Private Schools- hear me out before you judge!

There you go! Don't you feel better?

And also, yes! Lots of state schools are actually pretty good!

”I'm pissed off and I don't want to pay more and I don't want to put my children in state schools because believe they are shit".

I’ll bite,

“I’m not paying any more f*cking tax when my household pays loads, and we pay for our own schooling and healthcare. Despite this, I’m getting whinged at by people who say we should pay more. So, NO. Fuck u lot, I’m taking my share of the pie”.

And breathe….

The 2 state 6th forms we are looking at are not shit though, so not going to say that.

It's a real shame you think that.
93% of kids are not in private schools and at least some of those are getting a good education, my own kids included.

It’s an article from the Guardian so it reads like it was written by a 14 year old for 14 year olds.

Post election Labour moved the date for VAT to be added from Sept 2025 to January 2025, meaning that parents would not have time to move schools, as it was already the summer term.
Therefore, we won’t know the impact in the first year until the deadline for acceptance for secondary school places has passed; deadline to accept private school places has passed; parents hand in notices to the private schools (usually one term notice) - so probably not until Easter at the earliest and even then there may still be more movement.

What?
Children already at state schools are just as much 'victims'.

😁 🎵 Paying tax is shit!! 💩 🎶

Yes, many parents volunteer in various ways at state schools.

We all know Edinburgh isn't typical of Scotland as a whole.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is made up. I mean it's not that it couldn't happen, it's just that I don't think it has happened as described.

I understand that private school parents are furious - none of us likes having our money taken! I'm still fuming about a parking ticket I got this week. But I would have more respect if they just said "I'm pissed off and I don't want to pay more and I don't want to put my children in state schools because believe they are shit". Instead of trying to get everyone else on board (and I sympathise anyway!) by suggesting private schools will close left right and centre, and state schools will be swamped, and all the good people will leave the country, and the ones who suffer most will be the neediest children in the overcrowded state schools. Won't somebody please think about the neediest children!

We all know it is not about that. Just say it. "We don't want to pay more tax! We don't think the rest of you are sympathetic enough!"

But we don't disagree. Paying tax is shit - let's all hold hands and sing it together.

What about the 93% already in state school? Aren’t there enough parents in that group that care about the quality of state education? Or do only those that use private school care enough about education to make difference?

Private schools are businesses. If they don't make money they close. This is not new. Maybe a few more now, but they were probably in trouble anyway.

In the academic year of 22-23 each state school place cost around £8000. So every child that enters the state system will cost at least this, probably more now.

Pupil premium is top up funding for lower income families, looked after children and previously looked after children. It’s to level up the gap in learning due to their disadvantage. (This is what the DofE state),

My DD joined us via adoption, should she have to go back into the state system she will have priority over other children for her place in the school of her or our choice as well as be entitled to the pupil premium which is around £2700 as she’s previously looked after. (Children who are from low income households are not given this level of pupil premium, it’s a lesser amount).
It doesn’t make fiscal sense to me. They’ve not thought it through.
Dd has only been in independent for a year, we were fed up of fighting for her to get any benefit from her pupil premium and fed up of trying to get her needs met. We hope to keep her at her school where she is happy, but the fees are already so much. We don’t know if we’ll be able to afford to keep her there. Especially if our circumstances change.

Even if the state system finally sees anywhere near the revenue that they hope, it amounts to 1 additional teacher for every 3 schools. This is if the funds are raised for the 6,400 teachers promised. As well as them being able to recruit/train and retain these. I can imagine more teachers leaving the profession and it going the other way if they are expected to take the load of the additional students coming into the system. This doesn’t actually fix anything for teachers, children or schools and it doesn’t make sense.

Yes it is a policy that is going to cost a lot of money but many people didn’t want to listen to the reality. A lot of children with SEN are moved into private with parents barely able to afford it because their needs are met a bit better there. So even a small amount moved out again will be looking for an EHCP. There’s over 100000 kids with Sen plan but no EHCP in private education. It’s not just VAT being imposed but also business rate and national insurance changes. I think they’ve totally failed to take all costs into account- the cost of alternative schooling and support, the cost of monitoring home education, the cost of the impact of disrupted education, the cost of legal challenges etc. they have a whole cohort of children who are getting a decent education at no cost to the tax payer, many of whom have additional needs. They’ve done it at a time where we are in a ‘cost of living crisis’ (previously kniwn as recession). I’d say the finances should take precedence over everything else at the moment and will effect every single one of us

@Another76543 Sorry I'm a bit late to the thread (and incidentally not opposed to the introduction of VAT) but just wanted to say that actually Fettes let us use their swimming pool! Don't know if they still do, it's been a while.

74% of private schools across the UK are non profit so I think it is a similar situation in England.

Not sure I believe this post. Only 2 independent schools in Scotland have closed recently. A very, very small Christian school in Greenock and Kilgraston which was in Perth. So not sure how any school could have recently received 84 pupils from either of those as they both closed in the summer and the former didn’t even have 84 pupils!

Labour is on a crash and burn trajectory already. Which they deserve with their policies of hate.

Wait till we see the uptick on pensioner deaths due to the cold.

You make the mistake in thinking Labour give a shit about children? They needed it so they got into power. 🤷🏻‍♀️ sorry Op - I’m a private school parent and our school is absorbing some of the VAT, I never thought it was a good idea not because we couldn’t afford it, most, if not all the parents I know can - but the burden on the state schools. I hope you get more funding.

Interesting thought on Labour attempting to skew the figures …. You certainly could be right there.
Its really quite evil of a Government changing tact in the middle of a school year….I wonder if they would have imposed a cheaper curriculum on the State sector mid year.

I do wonder if Labour were hoping by doing this mid school year more Private school parents would see a way to suck up the fee increase and hence stay on, thus not impacting the State sector so much.

So you see this as "pay back time" eh? The children have nothing to do with your experience.

And in my case I have a child with autism, adhd, tourettes etc.

He is in a lovely indy. We can afford the fees right now, but we are not sure we can absorb the VAT increase, which represents an extra £100 per week for us. Plus the fact the budget hammered us in other ways, so it is not just the VAT increase.

However, I am Australian and my child has dual nationality.

At Christmas time we are going to Australia. The very best private school near where my parents live costs $8600 a year. A year. We have booked a meeting with the principal. The idea is that DS and I will move almost immediately, and DH will shut up shop here, sell the house etc then follow.

The Labour government think that the population are cartoon characters that can be impinged upon without effect. They forget that people have agency. They forget that people are mobile. They forget that people say 'Fuck this for a laugh' and jump.

Fucking morons, they are.

Not sure what you're asking me? I am not suggesting everyone in Edinburgh is a millionaire, just that salaries are higher there than many other areas, hence the higher number of private schools. I doubt that will change.

You credit Labour with too much. They were arrogsnt and refused to engage with the sector, hence why they are heading to court with 3 separate legal challenges

In case this is a genuine question, the existing schools would add extra classes. I live in east London and most of the secondary schools are adding one or two extra classes (eg going from 4 to 6 form entry, or 5 to 7) due to a demographic bulge. Meanwhile primaries are planning for a slight fall in applications in my borough, but a steep fall in other boroughs, where ten years ago they were adding classes. Some state primaries will close where they are no longer needed.

These changes have nothing to do with VAT obviously, those will just be a drop in the ocean. These are demographic changes, which have always had to be planned for.

My school fees will go up £3400 a year with the VAT rise. I’m taking out my DC, so Labour will not be getting £6,800 off me over 6th form, and instead will be paying around £12k to send me DC to my local 6th form.

Thx Keir