If VAT is added on Private School Fees, then it will be added onto University fees as well

The End Point Assessment Organisation.

Then you need them to be completely overhauled as the end point assessor currently has to be independent from the awarding institution.

Many organisations completing the end point assessment are not in a position to validate degree programmes.

I didn’t realise this. Thank you.

Just pay the VAT and stop scare mongering. They won't put VAT on university fees, it is only private school fees impacted.

This is interesting. What makes a business BAT exempt? I’m not being facetious. I’m genuinely interested.

The cost to the uni is minimal

Not true. The cost of running an apprenticeship at a university is not minimal.
It's a lots of additional work and bureaucracy compared to a standard degree and can be resource heavy.

The End Point Assessment Organisation. Sorry yes L7 is post grad!

@PremiumRaa. you said it. Able to pay for them. If this isn’t a perk of the privileged, what it it? I’m intrigued to know.

Actually they don't need universities. An ITP could deliver up to Level 7 which is an undergraduate degree. It already happens in other sectors. So you could cut out university completely and still get a degree.

Who would validate the degree?
Level 7 is a postgraduate qualification.....

Private schools should not be classed as charities.

Around half of them don’t have charitable status. The Labour Party have already said they are not going to strip those that do of their charitable status.

They are planning to change the VAT legislation, the same legislation which covers universities.

Actually they don't need universities. An ITP could deliver up to Level 7 which is an undergraduate degree. It already happens in other sectors. So you could cut out university completely and still get a degree.

The proposal is to remove the spurious charitable status of private schools

This is incorrect. The Labour Party has already said they’ve backed down on plans to strip schools of charitable status.

The plan is to change the VAT legislation. That legislation exempts private schools. The same part of the legislation also exempts universities.

@coffeeaddict77. The employer pays the uni fees and the student, so no debt. In many cases, uni contact is one day a week max and done remotely. The cost to the uni is minimal and to the student.

My son’s friend has a guaranteed job on completion and not dependent on grade. He’s been able to demonstrate his fit for the business and work ethic.

He’s not a first class honours student. However, he has been able to demonstrate he is a first class honours employee.

This said, it was the privilege of his private education that ensured he had the extra curricular that secured him his degree apprenticeship in the first place. Without this, he would be in a huge pool of potentially 2:2 students, seeking out the same jobs while saddled with huge debt.

Privilege still goes to privilege and I’m acutely aware of this. I don’t feel guilty, because my financial circumstances are what they are and with just one child, it stretches further, but I am fully aware that my son has huge advantages over children who are naturally more academic and work harder, but have had no leg ups.

It doesn't matter whether they go full time or part time. Without universities degree apprenticeships would not exist.

Yet another thread where people have to explain the facts.

Private schools are exempt from VAT under the VAT legislation. It’s in the same part of the legislation that universities fall under and mean they are also exempt.

The charitable status is entirely separate. Around half of private schools are not charities now and are not liable to VAT.

This just goes to show how little people understand.

VAT cannot currently be charged on education provision by eligible bodies.

Charitable status is a completely different issue here. It has nothing to do with VAT. But it goes to show how little people can read/understand and how easy it is for politicians to play emotive cards and manipulate the electorate.

To answer the question OP I'm fairly sure any changes, if thought through carefully (and that never happens unfortunately) will remove exemption from only certain providers so uni fees will be vat free still.

They are. My son went to private school because I had the financial means. He would otherwise have gone to a perfectly good state school. I paid for him to benefit from smaller class sizes and access to more sport, drama and extra curricular. He is dyslexic and thrived better in this environment because it better met his needs. This was a perk of his privilege. As a result, he will thrive better and possibly be more happy and successful as an adult than otherwise.

I also name changed as I knew I'd get static but all these threads about school fees have got me thinking about wider consequences.

of course you did.

University is a privilege. Not a right. And both are paid for privately.

But DA don't involve FT university attendance and are often delivered remotely. So yes it would be possible to VAT full time resident Uni courses.
Sorry I just don't trust any party not to back track etc.

UK universities are private institutions which are funded, in part, by the government. They do not receive funding for international students so those young people are receiving a private education in the U.K.

There has never been an instance where VAT has only been charged to non resident individuals and it would cause a LOT of problems.

There are also private schools that fit the needs of those with additional needs, many of whom attend have their fees paid for by their LA. What about military families who have no real option than to send their children to boarding school?

Then add in vocational schools, tutoring, sports, dance, art lessons etc.

I think it is going to be extremely hard to clearly define what constitutes private education and what doesn’t. The arguments justifying what’s in and out of the scope of VAT will take ages to iron out.

So whilst I don’t think VAT will be added to university fees, private schools will challenge the rationale. University is not an essential service open to all or required by law. Arguably a “luxury” item too?

The debt is much harder on girls too, as you say, taking time out for kids and their pensions suffering more than men's as they don't earn as much. The system is already broken and unfair.

I just want Labour to look ahead and have more than 1 policy that has little earning potential. Maybe saying all medical related degrees from Nursing to Neuroscience (if going on to work in NHS for minimum of 5yrs) would be subsidised by the govt? Anything longer term that might actually give everyone an idea of direction.

University is essential for many jobs. Degree apprenticeships still involve going to universities.

What is?