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

Private schools are very much the norm for many families here. I have no idea where the children currently in private education will go if the schools keep closing or else become unaffordable. Education, one way or another, is a concern for most parents and I can see it having an impact on everyone.

The government can require them to pay VAT (easily via the budget) without removing charitable status (which would require legislation and take years).

Our children are/will be state educated. We dont think most private education is "value" for money.
However, a lot of people do and have made huge concessions to send their children privately and simply cannot afford to eat and live and pay a 20% hike.

Geniune Question: what is going to happen when tens of thousands of children (who were/would be no educational cost or burden to the state) are reintroduced into the already chronically underfunded national education system???

Edit: +1 on the potholes. I have never known ANYTHING like it. Some roads in our area of london are now close to undriveable.

It is odd.
Still, looking on the bright side, state school kids have less time out of school. Friend is always moaning about how long the holidays are for her private schooled DCs - a move to state schools ( if that happens for some) means less child care and holiday time to worry about.
Another ££ saving on top of not having to pay fees.

I'd be genuinely interested to see the stats on how many people this will affect.

I know that no parent is going to welcome the rise in costs but I'd be interested to know the percentage of kids this will mean can longer attend private school.

School places are very oversubscribed in my London Borough and I suspect things will get even worse if there is a significant number of kids who will now need to access state education.

Yep. This. I am not voting Labour because of this exact issue. I don't want VAT to be added to my daughter's already extortionate school fees and she's going to be doing her GCSEs so can't move schools. They lost my vote 🤷‍♀️

Exactly this. I don't expect you to care, but I care about what affects me. Simple as that.

I thought I didn't care then realised the private schools are like private hospitals, it frees up space in the creeking infrastructure for everyone else.

They’ve made a thread that will attract the attention of others in the same position. If you’re not in that position you aren’t forced to engage, and are in fact free to ignore it like you presumably ignore other threads about things that aren’t relevant to you.

The impact of this policy isn’t just about rising house prices around good state schools and shrinking catchments to go with it, it's also about the armies of ordinary people who work in private schools - cleaners, site staff, catering staff, technicians, admin staff, marketing etc etc etc who will also lose their jobs. Money earned that was being spent in local economies. TAs and teachers who won’t return to the state sector but who will look elsewhere. It is crazy short sighted to think the closure of your local independent will never impact you.

Some people (like me) actually like their kids to have long holidays and them finishing school earlier means it's possible to book cheaper summer vacations.

You sound bitter and jealous.

If it wasn’t for our local private school the local primary wouldn’t have sports facilities, mini bus loan with driver and theatre visits. Be careful what you wish for people.

It's going to have a huge affect on state school parents around here.

The state grammars get 3000 applications for 300 places.

I predict that will double with a 20% fee increase. As these same kids will be sitting entrance exams for the local private schools.

Will have had the money to be tutored and so will score higher than kids who (in my opinion) deserve the state grammar places more.

And so a lot less chance for 'normal' kids to get into state grammars. Or to be in the higher sets in the other state schools.

Those with more money will always be able to make sure their kids are at an advantage and any way you cut it I can't see how it'll benefit state schools.

The thread about op feeling bad about not sending her kid to private. Everyone came on to sing praises about state schools, how magnificent and better they are, how they choose that over private, that only a tiny minority is in private, etc . So why do you care about private schools impact if it's only such a tiny amount of kids that will transfer and if state schools are superior as it stands?

On one hand I can’t understand why anyone would make such a large financial commitment without factoring in potential loss of income/ rises in fees/ other increased payments and then be suprised when one of these variables may potentially manifest. We didn’t send our DCs because we’re salary “well off” but not wealthy in that we have a few £000k sitting in the bank to cover 5 years of school fees should we lose our regular income.

On the other hand I think the wealthy won’t bat an eyelid at rise in fees and it will be those that are stretching themselves on a monthly basis that lose out on this. So really it’s just making private more elitist and cramming more kids into already oversubscribed state schools.

‘Geniune Question: what is going to happen when tens of thousands of children (who were/would be no educational cost or burden to the state) are reintroduced into the already chronically underfunded national education system??? Edited’

For a start - not for one second does anyone believe that there will be enmass departures from private schools.

and - there is a big surplus of school places at the moment, which will grow as the population decreases.

and perhaps all these clever, professional parents who are making the move to state schools can help exert some of that ‘soft power’ of theirs to influence funding, policy.

Not to mention - we’re about to get rid of the corrupt, privileged PRIVATELY educated Tories. So things are looking up for education funding.
People take so much more interest in public services when they actually rely on them.

I have voted YABU.

Although i won’t be able to afford private school for my kids, i went to private school due to bullying at my state schools. It’s a lifeline for many families who can just about afford it, including for proper SEN support.

I also want more details on how that money will be spent. The Labour leaflet through my door said to fund more teachers. But nothing to solve the issue of why many teachers are leaving in the first place - workload and shitty pupil behaviour.

It’s not necessarily true about the saving due to school holidays. The private schools here are open earlier and finish later eg 8:30-17:00 but in a state school the parents might need to pay for breakfast and after school clubs for each day to cover the same hours. That would be £20 per day, every school day compared £30+ per day for the extra school holidays (based on costs here). Private schools have around 16-18 weeks of holiday whilst state schools are 13 (plus five inset days).

Everyone is absolutely entitled to be concerned about their own lives and families and vote in their own interests. While you might feel righteous sneering at parents worried about their kids education, it doesn’t actually reflect well on you.

I am worried about fees as my youngest has SEN and private secondary is something I am considering. Be as nasty as you like, it’s still a concern I have and I will vote accordingly.

It’s not just about schools fees - everything has risen, and very few people saw that coming. It won’t be the VAT that puts people off in isolation, it will be that PLUS cost of living PLUS mortgage increase.

And don’t say everyone should buy cheap housing because then how do people on low salaries buy?

Yawn

I don't believe for one moment that the majority will transfer to the state system. Most parents will just suck it up and Starmer knows that.

The few that don't won't impact state schools as much as some claim. Many schools don't give priority to catchment, certainly in my area. Buying up property won't help them.

@TitusMoan not many Primary schools have science blocks so I bet the kids love having science days there and no costs for school or parents

Sure I agree plenty, even the majority, don't give a stuff.
But there are a few people who do care and will be inconvenienced and children will be disrupted by school moves.
Just like the majority are not affected by lots of other things that a future government may do (changes to IHT or stamp duty or whatnot).
But for those affected, what is the harm in them having conversations with each other about the impact?

It’s 7% average but 25% of A level students. That’s a bit worrying as it’s a natural transition point but also an obvious crossover point between private and state as parents believe ( probably correctly) that some of the potential downsides of some state secondaries apply far less at sixth form because students are there by choice, so there’s likely to be less challenging behaviour etc. If there was a big influx into state sixth form provision ( which could be almost immediate- ie Sep 2024) then there may be capacity issues- possibly there’s spare capacity in state sixth forms though?

I think one of the issues is that it’s very difficult to predict how this will all play out. I suspect it will affect the private prep sector more than the secondary schools and it will also be massively area specific depending on the balance between state and private provision, house prices etc. and how financially robust the private schools are. Impact will also depend on whether an area has a number of state schools which are broadly similar or one that is the honeypot and others that people actively avoid.