VAT on private school fees - will it change how you vote?

[Iwishicouldflyhigh]

Following on from the other interesting thread about whether it will be implemented, will this policy change how you vote either way?
For me - i've voted Labour and Tory over the years, but Tory for the most recent GE's. This year, i've been thinking seriously about how i'd vote at the next GE and it wasn't definitely a Tory vote - i was definitely a floating voter.
However, my children are at PS and so i will now most definitely be voting Tory (not just because how the VAT will seriously impact us - child number 3 will now not be going to the prep that we had lined up for her, she'll enter the local primary until secondary school - but how i think that it will affect schools negatively and children negatively).
I have a lot of left leaning friends who educate privately and whilst they cannot bring themselves to vote Tory, they won't vote Labour either at the next GE because of this policy.

It seems to me that this policy is only a vote loser (ie many Labour voters and 'floaters' who school privately won't vote for them at the next GE) and not a vote winner (ie i can't imagine that many Tory or 'floaters' will vote for Labour solely on this policy).

AiBU to think that Labour have really shot themselves in the foot with this idea?

Yanbu to vote how you wish for whatever reasons you want.

However I think on your broader point you are very much overestimating the number of voters with children at private school - it’s a privilege open to only a tiny minority. I would say the other 90 odd per cent of voters are likely to feel neutral or positive towards the policy.

Maybe that is the tactic - it worked for the Tories.

Also a lot of people are less selfish thank you think op.

They are disappointed about the potential expense. But horrified at how unequal our country has become. We need a change and we will not get one with another Conservative government.

I'll vote Labour because we are one country, and we're in it together, and this isn't the future I want for my children, or my neighbours children, or your children.

Exactly

I support this move. And I always vote Labour (apart from when corbyn was leader)

This policy won't effect the way I vote. More important things to focus on!

I care more about the NHS, State education, childcare availability, womens rights, housing availability etc rather than something effecting a small number of privileged people.

FWIW... I think its a pointless policy and don't agree with it.

I have absolutely no idea who I will vote for. The least worse option probably rather than someone I actually like.

You’re assuming everyone who went to private school thought it was a positive. I know two people of my generation (older millennials) who had a rough old time at private school.

Tbf far more people send their dc to state schools. That’s why it’s popular, not due to being in it together or selfless but because it‘s a policy that makes someone else pay

A poor low benefit policy but nether less human emotion can be useful if it’s taking something away

If you apply this logic of private schooling being a luxury, is having to have a private dentist because you can't get a NHS one also a luxury? A lot of people make a lot of sacrifices to send their kids to private school because they feel they don't have other options or they rely upon bursaries to help cover the cost. It's always either a race to the bottom of who is the poorest or an assumption that those sending their children can comfortably afford it. I know of a parent who works 3 jobs to send their child to a private school because they struggled with the local state. There are probably lots more parents like this.

It will make me definitely vote labour. Normally vote green but this year is so important. I just don’t want to think about another year of Tories and I know so many thinking the same from all walks of life. All I want is a government who doesn’t put the needs of a rich few and their cronies and mates above all else. A government with its feet in the real world. The number impacted by this is tiny which is why we need to sort the inequalities and unfair privilege a private education brings. This goes a tiny way towards that.

It wont affect my vote.

My vote will be based on what i view to be the best policies for SEN education, camhs and the best policies for disabled adults. I dont think anyone has released a manifesto yet?

I see that the vat change could raise an amount to put into education which vaguely relates to my SEN vote but until i see what they suggest i cant know.

@Frostynight what is the context/title for the chart, strongly support what?

i’m left leaning and would never vote Tory. I also think private schools shouldn’t need to exist and that every child should get a decent education.

But my child is at private schools not because I really wanted to. Because we are in an oversubscribed area and non religious and so nearest schools were religious and we didn’t qualify on their criteria. I was offered a failing school in another borough and then when I didn’t take up the place but remained on waiting lists for any of the two decent schools with 2 miles of (sent my child to private) got offered another school 45 minute by tube away. So I felt forced into private. Moving wasn’t an option and because we have one DC we can just about afford fees.

this will make it unaffordable. I think it’s a terribly thought out policy. And won’t improve state schools. Do I think private is worth the money? Yes, I’ve been very happy with the school, DS has thrived, and benefited hugely from the extra curricular. I was worried that we weren’t private school posh types, but actually the school is extremely diverse and the local religious ones are far more homogeneous. During Covid I really saw where the money went,

But no doubt there’s a huge perception of private schools being for the privileged and of course I recognise our privilege that we could access it. I think many of the parents will vote Tory because of it, many of them would anyway. But it may swing a number that would usually vote labour.

id support this policy if it included a revision on the state support of religious schools, who after all, use schools as subscriptions for falling attendance numbers. local schools to me had to gave several years of proof attendance and expectation of contributions to meet their “practicing Christian” criteria and those parents’ children are propped up with c97% state funding, despite the catholic and C of E being hugely wealthy entities. That’s what I find unfair.

