High earners should be charged for state schools!

[RawCoconutMacaroon]

BBC report this morning carries the suggestion from Dr Anthony Seldon, head of the private Wellington College, that parents with a family income of £80k should pay for state school places.

WTAF? Kind of ignoring the fact that it is ONLY people on fairly high incomes who actually pay enough tax to cover the cost of their child/children's state school place (roughly £4500 per year per child). Yes of course tax is collected according to an ability to pay and then distributed so all benefit from "free" education, which is right and proper...

BUT he thinks people who are already paying a lot in tax should effectively be penalised and charged again for their child's place at state school! Although maybe he's coming from the POV that if high income parents have to pay for state school, they will be more likely to pay out for their child to go to his private school.

Thinking about it it sounds like a VINCE CABLE LIB DEM MANSION TAX TYPE POLICY TO ME>>>>

Sadly many will still vote for them. My dh included.

Omg. Lets hope thi never comes in. If it does lets hope dh pay never hits 80k. 21k for 3 dc. Crazy.

soul, the tories took child benefit away from families with a single earner on 50k. I would say a lot of people in that category probably used to vote tory. It didn't stop them though. Of course it wasn't in their manifesto pre-election (funny that)

This isn't a "tory idea." It's being floated by a left leaning think tank with the input of Seldon, one of Tony's Cronies.

I don't think any of the three main parties would consider this. It would be political suicide.

Seldon is definitely Labour.

And as Labour don't want to make cuts to spending, extracting more money must be on their 'to do' list.

The timing of this report is just right for those deciding which policies to reveal in a manifesto.

I don't see how this is even legal, or constitutional, or whatever (not a lawyer!).

Who ever reveals this in a manifesto will not win the next election, which is why they won't. They probably will, however implement it once they have been elected, with a view that we are all very stupid, have short memories and 5 years is a long time

ihate you're right.

And as this is being nudged by a Labour thinker, and as I remember the introduction of universi tuition fees by Labour, then this might come to pass.

Fara,I agree, something along these lines will definitely happen in the next few years regardless of who wins the next election. The same will happen with the NHS and then pensions too. We're getting to a point where any one deemed as being richer than average will pay for everything for everyone and then pay for themselves and their family again . You end up being in a situation where regardless of what you earn, everyone ends up earning the same. The higher (middle earners) are taxed to bring them down to the same level where lower earners are with the help of tax credits. The really, truly rich just won't pay the tax anyway and will of course be more than happy to pay for them and their families to go private. It's the same people that take the hit every time.

I'm amazed that they haven'y suggested that the 'better off' should pay for their children's prescriptions and dentistry yet. I don't want to give them ideas, but it can't be far off. In fact, I bet there is someone somewhere in an office in Whitehall right now mulling this over and how they could use yet more divide and conquer tactics to win over the electorate that this is a great idea, as the people with the broadest shoulders are bearing the greatest burden, bla, bla, bla...............

I cant see a " Left Wing Party " introducing it (Not for the reason a Right Wing or Tory party would not) but for two reasons. The first one is in effect making every school private (Surely anyone from the labour movement would turn in their grave at that) the second is that you are saying to anyone not on any kind of benefits ( You get nothing for paying tax) That is bound to create potential serious revolts from people who do control "THE MEANS TO PRODUCTION" And eventually leading to the electing of a low tax (No Benefits or Immigrant party) Introducing anything like that is a recipe for serious problems.

The only possible thing close to this would be if the Conservative party were to offer parents £4500 PA to spend as they would like on even Private Schools.

I think uks very different place from even when I grew up 80,s child.

Read few threads on mumsnet

*I went private but could never afford send my kids private.
*high earning professionals 50-100k bracket cant afford to buy a house
*majority people see live away from family so have no choice but to pay childcare.
*many professionals here opt private as betetr wrap around schol care so many state schools still have no after school clubs.

Our parents generation

houses were affordble
grammer schools existed all over was labout who initially scrapped the grammers then thatcher killed some more.
uni education was free
cost living reckons less than now look how much tax we pay non income

council tax, vat, petrol, price fags ect

its seems mad high earning professionals have shittier lifestyle than their parents who perhaps only 1parent worked and they had bog standard lower salary jobs.

I know a few self employed people with accountants as freind with 3kids always baffled how much her husband earns as god does she love to spend has not lost her cb yet and said accountant will write off as much as can keep them under thershold they were renting a house 1400 a year and just managed to buy property as think had some inherited money.

