To wonder if Private School parents think we can’t read?

[Captainmycaptains]

Work/volunteer in Education so following the whole VAT debate.

SM is full of private parent groups ‘organising’ to get the proposed VAT on fees cancelled - fine you would, wouldn’t you esp.if you’re used to getting your own way.

They’re advocating hassling local schools, councils, demanding stats and figures that don’t exist, wiring to MPs - telling people to ‘claim’ their state place to ‘disrupt’ the ‘system’ while also saying ‘ Obvs we won’t be taking Charlotte and Hugo out of school, we’ll find the money’ etc strive harder, getting granny to chip in’ but this might make the council ‘panic’.

Do they think that people in support of the VAT aren’t seeing/hearing/reading all of these plans???

the funniest one yet is the poster who said ‘ well going to claim our state school places then! See how they like that! We’ll going holiday, pay the mortgage down, shop at Waitrose and save £700k in the process, ha!’
I. no you aren’t 2. Okay - go for it! Who on earth would think £700k is worth it?? Behave like a normal person then…

YANBU - yeah, they’re noisy as expected but the rest of us are as think/ concerned as they seem to think. Also - it’s too late for Sept - waiting lists only…

YABU - applying for school places you have no intention of using is daft, and of course everyone can see what they’re trying to do.

Why is it the responsibility of private parents/kids to improve state schools?
There are many wealthy parents using state schools already, why aren't they investing time and money?
Why do you think private parents will be more effective at raising standards in state schools?

They aren't, but they tend to attract more engaged parents. If they are willing to jump through hoops to get their child into a religious school, then it's likely they will be the parents who encourage high attendance, engage with the school, support with homework. The difference is not the schools, it's the parents

‘The £1.7b it will raise won’t go nearly far enough to fill the missing £14b annually that’s needed to turn things around.’

Taking away tax breaks to contribute will certainly be better than nowt… as will having a government in place who actually give a damn about the state education that most of the country user.

I personally have more issue with ‘charity’ status enjoyed by the majority of these businesses - but one thing at a time I suppose…

I’m not sure it will be that straight forward.
potentially more driven parents, more involved parents in the school system could push standards up. If these parents feel they can offer support to the school with any governance and expertise.

The rhetoric on both sides is so divisive it’s another toxic debate really as people take it as personal attacks on their own choices. When ultimately, everyone is just trying to do their best by their families.

It isn't a "tax break". You have bought into the strapline rhetoric of Labour.
Please show me exactly how private schools get tax breaks when currently they have to pay VAT on everything they buy but can't claim it back?

Only around half have charitable status, and have to fulfil the requirements of the Charity Commission.

Op, you get parents like this at state schools too, demanding their right to this and that.
Don't let it get to your it's SUCH a small minority it really isn't worth bothering with. If parents acan afford tuition fees, they can afford them still with the rise in tax. It only benefits the rest of the UK.

People will always find something to rally agains.

Chill.

@Captainmycaptains Why do you think they are making an assumption other people won’t read it? When anyone states their views on politics/any other matter, do people write this assuming it won’t be read by anyone who has a different view?

Sorry, but if everyone pulled their child out of private education and sent them to state school, it would have a detrimental impact on the system. Of course, that won’t happen. The rich people will continue to send their children to fee-paying schools, whilst those who just about manage it by sacrificing holidays/cars/trips etc will be penalised.

Sorry but literally what a joke.

Ive done 7 years at primary state school with my kids and my “networks, time, emotions” were very much not wanted.

They told me to get lost in much more polite terms.

Every time I asked for spelling tests or more reading they said no we are the teachers. More homework. No.

Networks? I don’t have any.

Emotions, well they ran high due to both my kids being bullied excessively.

Money, I gave what I could but I can’t subsidise a new teacher etc.

You are unrealistic in your expectations.