Labour will never do that, they are going for the poshos dog whistle. But that would actually make a difference as there’s far more religious schools than private. And it needs an overhaul.

schools need investing in, and I’d support higher taxes to help pay for that. But I feel this policy is punishing me for prioritising my child’s education. And we are considering leaving the country as I don’t think the one good secondary nearby will benefit from an influx of extra kids this will result in.

I would have voted Labour either way, it makes no difference to me.

Private school fees have gone up so much that they're out of reach to almost anyone anyway. The private school that I went to 25 years ago is very different now, almost all of the pupils are international/paid by companies transferring their employees temporarily.

Christmasisover

Its completely different. The law in the UK guarantees a school place to every child.

People feel they don't have other options but feeling that way is a luxury most people simply cannot afford even with the tiny number of bursaries available, few of which cover fees in full.

People can't fucking afford food & bills right now. They really aren't concerned about the people who can shake up a few grand in private school fees every year.

If you are doing your survey on how it is going to change voting habits you are going to get bias results if you only ask parents of children at private schools.

I agree with this - the vat surely would be less than the cost of sending the dc to state school so the tax break would be an acknowledgement that the parent is paying taxes such as income tax which would fund their child's state school place.

My dc is at state school, I have no issue with private school at all and don't support the current Labour proposal

However- whilst I never vote tory I am not voting Labour due to their position on women.

When you say “lots of left leaning people send their dcs to private school” - do you understand that’s a tiny percentage of the population? Only 6% of all children in schools in the UK are privately educated. Many of those can easily afford the additional fees (or the difference will be less than the Tory mishandling of the gas and electricity price rises cost the same families). The numbers of those who are also not Tory voters and live in a seat that’s up for grabs is hardly going to be a massive issue.

set against that the numbers of middle class people who faced with cost of living crisis just can’t find an extra £16-20k a year per child for private schools (particularly when previously people with their job titles could afford it) and consider the claim these schools are “charities” to be a bit of a joke, I don’t think it’s going to be anywhere near as bad as you think.

I don’t think it will. We won’t be privately educating our DC and neither will any of our friends. Private school isn’t on our radar, I actually don’t care if the policy comes in or not. It’s not going to win my vote, there’s much more important things to be thinking about for this election. It may lose the vote from a lot of people who do privately educate but there are relatively few of those so won’t have a huge impact.

You're a tiny minority of the population, it won't make any difference, no matter how many threads are started on here.

I'd support this policy if it included a revision on the state support of religious schools

Actually this is an excellent point. I'd like labour to take a stand against the increasing levels of religious interference in schools.

You aren’t making sacrifices if you can pay for an education that costs more than many people earn. It’s this kind of rhetoric that is what will pull the Tories down. People are struggling to fund housing, food and bills. Kids are in crumbling school buildings being left high and dry by the government during exams this year.A private education is not a necessity and 94% of the country live without it even though the privately educated few are unfairly represented in the top jobs and unis. It needs to stop.

I think Labour will get in anyway, but I know more Labour voters than Tory ones who send their kids private.

I have no skin in the game, as our kids are state educated.

However, I see very few people raising the boundary issue (I've raised it a few times on various threads).

When you need to make sure you get every single vote possible due to the record swing needed, it's wise try to appeal to the masses in every way possible!

(I won't vote Labour due to their stance on women; school fees don't impact me.)

You sound like a typical Tory voter, OP. I bet you only voted Labour in the Blair years.

It's a good policy imo, and it will lose them very few votes. The number of private-school parents who would potentially vote Labour is minuscule compared to the millions of people who have suffered under the Tories, and are desperate for change.

We’ve been considering sending our child to private school eventually. We’re not from any money at all so it’s all new to us due to our careers going well, but we probably won’t do it if VAT is added on due to the cost.

BUT the reason we’re considering private education is because the school options are crap in our city. I would hope that a big political shake up will improve state education and give us those options.

Yup