It does seem current tax scheme favours 2earners hence why weird anomoly of 2earners keeping cb and the next barking proposal take childcare of partimers and students and pay 1200per chiild to couples both working and earning upto 300k.

The high earner with one sahm parent is already taxed disproportionatly as it is.

Also old childcare went upto 12 new one age 5 a 5-12 can clearly fend for themselves.

its important ote their are good private schools and bad ones.

nearest private primary is £1400 term same price day nursery so affordable with 1 maybe but not any more but not heard good things all image no substance.

The majority here are 2.5-3k per term at infants/juniors.
10-11k seniors bristol, bath, south wales.
bristol has highest proportion independents outside london as state can be very bad and short on places.

my ex went private through assisted places as did many of his mates it evened the social mix and think was good thing.
Lots of the privates good ones do at least have scholarships and bursaries.
sometimes think if private schools could maybe have sliding fees depending on income be fairer and give good mix however not sure be financially viable as a business and would lose its appeal exclusivity.

I do sometimes wonder in rl and mumsnet if sometimes people be better off paying private than mortgaging themselves to hilt on shoe box close to school or old mumsnet fave renting house near new school as perhaps they landlord as well.

It does seem like good state schools can push up houses in shitty streets or crap houses theres one near me naaice middle class pushy juniors who parents seem smug their child got in , made the times list other day.
we looking to move house came up within that area overpriced and that school is not on my list for dd2 as know most of parents there would do my head in.

I have tried pick schools for dd2 that have a even social mix and not middle class ghettos.one is lottery so guess fair but cost me fortune in uniform and just to get there.

Also keen to note dont think state education as cheap as when im a kid.

*the extortionate school trips especially secondry
*The extortionate uniforms especially academys seem to pick ie one supplier, trying copy private schools gone are days where nana could knit v neck in relevent colour.Primary uniform some ways come down as supermarket sell but many insist on expensive logo tops not the supermarket cardies or jumpers for £3. some chosse really freaky colours like brown, purple turqoise and green inpossible get on cheap.
*breckfast clubs, school dinners,afterschool care, afterschool clubs all add up.
*charity/fundraising sometimes feel like being fleeced for money and school xmas fair can easily cost me 20quid.

• travel and admissions means many do 2schools so forced pay childcare for least one as cant be 2places at same time, could get schools miles away so cost getting there. *seniors the flipping school bus £60 per month here ad councils removed paying for faith too think they stillpay special education but its devolved so upto each council and many trying wriggle out of lots comitments. *expensive house to get good school

I just dont think money go fars these days.
regionally be unfair as already postcoe lottery as very few areas have option of grammers and london schools done better due to teach first.

I have 3dcs, sahm, husband earns 40-45k we not fflush far from it.
we rent private which is extortionate.
we have hardly any savings
no private pensions
not been abroad in 8years dident even manage uk one last year.
we pay prescriptions and dental.

we couldent afford private.

There does seem to be roud here that some acdemys free schools are cheaper private schools or sort of hybrid and some schools have rather dubious admissions policies.
Couple good idnependent seniors went state and now very oversubscribed.
Couple private preps went bust last few years.
I think with downturn theres more wanting be in state sector unless they guradian journo or labour politicain think

polly toynbee, tony blair, diane abbot to name a few do the balls kids go state? think they have 3.

I know daves kids go state coe
npt sure about nicks think hes just got well sought after state senirs in london

both of them attended private schools, both have money to go private but they dont .

not sure where eds will go he makes sing and dance about going comp but comp with tiny very expensive leafy catchment area is not same as comp in inner bristol.

iprotant to note not evenyone in leafy catchemnts rich they probably mortaged upt hilt just to buy near school in 1st place.

our council has consulation on admissions.
they now want to exclude nearby residents from other county we close to border and next postcode along less affluent from accessing schools within our postcode by creating a very large area of prime responsability and calls its localism reducing traffic, reducing transport costs but some live in blackholes for schools as it is.

also worth nothing faith schools really do complicate things inmany other countries all faith schools are private .

in ireland they pay for lots things not sure education but they pay see gp.

Ridiculous idea. We are just in the 80K bracket, living in SE London. After paying for travel to commute to work and full time care for toddler, no way to pay for private school for two oldest children. Decided on state school, despite my Mum offering to pay for private as think a good state school is actually better all round than a private school.

Having to pay for state schools will just mean more parents send their children to private schools and exacerbate the problem. Frankly I think the solution is to close the private schools and force all schools to screen for ability and to take a prescripted percentage of students from all abilities like Dunraven School in Lambeth does. I went to private school btw. My kids are doing very well at their state school.