Why do people think parents who pay for private education are enormously wealthy?

[SheineOn]

Is this just the stereotype?

I went to a school that cost 18k a year (15 years ago). It’s now 24k a year.

There were wealthy people there. But also many ‘normal’ people. At least 40% fell into that category. People who lived on estates, drove modest cars, skipped holidays and ate cheaply.

They made a choice to spend their money on private education. For context, two of my closest friends have dc in private. They live off 450 a month after paying fees. They are not high earners.

Not everyone has endless wealth. Some are just happy to make the sacrifice. I find it strange people don’t seem to get that and makes me wonder how lacking in knowledge you must be to have that view of the private sector.

What’s astounding is how out of touch people who can afford private school are. And I can afford private school. Yes I’d have to sacrifice to do it, but I am still wealthy.

Not to brag, but I do say to colleagues (who earn similar to me) that I ‘live off’ £500 a month. This is really just my free spends after all bills are paid, after we have budgeted £300 a week for joint household spend and after we’ve saved £2k. And if that runs out I put whatever I want on the credit card and pay it off next month. So it doesn’t mean the same as someone who literally had £500 to live off and they starve when it’s gone. I’m sceptical that the vast majority affording private school ‘lives off’ a truly finite £450 for essentials. If they are, they’re doing their children a disservice that is unlikely to be offset by the benefit of private schooling in most cases.

Correct!

If someone had a holiday to Disney world every year and a range rover I would also think you were doing pretty well for yourself! It's just another example of something that isn't accessible to someone who is an 'average earner'

There is nothing wrong with sending your kids to private school, just like there is nothing wrong with taking your kids to DisneyWorld every year....what's wrong is saying you're not well off, or you're not privileged by being able to do so! You are.

Mortgage costs are a choice too, if private school was really important to you for whatever reason, you could move to a smaller house in a cheaper area. Ours is around £600pm, which is average for NW England.

Im sure the parents struggling to afford the VAT increase will find the above useful!

Yes, term times are shorter. I don't have time to look now but I did some research when choosing a school for my daughter and several offered wraparound care which was either free or around £4 a session which more or less just covers the cost of breakfast or dinner and snacks, which you then don't have to pay for at home.

25 days doesn't cover the state school holidays either, if you're lucky you have grandparents or other help.

This is what I mean.....@behindthemall said it better!!

If the majority of nurseries and universities were free at the point of use in the same way the majority of schools are, I'd absolutely support sticking VAT on the private minority.

I don't think you've thought this one through.

Anyway parents of kids at private schools already enjoy the privelage of vastly cheaper holidays due to prices rising in state school holidays by more than 50%

and houses for rent for £600. I wonder if olive oil still costs £2 a bottle as well?

This is where I’m going wrong!

I’m sure there are alot of families who do make “sacrifices” to send their children to private school.

but that is a choice that they get to make because they are* *already in a privilege position of having that cash available to them and they are choosing to use it this way.

I pay for childcare like most others. Which is why your mythical situation does not add up.

If there were free "state" nurseries offering a good standard of care then I would be ok with using those.
Also with universities, if there was a public option (appreciate not free!) to get the same degrees then I would be ok with VAT on private ones.
So long as there is a choice, then that works for me.

I earn 80k a year before tax. I could not afford to send my DC to private school no matter how I cut my cloth because my mortgage/bills/travel to work etc mean that £40k for two kids in private school would
leave us with not enough to get by. So yes, people who send kids to private school are more wealthy than those who don’t - on average. Now, the thing is, also, it’s a luxury. So however you afford that luxury, it’s a luxury choice and should be taxed as such.

Bang on!! @Walkthelakes I've seen some enlightened private school parents on here.. (ok one) say the truth "not happy about it on a personal level but on a national level it makes sense". Exactly. But the majority on here complaining come across as self aggrandizing hideously tone deaf snobs. Private schools exploited a loop hole to avoid paying VAT tax but they are businesses not true charities.. parents who are trying to dress it up as 'oh they'll be sorry the states schools are oversubscribed' or 'private schools will be more elitist' is just those parents exhibiting poor grace in accepting something which will be better for the majority over themselves. Which I guess says a lot about the mentality of many who use private schools "me and my family first" and screw you, don't care who I tread on as I climb up. Pretty vulgar social climbing behaviour. Don't expect the super rich parents you hobnobbed with to help you out as they are probably equally selfish and too busy dodging tax themselves or on vacation somewhere exotic! If you want to lessen the elite gap, sending your one or two children to private school really isn't going to do it, how about sending your kids to a state school and trying to get on the board of governors or fundraise for their PTA so that many children can benefit. Oh I see that's beneath you. Well get over it.

I don't even make 4k a month with mine and my husbands income combined 😂

This entire thread made by the op must be trolling people. My entire pay alone doesn't even reach 24k a year.

...and if they've already done that in order to afford the current fees, what do you suggest?

You know as well as I do that the only outcome is that a load of children who couldn't cope in mainstream will be back in mainstream anyway, and the houses near the outstanding schools will skyrocket in value.

My little terraced house backs onto the playground of a heavily oversubscribed outstanding school which allocates places on an "as the crow flies" basis, so on a personal level it's great news that this area is going to be so in demand and my house value is going to rise so much.

@MrsSunshine2b I did find a school that offers free wrap around care, until 4.30pm. So the mythical parents could not both work full time. But one could work full time, and one about 30 hours a week.
https://www.somptingabbotts.com/wraparound-care

In which case, you're earning less than the average wage.

Exactly. 24k a year is a full time wage.

I have 2 school age children. So based on the figure given I would be looking at paying £48k a year for school fees before even starting on other costs. I (lone parent) don't even get £48k a year, not even with UC top up. Even £24k for one child would be totally beyond me if we still wanted to eat. And there is no amount of sacrifice or being careful that can change that. So yes, people who can afford that are well off. Not necessarily "wealthy" but very well off and privileged.

Most people do not make average 2 combined full time wages. I have already explained why that figure is inaccurate.

£450 a month wouldn't pay a mortgage or rent op. Let alone food, bills, clothes.
You are on another planet dear.

Although I would argue if it is somehow so easy for parents on an average wage to afford private school, what is the big deal about an extra £68 a week?

You think only kids who go to private school get a decent education? Hahahaha that's cute.

My brother is doing a post doc at a top university. He went to a state school. His friend got a scholarship at a private school and did okay, but then failed his uni degree. In my friendship group there's only 2 people who went to private school and they're no more educated or have better jobs than the rest of us.

You have some very strange views about state schools.

We are what I'd consider normal and no way could we pay 24 k even if we only had one child.

They mean fun money after paying all those costs. And they think that is a sign of poverty.