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.

Quite. The mind boggles.

Parents complaining about this have really embarrassed themselves on MN.
All for the sake of an extra £69 a week (average).

Why would you assume this? A lot of parents with children at private school work long hours, sometimes 2 jobs and go without holidays, run cheap cars, to be able to send their children to private school. Why would you assume they can afford to pay an extra 20% on top of current fees? Particularly if they have more than one child.

@HedgehogHills If they think they can not afford the extra £69 a week, then if they post their budget, I am sure they will get helpful suggestions of how to meet this extra cost.
One easy way is releasing some equity in their house. Or extending mortgages to reduce mortgage payments.

Because they said that was the gag. To apply for state school places and then not take them up. To be annoying.

This is complete rubbish, many people simply cannot afford the additional cost, particularly those with multiple children.

@YourPinkDog i do totally understand where you are coming from. I get the arguments , honestly I do. Objectively the policy sounds like a winner

But education is a social good however it is delivered. Private schools are open to every single child in the country either by payment or by bursery. Making private schools more expensive makes them more elitist which I just cannot very see that being a good thing. Those parents who would have spent the money on the school now will spend it on tutoring and extra curriculars. Their children will get the same grades regardless and will be even more likely to get the top uni places.

The extra money raise is not ringfenced. It may be used for the first few years as a political tool but will eventually just become part of general taxation and will end up paying for whatever the government needs to showboat about.

13% of pupils in private schools UK-wide are at boarding schools. So if parents are really struggling with the average increase in costs of £69 a week, many of these parents can move their child to a day school instead, or utilise flexi boarding instead.

Yes but based on Mumsnet (which is the only place that thinks the entire private school population is hovering close to the breadline) these private school parents also seem to believe that state schools are filled with hideously stupid and violent thugs

I send my children to private school and I really don't buy this picture of parents making extreme sacrifices. Its all new cars, multiple holidays and decent houses here.

I think this faux poverty is really tasteless

@Drfosters Private education is out of reach of the vast majority of families. An extra £69 a week is neither here nor there.
The reality is the vast majority of families who send their children to private school can afford the extra cost of this policy. They just do not want to.

Yes or take in some ironing maybe or try that betting thing everyone on here suggests to people who are struggling to make ends meet?

They are paying tax in earnings, same as everyone else, they are also not currently using a government funded school place saving the government money.

If they take their children out of private school the government won't be getting the extra tax and will also have to fund a school place for that child. This will cost the government money, not generate money. Please do more research into this.

Private schools are open to every single child in the country either by payment or by bursery.

Great, how do I get a bursary to send my daughter to Eton?

This is us. DD has autism and mental health issues, couldn't cope with mainstream but was diagnosed too late to get an ehcp (takes years here). We've been paying for a small independent school in order to get somewhere small (100-odd kids in the whole school as opposed to 1000-1500 in any of the mainstream secondary schools in our area). It's a bit of an alternative school and many of the kids are there for similar reasons.

The school announced a 17% increase in fees the day before Rishi called the election, so with the VAT as well parents are potentially looking at payments increasing by more than a third next year. A substantial number of the parents won't be able to afford that, I know we can't.

Private schools have had large increases in fees because the economy has been mismanaged by the Conservatives, and inflation and costs have soared. Everything has become much more expensive.

Well you have to put the time in to make sure that she excels at something - academic, sports etc. Then you are more likely to get a bursary. But most parents can’t be arsed to do this and then are resentful to those of us who have.

Quite simply - You apply.. There are quite a few 100% places available or means tested accordingly . I believe they take some girls in 6th form but Could be wrong though but there are equivalent all girls or mixed schools for younger years.

And a sex change?

But the idea that you have to simply 'put the time in' to make sure a child excels at something is 😆

Except we all know why they were at boarding school in the first place - same reason my DH was, no one wants to parent them. Those 'parents' will not be relinquishing that 'luxury' any time soon.

@Caerulea fair point

So parents who can not afford the extra £69 a week only have to apply for bursaries? Why all the upset then if they can get a 100% bursary just by putting the time in?

Oh mate.

That's right. Thats the existence of every child who isn't at Eton.