Abolishing private schools - how would it work in practice?

[Dongdingdong]

Labour has voted to abolish private schools:

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/labour-public-private-school-abolish-eton-vote-conference-corbyn-education-policy-a9115766.html

Whether you agree with this or not, I don’t understand how the logistics would work. Would private schools suddenly cease to exist from say, summer 2023, with all pupils forced to find a place at the local state school for the autumn term onwards? What would happen to the buildings and facilities - would they remain as state schools or be sold off to developers for example?

I am very cross at this. My dd has just started at a private school. She was bullied and depressed at her local state school. Three weeks in and she’s thriving with a good group of friends and being excellently taught. We are of a household income that should really not remotely think about private education, but we found the money for her last few school years because dd has to have an education. It’s not just ‘the rich’ that this stupid idea will affect. Why not improve the state system first?

I havent read the thread, but yes why not, if the following is met:

all children at independent special needs schools across the country receive the same provision in state schools, protected for ever.

This might include class sizes of 5
1:1 support all school day, 5 days per week
not sure about residential - I dont know how the state would manage that
OT support in school
sensory provision
etc etc etc

Yeah right. That's never going to happen. Our special needs children matter and maintained state schools often cant provide what they need.

The idea of educating special needs children is to attempt to help them to move to being independent adults as best as possible. That isnt the objective of mainstream education.

So no Labour, this isnt really ever going to work for my child or others like them.

Thanks Trainspotting. So I can see the argument for private schools not being a charity but surely it would take time to alter the status?

Ideally, I'd like my local comp to stop being shite so he can go with his friends.

How is abolishing the private school going to make the local comp less shite?

So does this include private nursery schools? Free to all, no more child care costs?
What will happen to institutions like Eaton & Harrow etc?
So all 1000 boys at the schools rock up to the local school?? Yeah right. New schools will need to be built as the companies/private investors who own the freehold of these private schools are clearly not going to hand them over to Mr C. Ridiculous!!!

*@theyvegotme

The school I'm currently planning on sending him to is highly unlikely to simply cease to exist. It will become free.

Think about that- decent education for free.

You know, what we're supposed to get? Some of you have no ambition!
*
I admire your naivety! The schools will certainly not be offering the same level and quality of education as they are now. The classes would also be much bigger. This would make the situation for children who are already attending State schools worse.

As someone who sends all her children to private schools, we would simply send our children to boarding schools in mainland Europe or to an International School. If all else fails we would definitely get them additional education at home that matched what they are now receiving or better. We have already paid a small fortune in school fees, out of choice. There's no way we are going to let all that go to waste because of Labour's communist approaches.

The current education budget is around £42 billion.

Private schools currently get tax rebates of around £500 million.

So if the size of the pupil population increases by 7%, education funding should increase by 7%? Which is roughly an extra £3 billion.

But state education already needs billions more in funding.

I'm a labour voter, he does make it hard to continue my support.
We would H.ed for the last couple of years if they did.
Luckily mine are almost all grown ups now.

I think the rich would just employ a nanny and tutor, would probably cost about the same.

I am horrified by this. I am a floating voter. I’ve never voted Tory, I don’t support Brexit and think the current government are shambolic and incompetent at best, more likely deliberately lying and obfuscating. I am comfortably off, not fabulously wealthy. I am the sort of person labour should be appealing to. Instead, they utterly terrify me. The unthinking adulation of Corbyn amongst his supporters, who think he is the messiah (when actually, he is a good orator but otherwise mediocre) is unsettling. Worse is that the real power behind the throne is McDonnell- or more likely Seamus Milne who strikes me as the labour version of Dominic Cummings (perhaps even more Machiavellian though)- neither are elected in any capacity, yet seem to make so much of their respective parties policies.

Yes, my DC do go to private schools, but that’s just one reason for my horror. Abolishing them won’t make anything better for the majority of children. Those with wealth and connections will just find different ways around it.

And once they’ve “acquired” these facilities- who is going to pay for their upkeep?

If the Labour Party can just make a grab for private property/endowments in this manner, what else will they decide they are entitled to help themselves to, in the guise of “equality”? I get the feeling they’ll make a grab for any saving/nest egg we have, tax to the hilt and try to bleed anyone who has any spare income dry. The rich will find ways to keep their hands off it, or will move much of their assets/money out of the uk. It will be the middle who get squeezed. I don’t believe the poor will ultimately benefit (or at least not for long) abdvtge country will suffer for it. Not that I think everything is hunky dory now- I know it is not. But this is not the way to achieve their stated aims. It is the politics of envy at it’s very worst, in my opinion.

I don’t trust this Labour Party any more than I trust the Tories.

@theyvegotme

Yes, and they get it because putting all the kids they teach in to state schooling would cost more!

What it would actually cost is another £5000 per pupil. Do we have that in our budgets? We don’t. What is £5000 x 600,000 pupils?

It is actually 3.9 billion.

You are incredibly naive if you think this will do anything to help equality. It is the worst form of fuzzy logic.

Getting rid of private schools won’t anyone any less wealthy and it won’t address poverty issues.

How would it only cost 3.5 million to add these pupils to state. Assuming 5k per student isn’t that 3bn ? So overall a massive cost to the state. The legal challenge to this would take years to wind through the courts, yes there are some examples of schools in the past moving to state but to have a policy of forced move and asset stripping is very different. Please also consider that education is a devolved matter so this is an England & Wales policy - with the exception of VAT on fees.

I don't think I see it flying.

But I think withdrawing the tax rebates has a good chance.

The idea that billionaire Buffoon Johnson's education received tax subsidies from millions of taxpayers poorer than him is not going to gather popular support, when the question is asked.

Also, the prep school I work in has lots of kids with SEN, they will be majorly disadvantaged. They are currently getting loads of support to get them through, something the state system is failing at, and I’d like to know where the money is coming from for this? Anyone have Scooby? Don’t think Corbyn has thought this through, clown! 🤡

But they’d be punishing ‘the rich’ and ’fatcats’ So that’s ok then?

Imagine all those privately educated children suddenly having to enter the state system. It just wouldn't work. Sadly it's intended to be a vote winner but it's a load of nonsense.

And loads of labour MPs have chosen to send their children to private school

Another looney left proposal. Hope many more so keep that awful brigade form being in power.

Does anyone trust Labour to have done the maths on this?

I don't trust Diane Abbott to add up one and one let alone the country's finances

It wouldn’t happen. The rich would just send their kids to private schools abroad and all the money used to prop up UK private education would leave the country. This could also include those people on fairly moderate incomes from India / Japan / China who pay for tutors for Grammar as for many of them selective education is so important they are often willing to send their kids ‘back home’ to get it.

Corbyn's too far left.

Johnson is too far right.

We need a good centre party so everyone is happy.

This will affect business as well. I can't see business investing and re locating people here unless their children go to an International School with IB.

Same with diplomats.

The maths won’t work. Maybe put an extra £1 on a packet of cigarettes and 2% on alcohol?

Aggressive twerp on the radio just now trying to justify this idea. Reminds me of the ‘I’m in the union mate’ types of the 1970s. He sounds bitter about private schools, which is where this coming from. So the state system is rubbish to knock down the private system to even the playing field? That will help how exactly?

Labour have lost the plot. Are they trying to shoot themselves in the foot?

I'm a lifelong Labour supporter. This sort of shit is why they are currently unelectable.

The shambles the Tories have created with Brexit should have led to a Labour landslide. Useless twats.

What would happen to home schooling? Would we legally have to send are kids to the local state school never mind how rubbish it was?