It's a private school one.....

[Noangelbuthavingfun]

Many threads on MN ... I want to know this: why haven't Labour given any info on their modelling of what will likely happen and the different scenarios that could play out when they impose VAT? It matters - because if they get thus wrong ... and a shed load of kids leave private because their families have scrimped to send them there ... the state sector in some councils will quickly be overwhelmed with kids needing state places that does not exist....which could be a lose lose for everyone! You don't build a new school and resource it in a month.... these things take years . I feel for all kids as they will all lose out if this happens and labour having got contingency in place.
How would you feel if your child is in a good state school , perhaps they get some SEND support...and suddenly there is an influx of private kids as they need the spaces. Class sizes go up to 40, all SEND provision gets cut as not enough funds, extra curricular gets cut and teachers are even more stressed, so the vicious circle if teacher shortages now intensifies....the spiral continues for years to come. Who has won?? No one ....
What are your thoughts on this ?
I don't disagree with the principle that private is a luxury and probably should pay VAT... what I disagree with is the notion you can just implement something that will fundamentally shift things on a seismic way in one big bang. No thought whatsoever. Tell me if you agree or have a different view and why ?

Isn't it part of life that some can afford luxury houses and cars and others can't?

Why is that relevant to a discussion re VAT though @Noangelbuthavingfun

No, the vast majority will go to the numerous other private schools in the area. Go on their websites - some have pop-ups specifically about Alton School and open days.

This is just like children at the many other independent schools that have closed over the years.

@SherbetDips apologies, I misinterpreted your post.

@Pollipops1 our school have said it will be about 15%. We’ll certainly get DS currently in Y10 through Y11, then move him to state 6th form. Our secondary schools aren’t great but the 6th form provision is excellent, and we’ll have the time once he’s in Y11 to look round the options and get our application in along with everyone else. Then I guess the fees we save on his 6th form will cover the increased costs for DD (Y7) through to Y11 then do the same for her. I think that’s a sensible plan and I hope the school doesn’t close in the meantime, but that’s obviously out of my control.

People in private school in London will be fine. Plenty of secondaries with space, particularly in places like islington, Lambeth, Hackney

Just wondering how the private school parents are going to dislodge the people already living in the houses in the "great catchment areas" Horse's heads on the doorsteps?

This policy only directly impacts 6% of children. Less actually of overall population. First past the post means it's not an election defining issue so hardly a gift to the Tories.

And in fact when you have people on here saying they'll be worried about affording their mortgage and school fees without the awareness that there are people working full time and worry about affording food for their children. Well there you go.

We need the Tories out because they're responsible for pushing millions of children into food poverty.

It's a not a gift, it's people's lives.

That’s what many private school parents are doing to game contextual offers at university anyway

It will not be good for the new kids there. It will not increase diversity in a way anyone will appreciate. The existing kids will not be helped by their ‘schools ‘improved target performance’. They will not be doing any better. If anything, they may get less attention if teachers focus their efforts are the easier to teach kids who will help improve the teacher’s targets.

But mostly, the parents will not in a thousand years send their kids there so none of this will happen.

What a horrible comment. Why would the children be spoilt? The parents are the one who made the decisions - it isn't their fault. You seem to have overlooked the point that these parents will have the resources and money to buy property in the best school areas thus pushing out other kids. It might not affect the kids of today but a couple of years down the line it will.

I don’t necessarily oppose taxing “luxuries”
or “privilege” but why just focus on children’s education?

Holiday tax - if you can afford more than holiday a year then chip if for those who can’t
Range Rover tax - self explanatory
Season ticket tax - let someone go half the time

etc.

Do people pay 20% stamp duty when they buy a house?

My point was that that is part of life and so it extends to private schools as example. I guess the point got many is that education is a fundamental right and so should be accessible to all ....

By buying them when they come up for sale?

No as you well know. But they pay SDLT which can cost significant amounts

So all the kids who currently go, for example, to Alton school - 450, as its a small catholic day school and therefore the kids live locally - will now simply be absorbed into the two or three primary and secondary schools in the area, at one terms’ notice? And the LEA states they have no places already as these schools are over subscribed? But f-ck ‘em, eh. They’re the kids of ‘wealthy’ people, so who gives a sh-t? Any that were in the middle of GCSEs and A Levels and cannot now find places for September [ie most of them] will just have to roll with the punches, eh?

This is what roles people, it’s a stupid post. No school is going to see every single pupil leave at the same time. Dc are sitting there GCSEs & Alevels now. If your dc is sitting them next year the vast majority won’t disrupt their dcs education.

These threads make me depressed to be British. Do you think mums in China spend their time b*tching about parents who send their children to fee paying schools? The fastest growing economy in the world.

It’s a long game…

And in the meantime?

@Humphhhh "We need the Tories out because they're responsible for pushing millions of children into food poverty.

It's a not a gift, it's people's lives."

I agree. But it is an issue for far more than the 6%. It's coming up on the doorstep. Which is why I said it's a gift for Tory spin doctors. Either "politics of envy-Labour hate the rich" or "there will be no spaces left in local schools. I've heard both of those in real life.

You can buy a house for cash in under a month.

VAT is already payable on holiday accommodation in the UK. The UK government can't control what is taxed overseas.

If you have a Range Rover you will be paying more tax on it than someone with a car that has a smaller engine; and it uses more fuel so you'll be paying more tax on it that way too.

Season ticket - what sort of season ticket do you mean? If it's one for transport to work, you'll be paying a fortune for the 'privilege' of working for your living, which is effectively another 'tax' on your wages. If you mean a football season ticket, they are already subject to VAT.

Do people pay 20% stamp duty when they buy a house?

Whats the relevance of that?

It will increase the competition for good state places, grammar school places and definitely good sixth form places. It will also increase the number of applications for EHCPs.

@1dayatatime "By buying them when they come up for sale?"

Ah, right. So a very long term policy then...

Because they don't need to. The vast majority of people will be not be affected by the change so will be largely supportive or ambivalent about it regardless. Its easy to gain support for something that only a minority disagree with, that targets something many consider unfair on more than one level, and will bring income into a cash strapped country. Reality is, most people won't care about the minutiae of how the extra tax is going to help. They will see only an untapped source of income that doesn't impact them personally, and appears to be justifiable. I think no matter how much noise is made about it, the very best you'll get from the majority of the electorate may be 'oh dear, that's a shame'.

Alton School have been struggling for years, and many of their current pupils will go to the many other local private schools.

Anyway, not all the children will live locally (the school had busses running to other areas), and there are other state schools a commutable distance from Alton anyway.