to think the state should pay part of our private school fees?

[wolvesarejustoldendaydogs]

Don't jump down my throat! It's just a thought.

State schools are overcrowded and there aren't enough good ones. Private schools are expensive.

What if every child had a right to have their state school 'payment' (whatever it costs per child per year') paid to a private school? Obviously parents would have to top-up (probably a considerable amount).

That would create a bit of a market, with more choice, making private schools more affordable and state ones less overcrowded.

Or is it a stupid idea for a reason I will think of soon after pressing 'POST'?

Or it would just take much needed funding from the state system.

Perhaps instead we should force everyone to go to state school and see how that evens the playing field (lighthearted comment....not intended to be taken seriously!)

That would take money away from state schools because they're funded per child.

What we need are more state schools.

Yes I agree. The government should be kissing the feet of parents who don't use the state system as it saves them a lot of money. All the people who say "abolish private schools" I'd love to see the looks on their faces when suddenly they're PFB's class size in the state school doubled!

So in theory I agree however you'd have to extend to people who didn't use the NHS, or people who don't drive so don't use the roads. People who never get arrested so don't take up police time. The amount of admin involved in rebating all these little things would be huge.

So sadly it wouldn't work. but I agree with your point!

arggggghhh their

They already 'give' money to private schools by allowing them to be charitable organisations rather than businesses. Think of all the 'tax' that the school would have to pay otherwise!!!!

I can see where you are coming from though. In Australia some private schools receive government funding, and their fees are relatively low (you would pay less a year than you have to pay a term here). It does take pressure off the local schools, I guess, and the schools are far less 'elite'. But these are the 'religious' ones which in this country are state schools anyway (CofE and Catholic schools).

I went to a private school not that you can tell and they did scholarships for certain pupils. Quite a lengthy interview and testing process though.

Having attended both state and private schools the difference is amazing. It may be that the state school I went to was a particularly bad one!

The private school seemed to tailor the learning to the individual pupil - something that would be good at a state school. It is all about money though as private schools have more money to play with for each pupil compared to state schools.

I think that the education of children is vitally important to the future of society.

OR they could just start to invest in the current system. Its a disgrace that there is so much pressure and stress on catchment etc. and I ill have to send my son to a private secondary as the only one on offer is awful apparently.

I dont think advocating the privatisation of education is a sensible idea....backward step.

YABU.

It sounds like a sort of 'Tax credits for schools'

Instead of topping up the payments for people who can't afford to pay all of the fees....that money would be better spent on more schools imo.

That way the Government is giving everyone the same opportunities.

If the parents have the money to give their kids a different opportunity then they can send them to private schools.

YABU

Why should the government pay because you have chosen to send your children to a private school?

YABU, but I do think there should be tax relief on any money spent on school fees.

YABU.

I'd prefer to see better investment in state schools. In time, if relatively wealthy, motivated parents saw no advantage in going private, then I think they would fight for better provision in state schools, instead of opting out. That would benefit everyone.

I think what you're suggesting isn't very logical in practical terms. As it is, the local authority / Govt do the funding for state schools on the basis that they know some of the children in catchment will go private.

YABU
Why not the other way round? You pay a higher contribution to state schools so they are improved.

My local state school gets £5,000 a year to educate each pupil. The fees for the local independent school are £15,000 per year.

Not many people can afford a £10,000 'top up'.

BTW my local comp is undersubscribed - no overcrowding at all!

YABU, I agree there's a certain logic to what you propose, but you're asking for private school to be subsidised (who already are through being able to claim "charity" status), and overall, it's a terrible idea that can only go to further widen the gap between the best off and the rest of the country

YABU. That would just take money away from state schools as they receive funding per child. If you want your children to go to a private school then you need to be prepared to pay for it or try and get a bursery from the school.

I disagree that private schools are being subsidised through charity status. They don't just hand out charity status willy nilly, there has to be a good reason for getting it. Educating children seems like a good enough reason to me. Charity status doesn't mean the government is giving them money, so they are not subsidised at all.

They did. Ds got his 15 hours pre school paid for and taken off the bill in reception. I wasn't expecting it. Brilliant. Only paid about half fees this year.

I agree with Outraged - school fees should be tax deductible.

This is the "voucher scheme" which politicians dust off every now and again, is it not?

The main reason it wouldn't work is logistic: there is no unified funding level for state schools (size of LEA slice varies, and there are the various premium payments either per qualifying zone or per pupil, and how would one deal with capital spend rather than running costs?) Last time I remember this coming up (bu ready to be corrected) was before the establishment of free schools, and possibly academies, and this probably complicates the picture even more.

We're in Australia. All private schools get government funding here which means that people who couldn't normally afford private schooling can. There are also Catholic schools which are outside the "State" system but only charge $2,000 a year with a cap for families. I love the fact that there is real choice here - yes the top end schools are still out of reach for most ordinary families but there are lots of options, it's not just private v state. You also have an absolute right to a place at your local primary or high school - you could literally rock up on Monday with three children at your local school and say "hi, here are my kids, I need places in Y2,4,6 whatever, starting on Monday" and they will say welcome.

I am under no illusion that Australia is perfect in every way, but they do seem to have got Education right.

I think fees should come from gross income, not net, same as any form of childcare should too (I don't see schooling as childcare, prob worded that badly).

I do not think govt should make an additional contribution to fees though. Tax revenue going I to the education system is there to ensure all have equality of opportunity and I would hate to see that pot of money reduced when it seems to me there are still great improvements that could be made in the maintained sector.

Unless you child has a SEN then fee-paying schooling is always a choice, and personal choices shouldn't be funded by tax-payers.

I don't want education to be "a market". All state schools should be funded sufficiently so that they are all good. YABU