to suggest that every single parent with a child at private school apply for a state school place asap?

[sarjd]

let's see how that works.

I find the whole fixation with people choosing to send their children private (thus saving the state money) makes them richer than someone who sends their children state but spends their money on holidays or bigger houses or more children.

Nobody thinks that. Most people use state, including lots of rich people. If you have a surplus of money of, say £20k, after essential bills and living costs and spend it on cocaine nobody thinks you are poorer than someone who spends it on private school. You are, quite obviously, both richer than people who have £1k or £0k or even £15k after they’ve paid bills and essential living costs. What people actually think, is if you have £20k spare money every year, then you are demonstrably well off. What you spend it on is irrelevant. What private school parents like you seem to think is everyone has that money but they choose to fecklessly spend it on things like holidays and houses, which is why “I drive an old car and holiday in the uk and live in a semi” always comes up in conversations about private schools even though it’s obviously financially illiterate to pretend you can pay a £20k bill by spending £1k less on car depreciation and £2k less on a holiday than you otherwise would. If someone has £10k spare a year they can’t afford private school anyway so may as well spend it on something else, which invites sneers of “oh, Florida, we can’t afford holidays abroad as we choose to prioritise education” said whilst booking a £4K Airbnb in Pembrokeshire like martyrs and ignoring the millions who have 2 nights in skeg, or no holiday at all.

Thanks, me too!

Ridiculous nonsense in response, even when hard evidence is provided.

He can. Nothing stopping him. Nothing stopping anyone using state schools either. But personally, why would you?

It would be a lot easier to plan how many school places were needed, where, if all private schools shut down.

I hope not. For the sake of the children of the parents having tantrums.

Touché.

Really interesting to learn there actually IS capacity for all these state schools to take SEN children with significant needs.

So they have been lying to parents then?

"I've reported them for spamming threads (this isn't their first rodeo) so might be useful if others do too."
Ah. Penny drops.

But you seem to be saying that if someone can't afford a 20% hike in price then they should not have engaged with the service in the first place. So anyone who's bought a house...if they can't take a 20% rise in their mortgage overnight, shouldn't have bought it.
If someone can't afford a 20% hike in the cost of fuel, shouldn't have bought a car.
Or does dealing with the stress of an enforced hike in expenditure only apply to the things you feel are worthy?

Perhaps renters don't give a stuff about people with big houses having big mortgage hikes.

It does seem to be quite a switch

I feel quite angry now, actually.

Going to complain to the nearest mainstream who refused my daughter. They claimed over 50% students on the SEN register in their school but not 1 break out room?

Quite the scandal!

Have to say, I am struggling a bit to understand why state schools need the extra funding from private school VAT, if they are all running classes of 20, have loads of capacity, teachers are coping just fine and looking forward to welcome more kids. It’s not the same story as the one justifying why VAT is being imposed in the first place.

By applying for a space at a state school that you have no intention of using, the people you would be harming would be those that genuinely want a place at a state school because they can no longer afford private school fees. Unless your child is in year 6, students in state schools have already got a place.

They are paid per pupil. More pupils, more cash.

Not sure why the assumption is that the private school would pass the 20% straight onto parents and then have loads of parents remove their kids as a result leaving the school with less money.

That would be really stupid.

That education budget could go further with higher funding per pupil if politicians thought about it over GE fodder

Because many school budgets are in deficit.

I think anyone who worked in schools during the last Labour government would be able to tell you how much better things were then.

@noblegiraffe many private schools are struggling with extra costs in the same way state schools are

Taking extra children and taking children with significant SEN needs aren't the same thing?

No, not in the same way that state schools are. Because they are starting from a much higher funding base per pupil.

Extra children? I thought there was capacity?

If there is capacity, surely it isn't extra, its filling the spaces?

And why on earth should any state mainstream school be able to shirk taking in SEN children with significant needs, like my DD, get away with it?

You people don't want my daughter to have a private education but don't want her in mainstream state either?

@noblegiraffe so what will happen with children with SEND who are currently being educated in private schools and parents can no longer afford the fees?

Worth it to note, my experience is nothing exceptional.

I, like many other SEN parents were told, that their local mainstream could not take our children because they were full. As simple as that.

So whats it actually about - capacity or ability to meet need?

You say this as if it's some kind of "gotcha". It's really not.

I agree, i think people who have more children, large houses and holidays if they are equivalent to the cost or private school are rich too, especially compared to most of the world.

The argument about having 3 children - you can hand me down clothes, shoes, car seats etc. They can share a bedroom. You can't hand me down or share a private education.