated with chaplaincy services, operating the chapel, the teaching of Religious Education in the College and pastoral care of our students and their families.

The Special Character Contribution of $395 is tax deductible.
Building Contribution The Building Contribution pays for significant new facilities or major building upgrades. It has been paid by many generations of parents to help fund the facilities your son benefits from now.

The Building Contribution of $750 is tax deductible.
School Contribution Many of the programmes and facilities which are offered by St Bede’s College are not funded by the Ministry of Education. The School Contribution helps us to: employ more teachers than are Government funded and help keep class sizes down; to provide learning resources in classrooms.

The School Contribution of $800 is tax deductible.
Co-Curricular Contribution The Co-curricular contribution funds administrative support for sports clubs and additional resources within areas like Sports/Music/Arts/Drama and other co-curricular activities.

The Co-Curricular Contribution of $100 is tax deductible.
Proprietors Contribution The Board of Proprietors helps meet the costs of the College’s Special Character and Ministry to students and the St Bede’s community. It also helps meet the cost of some of the Board of Trustees’ obligations around the maintenance of integrated buildings.

The Proprietors Contribution of $190 is tax deductible.
e-Learning Contribution The e-Learning Contribution helps to pay for providing a secure IT environment for our boys. It also helps meet the costs of software used in the classroom and for communicating with parents and the school community.

The e-Learning contribution of $80 per year is tax deductible.
Classroom Recoveries When your son is using a specific classroom resource, like a workbook which can only be used once, we ask that you meet the cost of that resource.

Classroom Recoveries vary depending on your son’s year level and subject selection. Classroom Recoveries are generally tax deductible.
Sports Recoveries Participation in a sport requires payment of fees to sports associations or unions, tournament and competition fees, and turf/playing field fees. Sports Recoveries meet these costs of your son’s involvement, as well as the costs of sports equipment, travel, and accommodation.

Sports Recoveries vary depending on the sports your son plays. They are not tax deductible.
Activity/EOTC Recoveries When your son participates in activities outside of the classroom, such as field trips and camps, the Activity/EOTC Recovery meets the cost of participation. This can include any travel, accommodation, and entry costs for the activity.

Activity Recoveries vary depending on the activities your son participates in and are not tax deductible.