To think that those private school parents banging on about their fees

[Thegreatergoodgerald]

Seriously have misjudged how little anyone else gives a stuff??? NHS, social care, state education, public transport, bloody potholes everywhere - that’s what matters to everyone I know.
Not whether or not VAT is added to a business.

YANBU - it’s hardly the end of the world if Clemmie or Charles end up going to a state school. We have bigger things to worry about in the U.K. right now

YABU - of course everyone cares private school parents might have to pay more

I don’t think they expect you to give a stuff. But they’re entitled to give a stuff about their own lives, like everyone.

I agree, it’s not a big issue (or, indeed, any issue) for the vast majority of people. I say that as someone who would like DD to go to a private secondary school; I think VAT should apply and if that means we can’t afford it, so be it. Won’t stop me voting Labour.

You will care when all the state schools suddenly have to find places for the kids that need educating by the state because they are no longer in private. The state sector in some areas won’t cope. You think teachers are stressed now?! This won’t help a jot.

It not that parents will pay more, it’s about all the funded kids that will have to leave and the schools that will close.

They’re caring about their own lives.

I doubt they’re looking for sympathy from state school parents.

Well I guess there may be a whole raft of people who may be worried that Clemmie and Charles will now be taking their kids secondary place at the nice school they want their Olivia and Oliver to go to and now they will have to the less nice school. They may also worry that the local break even small indies will close and all those students will need to be placed elsewhere and the local authority will have no option but to find them places potentially meaning their kids will be in classes of over 40. So whilst yes some can take the hit of the VAT some can't and some schools won't be sustainable and will close and impact other state schools.

But if you were that annoyed by the issue you may have already read all this on the other 70 or so threads there have been about it.

Just to put it in perspective the VAT will pay for less than 1% of the education budget but the state will have to find thousands of extra school places for kids whose parents do the maths and can’t quite afford it any more. That won’t apply to most private school kids, but enough that a number will have to move to state. And for what?

I live in town with a private high school and an outstanding state high school.

You should see how house prices have risen in the catchment for the school. Houses don't even make it onto Rightmove!
It's just private school by stealth

Like that in this area too. Our last house sold without even being marketed. We didn’t even have the photos done.

Yes a lot of people prefer to buy housing over paying for school as it’s less of a gamble, but they will of course buy in a grammar/excellent state catchment. The more expensive you make private education, the more that will happen.

There is another thread on this where some posters have said that bursaries and offering free access to facilities for local state schools will be stopped by a number of private schools, so a number of not rich pupils could be impacted by this.

I know a local private school offers the use of its sports facilities to the local village state Primary school, and I think they have special days when they can visit the science block.

this is how I feel completely. I don't care except to worry about increase pressure on state schools. But I certainly don't blame the many people I know with children at private schools who are worried about this.

Just like I'm sure that lots of people don't give a monkey's that my mortgage has increased by £500. they look at me and think "well, she lives in a perfectly decent house and I'm paying even more than she is for a shitty rental". But for me, that £500 is huge.

Obvs you aren’t filling any of the myriad of threads on this subject. They very much do expect others to care.

I don't think OP is saying that those parents aren't allowed to be concerned about it, I think she is saying that they may overestimate how much that particular issue with sway the voting opinion of the population on mass.

Which I agree is so absolutely minuscule that it is effectively not on the radar at all.

I’m afraid they are…

No, they expect each other to care, as people with similar interests do. But I haven’t seen anybody asking for support from state parents bar pointing out why it might impact their kids as well,

Disclaimer: my child goes to a regular state primary.

Quite.

It’s not selfish to care about your own life and look out for your own interests.

Whilst it is true that other people don't care - it is an issue for these MNs and they can moan about it as much as they like with each other.

Yes, this is happening where I live too. A private education costs roughly £250k without the VAT and i reckon more and more parents will opt to put that in housing instead.

The ridiculousness of the private school MN users is the way they try and frame their participation in inequality as altruism,

bursaries and offering free access to facilities for local state schools will be stopped by a number of private schools

These are scaremongering tactics

Bursaries are either fundraised for by private schools with donations from current parents, former parents and former pupils - can't see that stopping. Or they are funded by endowments or trusts - that certainly wont stop. (And also counts towards their charitable status see below)

As for free access to facilities for local state schools - that is a legal requirement for charitable status. Not a chance in hell schools will give that up voluntarily because the tax implications go far beyond VAT.

But they won’t be charitable any more hence the VAT.

Only 7% of kids go to private schools (apparently - I suspect it varies by area quite a bit). Very few of those parents will have to remove their children if there's a hike in fees, so I am not too worried.

They might not send their kids to private school in the first place now but given the fall in the birthrate, that might not be a very big problem either.

I suspect Labour will have other priorities if they actually get into power anyway.

7% of school children is 700,000

If for arguments sake 2% of private school children need state places due to the increase, that’s 14,000 extra state spaces needed.

It's OK. There's been a drop in population so many schools are looking to fill spaces. Might not be your first choice though 😜.

I think they have special days when they can visit the science block

🤣 ooh crumbs from the rich man’s table