How many kids have left the school? (VAT)

Nope. Not true. Private tutors are not included. The only parents effected are those sending children to private schools.

Your insistence in trying to push this false narrative is bizarre.

Really? I've worked mainly in state schools but also in private schools and never found this. I would say the standard of teaching is about the same.

Yes, this is overlooked a lot (as well as the falling birth rates). Fees have been pricing people out for years and many parents who can afford the 30k plus a year want all singing & dancing which a lot of private schools don’t offer.

We are at grammar and have noticed quite a few transferring but speaking to parents that's largely because despite having four good private schools locally, they've all become SEN hotspots and for international students. Great if you have a child who has SEN and doesn't mind most the cohort being socially segregated but it doesn't seem worth the money otherwise.

Schools closing has many factors https://schoolsweek.co.uk/how-falling-school-rolls-are-not-just-londons-crisis/

its too easy for rich people to weaponise the VAT issue through soundbites.

money is tight, nobody likes paying tax but we have a shrinking ageing population and do have some tough decisions to make.

Another flip side is seeing teachers move from collapsing fee paying schools into the state sector.

Being candid, the standard is very patchy.

Propping up failing schools through tax breaks is not right.

the few schools I know about raised prices well below the 20% that was added - which in my mind shows there is far to trim.

we are at a point where wealth inequality has grown considerably and we do need to take tough decisions, and sometimes the losers in those tax and spend decisions are rich people. The VAT loophole on schools made no sense other than a kick back for the wealthy at the expense of the many.

Religions should pay VAT next.

I know of 7 children from my daughter’s year that have left, some had siblings who have also left. 5 of the children had SEN and went to the school because state school couldn’t provide what they needed. I know 1 of those 5 is now at another private school but at least 3 are being home educated with their parents having to give up work.

My nephews school closed. They moved to another private school but a few of their friends went to a local state school or again are being home educated with parents having to give up work die to the children have SEN.

I know a few families that were going to send their children to private school but have now chosen not to. They've all used the money that they’ll save on school to buy a house in an area with really good state options.

My youngest is in year 12 so it’ll only impact us for another year, although then there is uni to pay for. The VAT increase was not an issue for us financially, but if it was, we’d have done whatever we could to keep our youngest at their school. So many state schools are failing children, especially children with SEN. I’m so glad that we had the option to choose a good school as a good education and good experience of school days is vital imo.

DGS private primary school closed down shortly after the introduction of the 20% VAT. However, rolls had been falling for a number of years and it is likely it wasn't viable anyway. He moved to a competing combined
Primary/ Secondary school and is very happy there.

Private primaries are being hit particularly hard I think, because so many secondaries have moved to launch their own primary option that competition was hitting them hard anyway. I also think that some schools with lower fees are being hit- partly because the parents may be struggling to afford the fees anyway; but also because they often can't afford the 'extras' that can make the difference between them and a good state school in a nice area, so many parents are happy to opt with the state option (particularly at primary).

Bur there are not wonderful state schools in every area. In our town there is one reasonable ex-grammar and four poor quality comps where bullying and violence are rife.

“Doing their best to find the fees” means they could never afford it.

A bloodbath? Wow. We've had local state schools shut and merge without such hyperbole. A couple of sad news stories but no bodies strewn across fields.

Agree

That's nonsense. 20% is not a small amount. You also have to remember that the 20% is on top of the usual fee hikes and the usual fee hikes have been worse than ever because of the sudden increase in costs. We'd budgeted for that but not for an additional 20%. Imagine if the interest you pay on your mortgage suddenly increased by 20%. You wouldn't say then that if you couldn't afford a 20% increase you couldn't afford the house in the first place.

It applies to all children and taxes their non state education at 20%.

So it doesn't apply to all children, just those in private education. So not a tax on children's education. Glad we've cleared that up.

It’s a tax on children’s education when not provided by the state. That’s what it is. I agree it’s a bullshit tax. It’s not a subset of children (as if that excuses it), it applies to all children as soon as you choose a non state education option.

Stop trying to push the bullshit that it is taxing children's education. It's not a blanket tax on it, as well you know.

It's a tax on private education, not children's education. A subset of children's education, at a push, but not children's education

I expect your kids aren't at private school Polly. Many people in that situation may be able to afford 20% for one child. But how many can for 2 or 3, plus inflation on everything else, mortage rates rising massively, wage stagnation and so on. A lot of parents were doing their best to find the fees but this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

That is rock solid logic right there.

If you can’t afford a 20% increase in fees, you couldn’t afford the fees in the first place. It’s only 20%

Maybe it wasn’t the best time to start taxing children’s education, if there ever is a good time anyway.

You could use that logic to justify any tax.

Think you’d have a better idea next year. My DC and a few others from her year will be leaving private after the next natural break in education/entry point, so struggling it out until then.

1/6th of one child’s year left for state, they clearly cited cost as the main reason.

Intake in Reception is down 25% on previous years but this could be down to other factors. There used to be waiting lists and in one year they added a whole additional class due to demand, this is no more.