UK spent £13m on private schooling for diplomats’ children

The Foreign Office spent £13.8m on sending 514 diplomats' children to private schools in the UK in 2022/23.

It also allocated £24.1m to send 1,188 children to schools overseas.

This is up from £10.5m spent on UK schools and £21.4m spent on overseas schools in the previous year.

A government spokesperson said the increase reflects the inclusion of legacy International Development department and Foreign Office staff.

The two departments - which had different terms and conditions for staff - were merged in 2020.

There is a long-standing policy to cover fees for children of diplomats who may be posted overseas at short notice, or take their children with them to countries where there is no suitable free English language based schooling.

There are some countries where the Foreign Office does not allow staff to take their children for health or security reasons.

Foreign Office minister David Rutley said without the allowance the government "would be restricting certain diplomatic roles for individuals without families, narrowing opportunities to have a successful career in our diplomatic service."

Under the scheme - called the Continuity of Education Allowance - senior Foreign Office staff can apply to have up to 90% of their children's school fees paid by the taxpayer if they contribute the remaining 10% themselves.

In its current form, the allowance dates back to 1996.

In 2022/3 the maximum amount diplomats could claim was a maximum of £12,471 per term for a senior boarding school fee, or £8,730 per term for a senior day school fee.

The CEO ceiling was increased by 6.27% for the 2022/3 academic year in line with increased boarding school fees.

The figures claimed this year include £143,232 spent on sending children to Winchester College, £246,720 at Eton, £721,965 at Sevenoaks School and £487,449 at Oundle School.

An Foreign Office spokesperson said: "Our staff are often asked to move frequently during their career, sometimes at very short notice, which is why it has been the policy of successive governments to support eligible families so that their children's education is disrupted as little as possible.

"There are clear caps on compensation offered to staff. The increase in our spending reflects the inclusion of legacy DFID staff and legacy FCO staff in a single FCDO figure from this year and a rise in boarding school fees."

From 2009-2022, the amount allocated has varied from £10.5m to £15.4m.