Edstart partners with esenda to bring flexible fee plans to esenda schools in the UK

Edstart, a school fee management provider already working with more than 700 schools in Australia, has partnered with esenda to bring its fee management solution to esenda schools across the UK.

The partnership comes from a shared understanding of the same problem. Independent school parents in the UK want more payment flexibility, while schools need to keep fee collection strong. Every chase, payment plan and query adds administration and cashflow risk.

Because we share the same goals of less admin and more certainty over cashflow for schools and more flexibility for parents, this partnership is a real move forward for UK schools and parents.

How Edstart works

Families choose a payment schedule that suits them, whether that's weekly, fortnightly or monthly. If their circumstances change, they can adjust the schedule. Schools send their fee statements to Edstart and are guaranteed to be paid on an agreed schedule. Edstart looks after onboarding, communications and collection, with a dedicated support team, and the service is free to families.

For a school, it means no chasing and guaranteed fees.

More choice for parents, less admin for schools.

School fees are one of the largest and most important purchases a family makes, and how a parent pays matters as much as when. esenda schools can now offer Edstart's fee management solution to their families as an additional offering. Families who want to spread the cost choose a fee plan that suits them; Edstart handles everything from onboarding to collection, and the school receives guaranteed fees on an agreed schedule. For the school, it's more choice for parents with no extra work.

A partnership built to grow

The partnership makes Edstart's fee management solution available to esenda schools across the UK, with scope to extend to further markets as both businesses grow. Edstart provides the full fee management experience for schools and families; onboarding, communications, collection and support, as an additional offering esenda schools can make available to their families.

Stephen Bilboe, CEO of esenda, said:

"With the changes of VAT, fee flexibility is now one of the biggest conversations in school finance, and it's understandable that the extra admin this demands, of often small finance teams, can increase pressure and feel unsustainable. Edstart offer a solution that takes that work away, while protecting the school's cashflow. Bringing their fee management solution to esenda schools is exactly the kind of partnership we want to build."