I think they are a bunch of self obsessed twats but then again I have a child with sen forced to remain in a mainstream primary on the basis they guarantee a sen school place in year 7 guess what? Year 7 is September and no school place so I couldn't give a fuck if their diamond shoes are too tight I've got one child in secondary whose transport has been pulled in his GCSE year and another with no school space they are expecting me to drive one child in one direction and another in the opposite at the same time like fuck are we sorting this by September and the private school parents want to piss about putting more pressure on the department that can't find their own ass hole's with help and support two hands and a fucking torch

It's all about your perspective

Exactly this.

Because when it affects more people, more people try to resolve it.

if you care enough about your child’s education to pay for it. Your going to care if it’s shit and potentially be mobilised to do something. there are lots of people trying to help and support their children’s schools. More, who happen to be engaged in education and more affluent can only be a good thing for state schools.

The ones who are using them already often are investing time and money

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/14/wealthy-parents-stoke-school-divide

Its not their 'responsibility' necessarily but they shouldn't get a tax break on private

I hate this message too. State schools will only improve if 'pushy middle class parents' are involved in them. Why?

Why can state school parents not take responsibility for improving their own child's school? My daughters go to a fabulous state primary - very mixed intake in terms of socio economics, higher than average FSM, higher than average SEN. But what sets it apart it amazing senior leadership and very involved parents. That's not how much parents earn, it's about their attitude, abd it's hugely disrespectful to say that lower income families are not engaged in their child's education so middle class ones need to be 'brought in to raise standards'. Absolute nonsense.

This 👆

Actually some of us do get highly personal attacks from other posters. I have been sworn at purely because I chose independent school for my child.
The aggression usually comes from supporters of the policy like the OP. This because Labour purposely use divisive language eg elite, tax breaks etc. It is Labour who have created class warfare on this policy

These pupils will be in the middle class schools, not in the schools in neighbourhoods where some parents struggle with addiction, poverty, and all of the social challenges that often go hand-in-hand with these issues.

There are also going to be additional tax rises on working people, so they are going to see a significant increase in tax burden

Which taxes are these in the manifesto ?.

Taxing school fees won’t help with these problems. Many private school parents literally cannot afford the VAT and will have to pull their children out. There are a lot of SEN children in private school, with parents who can only just about scrape the fees together now, who will have to be moved back into the state system if VAT is introduced. This isn’t going to help the state sector; it’ll be under even more pressure.

Not everywhere has places. In my city there are bulge classes for y7 in the majority of secondary schools next Sept. Not a single school in the city has a space. There’s only four schools out of about thirty in the entire county with any spaces. If I needed a place for y7 next year at this point I’d be sending my child a minimum of 20 miles, going past a couple of other towns and into a rural village - I’m not actually sure how they’d even get there, probably the council would have to put on a taxi.

My kids are state educated, which I’m perfectly happy with, and I don’t actually care all that much either way about VAT on private fees either way. But there absolutely is potential for very substantial impacts in some areas if there’s an influx of private school kids to the state sector.

In fairness the manifesto makes spending promises based on economic growth that looks pretty pie in the sky. Not sure I’d put that much faith in it.

I don't... just a cynical remark.

Again, it isn't a tax break! Of course we invest money because we pay for fees.
If we move to state that money will go on tutors, extra curricular and pensions. We both work FT so no we don't have time to invest in the school.

It is extremely disingenuous to suggest that private parents will be the saviours of state education. That suggests that current state parents aren't capable of improving schools. Thete are some extremely wealthy state parents already who could choose to pay more tax voluntarily but don't.

Manifestos don’t include every single plan. They tend to include the more popular policies which will gain votes.

Let them come to state schools, let's see how long it takes for them to be knocked down a peg or 2 with their pretentiousness, let them see how normal people live, let them swallow that silver spoon they have sticking out their mouths.

Most of them wouldn't handle 2 days in a state school because all the normal kids won't take their pretentious BS and let's be honest the snobby parents with all the money won't exactly make any friends with the council estate dwellers and the minimum wage workers living pay check to pay check.

The last thing we need is more pretentious stuck up kids that haven't a clue about the real world and have never had to face a real struggle, so let them come to state schools, let them see how things really are. Who knows they might learn empathy and not grow up to be a raging narcissist who thinks they are better than everyone.