to think that due to lack of state school places parents at private..

[PancakesAndMapleSyrup]

Should be able to claim from the government the funding that they would receive for their child at a state school towards their fees? I am well aware that many people believe that private schools are for those with deep pockets but there are many parents who cannot afford to buy a house or rent more than a shed size property near a decent state school therefore approach an indie school, (bursary, no holidays ever, no external activities etc). If all indie schools were to close we would be right up shit street for places as there are a lack of them anyway as it is. So aibu?

'Swap the word x for the word y' is always a pretty lame argument, I think.

No, the govt should not be offering a voucher scheme to parents who use private schools.
However, there is a severe shortage of school places in many areas and something needs to be done.
My neighbour didn't get a place for her child at any of the nearby schools (she put down the names of the closest 3) and they were all full with places offered to those children with a higher priority. She had to go to appeal to get a school place and was offered one 2 and a half miles away and not on a bus route. This was the 8th closest school and the only one with spaces.
Portacabins and other temporary measures are not the solution, neither is an hours walk.

However, there is a severe shortage of school places in many areas and something needs to be done.

Children not getting places in 2013 were born in 2008. Perhaps we should ask the government that was in power at the time quite how we've ended up with very large concentrations of young children with no school places, and no plan to provide those places.

Many state school children are funded for as little as £3K per year. The VAT saving alone for many private schools is more than what the state might spend on a child in reception.

The Vat saving is about £200 per pupil per year, so a lot less than the cost of a state school place.
I don't agree with the OPs voucher scheme suggestion, but your calculations are way off the mark.

I disagree TOSN. If its offensive to say something against one group of people, then it's offensive to say it against any group of people. It doesn't become ok just because it's being directed at people with stronger bank balances.

Have you been told that there is no school place within the state sector anywhere for your child? If so YANBU (although I doubt you have been told this).

If your child has been offered a place in a school that you see as not good enough and you think the bill for your child's place at a private school should be paid for by the state, well surely that should apply to all the children at that school? Or maybe just the children of parents who have enough money (even at a stretch) to pay for private school in the first place?

Well... I hate racists. But what if you replace 'racists' with 'black people'? Aaaaah.

Fair point, but we weren't talking about racists. We were talking about parents who are just trying to do their best for their children, so they are in no way comparable to racists who are undeniably in the wrong.

In France, private schools are much cheaper than in the UK because teachers' salaries (and, theoretically, part of school running costs) are paid for by the state. The downside to this is that private schools have to follow the French NC.

Doubtless - I still dislike the 'replace x with y' argument: it's lame and usually based on a false parallel.

When the parallel is two sets of parents who are doing their best at parenting, I think it's fair.

When people start being really offensive and name call, their argument loses it's credibility. As I have said further up the thread, I don't think people should receive public funding towards private school fees. However, I don't see why it's acceptable to rubbish people's choices over the education of their own children. If I came on here and started personally attacking people who use state education there would be an outcry. For some reason it's open season on private school parents. Also, why is it acceptable to pay huge premiums to buy a house in a good catchment or lie about your personal circumstances, but putting your hand in your pocket and actually paying for something which you have worked bloody hard for is not?

If the standard of state education is lacking in comparison and puts pupils at a huge disadvantage (as suggested in the Grammar school thread), your argument shouldn't be with those who can afford to privately educate but with the government. It's them who are letting your children down, not us 'blood-sucking, super-rich parasites'!

So hang on then, due to lack of funding there is a lack of state schools so you want to have part of your school fees paid?? ahahaahaaahahahahahahahahaaahaahaaaaa!!! You are joking of course

How funny

I have scraped the money together to send DD to private school because of a shortage of places, I had put down the 3 closest schools but she was offered a failing school the other side of town, with no direct bus.

I don't think there should be any kind of voucher towards her education though because as unsuitable as the school place she was offered was, she was offered something, so it was my choice to send her to private school. It means I can't afford much of a social life or many luxuries for me but she's at a school where she is happy and getting the best start I can give her so it's worth it. If there was the money available for such a scheme then I would rather it was spent on improving state schools and increasing the number of spaces available.

What an excellent idea.

Impoverish the state sector further, so that parents of children at private schools (the vast majority of whom are in the top 5% of earners), can have some spare cash to spend on skiing holidays, or put towards funding their children's university education.

"Right, so a parent applies for this rebate based on the fact that they felt they had to educate privately"

Parents don't HAVE to educate privately.

They WANT to educate privately.

The OP shows a worrying lack of understanding of how taxation works and what it is for. It's not just about your own children. You are paying for an educated society - for schools to educate the workforce of the future.

Having said that, the best way to support quality in state education is to use it.

It is reassuring to see that so many people on this thread , who use private education, see that as entirely their own responsibility (and privilege) and have no desire whatever to drain the state of resources urgently required for other services.

The next logical step, of course, to to start demanding a refund equivalent to our contribution to the Health Service if we choose to use private medicine.

blood-sucking super-rich parasites drainjng the lifeblood from the public purse...and coming back for more

Wow. Just wow.

We educate privately. I have no intention of doing anything else. I don't think I'm due a rebate of tax. DD's prep isn't a charity.

If the state system could have given us what we needed then we wouldn't have left.

This thread has made me consider what would happen if all parents who send their children privately, stopped.

"The Vat saving is about £200 per pupil per year, so a lot less than the cost of a state school place.
I don't agree with the OPs voucher scheme suggestion, but your calculations are way off the mark."

VAT is currently 20%. Lets for simple maths assume school fees of 15K a year. (which is what our local private girls charge) 20% of 15K is a lot more than £200. On top of this private schools which are charities do not pay business rates or coorpation tax. Do the maths! The savings from a private school being a "charity" are huge. I feel that private schools should be spending comparable amounts to what they are saving on the wider community.

For children who attend boarding schools, it may well be the case that the tax breaks are greater than what the state typically spends on a key stage 1 primary child.

But why would they? People don't tend to take mass action like that.

If you take the number of private school children, multiply by 15K, then take 20% and divide amongst the number of state school children, it's around 200 GBP per year.

But that's assuming every child paying 15K, which is certainly not the case.

I don't think they would, saul, it's just an interesting exercise for those who support and oppose private education alike.

ReallyTired - fees are VAT exempt.

Ok!