To think if you can no longer afford school fees...

I’ve read so many of these threads. Wealthy people will still be wealthy. They won’t give a shit about a rise in fees. That’s literally the point. As for those that just scrape in? That is just bad luck. Just as it would be if they lost their job and couldn’t get another, or suddenly became very ill. There are plenty of state school places and their children will be absolutely fine.

It really is.
Plus a bit stupid/ignorant
DLA - care needs
SEN - educational needs

Some children have both, but these are the severe end who will likely be placed in a state pmld school.

Those for whom the state system isn't working due to milder SEN needs will not be claiming DLA.

Just like not everyone with mild SEN needs has an EHCP.

The way people are talking is like private schools are being abolished. You can still go. It’s fine. There are also other schools. They are free. The teachers have the same qualifications and often better seeing as you don’t actually have to be a qualified teacher to teach in a private school. The children are happy. They go on to do all sorts of wonderful things. They get fantastic results. Their parents work very hard too. It’s just that they work very hard in jobs that pay an average wage.

@WhySoManySocks I won't be searching for your post with longer words that I can understand?

Your current one makes no sense, I think it was meant as an insult but you worded it incorrectly and threw in an extra odd m?

Surely if you think I'm stupid, it would be longer words i can't understand?

Honestly, education these days.

Me too! All the people I associate with are kind and happy for a friend/family when they get something which benefits them or their child, rather than displaying a mean/jealous 'I can't afford it so you shouldn't have it either' race to the bottom attitude.

I am so sorry for your situation 🌺. Eating disorders are really horrible.

it resonates with me because I had an eating disorder growing up. I was hospitalised several times, suicidal and dropped out of (state) school. The mortality from the combination of the strain on the heart and the risk of suicide is horrendous and I am grateful every day that I survived (albeit with a dodgy heart) my children are healthy - I was very lucky.

i don’t begrudge any parent trying to do whatever for their children and my heart goes out to anyone managing their children’s health. I like to think that my late dad would have tried to put me in private school had he been able to afford it.

I wish we could be supportive of each other and have a theoretical discussion around the merits of the VAT.

And with all respect, telling a desperate parent with a seriously ill child to get on with it is not kind. I hope you both have lots of support IRL. 🌺

Ah. But state schools aren’t ’the bottom’ are they. They are normality.

97 per cent would suggest that's the lived experience for most British children.

@Bushmillsbabe - how do you know OPs bank balance? Can't afford or doesn't want. Choices.

Lucky you. Unfortunately a lot of state schools aren’t. Ours made the local news recently because kids didn’t like something the HT had brought in and the pupils went crazy throwing chairs and being disruptive. But hey, as long as your school is decent, doesn’t matter about the others, most of which are pretty poor.

They threw chairs?

St Trinians much?

Because only when the elites have to send their kids to state schools will they start caring what state schools look like

This will never happen as the elites will always be able to afford great public schools - they do not use your average market town private school. The people that use these schools are pretty much the squeezed middle who get clobbered by whichever political party get in.

wah wah wah 😂

I'm not jealous at all. My DS went to state school and is planning on studying to be a vet. He's done fantastically without private schooling. There are just many more important issues that I care about, this is not one of them.

Oh Blarney, go eat your croissant...

What an educated and valuable contribution

Aren't you off to work Blarney?

My DS is planning to do a medical degree and he didn't go to private school.

Good luck with the med degree@ Beezknees

Your son obviously

Thank you. He's worked bloody hard and I'm proud of him. Far better than I ever could have done!

You need to not have a gap between the @ and the username, otherwise it doesn't tag the person.

If you read it thoroughly, I mentioned this being one of several economically illiterate policies which makes the UK less attractive and it has more impact than you think. I have interviewed two people in the past month from our London office who have mentioned this as a one of several factors for moving to my office.

Another problem with this policy is that it does open the option for VAT on other types of education. People ask upthread about VAT on foodstuffs. The reason why it doesn’t happen is exactly because it means future administrations could add VAT to a food that’s seen as unnecessary by them but entirely necessary for a particular group (the pot noodle for someone in a bedsit having escaped abuse is the one often used).

So now we have opened the door to other types of education being sucked in too. But as I have said upthread the people who will end up caring the least are those at the top. I have bank accounts set aside already and if they ever do run dry my parents need a way of getting rid of money before the tax man knobbles it through inheritance…. So that’s another unintended consequence too.

What this thread has shown is just how tribal you can be? Well so can we and I can promise you the public school mine are at will live on and we will just be grateful our kids can live in a world separate from bitterness and twisted thinking.