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

@MrsSunshine2b ha ha! If only that was the reality in state schools. Many private schools are not high pressure academic hot houses. Many are schools that offer small class sizes and a high level of pastoral care which will suit some children with SEND

Hm ... no. Adding a dollop of realism onto MN where it runs rife isn't caring about the issue. It's simply saying that people up in arms about it have lost sight of the bigger picture for the country at large, which is a completely valid point.

You do know this is already happening don’t you. If you pop over to threads on this subject see how many parents with SEN kids use private and struggle to afford it.
As an aside, most private schools do not select academically, i think you’ll find that’s state grammars

Now in my 50’s I went to boarding school as both my parents worked & had a new business. We as a family were not rich you have a very strange view of who goes to boarding/ private schools. Most kids I went to 3 private schools most were of parents who had their own businesses not rich not elite lots were forces children whose parents lived aboard. I certainly am not a conservative having worked as a clinician in the NHS for 36 yrs. Think you need to push that block of wood off your shoulder.

This is rubbish I am afraid, at least in London.

Will vary by school of course but I don't believe any independent secondary in the country only supports 1% on a bursary - and I doubt those figures are universally published so I don't see how google would know.

Yep that’s why it’s a policy. Not because it will benefit education or funding

Not just letting their mask slip then - taking it off entirely. They were only offering these things to the riff-raff in order to keep fees lower for their students, while dressing it up as kindness. Now that their fees potentially can't be kept lower, the the mask comes off, and oh no, we won't let the....shudder...poor people on site at all!!!

@EasternStandard it doesn’t help Education or funding

She's not saying that people can't start threads about it and can't be concerned by it. She's saying that she has the impression that those that do care about it think it's an issue enveloping the country at large and her point is that it simply isn't. The vast majority of people don't give it a second thought.

The bigger picture is that we need more money.
Labour hasn’t produced anything to say this particular policy will make any. That’s what the previous poster was pointing out and having a bigger understanding of all proposals and whether they tick that bigger picture box is important.

Having an EHCP is no indicator of intelligence or academic success. I'm not sure why you would presume otherwise.

You can't on one hand strip someone of their charitable status and on the other expect them to continue with charitable endeavours.

I know there’s a lot of huffing and puffing about this, but realistically it’ll make little difference to demand. The vast majority of parents who can afford £20k a year to send a kid to PS can afford £24k. There’ll be exceptions, of course, but most won’t bat an eyelid. If some schools have to close then they were probably hanging on by their fingertips and weren’t that good anyway.

It will be brilliant to have such hard working,polite children join the local schools ,with their mum's joining the PTA ..it will bring the schools exam results up

@LilacK if they can’t afford to offer these things if they are going to lose fees then they can’t offer it.

Just like many state schools can’t offer trips etc because of lack of funding

Cool – and my point what that this isn't anything to do with what OP was saying. So it's all just totally irrelevant and has descended into yet another of these threads of which MN have had at least five of in the last month.

There may be particular areas where it has a bigger impact, but across the board it will make little difference to the state sector.

So it comes down to where people (can afford to) live? So much for equality.

The percentage of people paying for "better" schools through private fees might be low but the percentage of parents paying for good state schools is fairly high. They pay by buying houses in the "right" catchments. I understand why people do it. They want their kids to have the best education, who doesn't. What grates is the ones who seem to think their method of paying for schools is morally superior, when it's the opposite. Not all are like that. Most are simply doing what they can for their DC but I know one couple who crow loudly about how leftwing they are because their DC are at the local state school. They neglect to mention they paid a lot of money for their house, which they specifically moved to because of school catchments. Nevermind the less wealthy families they priced away.

Figures from here:

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/digital-media/blog/scholarships-bursaries-means-testing-private-school

Also points out that some schools will provide bursaries for those poor, vagrant families with incomes of up to £120K.

yup they are caring about their lives just the same as everyone else does.

My autistic / ADHD son will most likely need a private education. Like many autistic children, he is academically very clever but struggles with the social aspect of school and needs a smaller, more nurturing environment. He can’t get an EHCP as he’s not ‘severe’ enough. Even with an EHCP, students struggle to access support.

It pisses me off that people think private school is just for the super rich. Some of us are forced out of mainstream state education !!!

It's extremely difficult to get an EHCP for a child working at expected levels academically, especially if their behaviour is not disruptive. Many parents of children with SEN needs who are working at expected or above levels are already paying to send their child to private school because they have no chance of getting an EHCP and need the extra support.

LOL. Their mums are either working, to pay school fees, or working multiple jobs to survive and that's why they get a bursary. Ain't none of them joining the PTA.

You find it funny that parents are worried about being able to afford their kids education?

As I said, I’m considering private for my daughter who has SEN as many do. I’m worried I might not be able to afford it (I’m a single mum). But you find that funny?

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

Why will Clemmie and Charles get priority over Olivia and Oliver though? Thats not how state schools work.

If Clemmie and Charles have to suddenly transfer to state system then they’ll be put in the only school with places. Not usually the best school….

Well I think you can. I don't have charitable status and yet I'm still kind. The local state school doesn't have charitable status and yet it allows it's hall to used free on Saturdays for the local Ukrainian Society.