To be glad that the VAT on school fees

[Shaketherombooga]

Is now going to be happening in January? what’s the point in stalling it? I think it’s one of many decisions that we just need to get in with.

YABU - it’s SO unfair. Labour hates ‘strivers’ etc etc

YANBU - Yup, Labour said they are taking away tax breaks for private schools, so let’s get on with it.

I don’t think under performing school always need more money. Maybe sometimes they need more competent senior leadership or development of teachers to provide better outcomes for pupils. Some of that might cost money for training, but chucking money at
something isn’t always the answer. Just look at the NHS…

Sounds like schadenfreude to me

Private school parents don't all have ‘loads of money’

We send our daughter private because she was horrifically let down by state school, with the senco even saying to me ‘we’ve failed your daughter’. She isn't ‘bad enough’ to have an EHCP so we wont be exempt from VAT on fees. Loads of kids in her mediocre private school are in the same situation as us but DD would never get in to a high level selective private school.

So before you say labour should just get on with it and tax the hell out of the top 6%, please consider that there are many people who are not sending their kids private out of choice. My son goes to state school and is fine so I am very pro state education

But this attitude does ignore the significant numbers of children at private schools who are these because they can't cope in state schools, and instead of getting the council to fund places and racking up huge legal bills in the process they are funding it themselves.

I would like nothing more than have my DC thrive in state school.

One is just about scraping by. The other, well, isn't. Private school gives us the chance of an education without putting more burden on the state.

a relative is looking at an extra £400 a month when vat comes in. he is worried but only got a year left. the other child is already at state secondary. if they had 2 in primary still they woukd need pulled out immediately. been told there a lot of parents at this school going to be forced to do the same immediately. yes they are richer than most but higher taxes and job market changes cost of living affected them too. it’s a lot of extra money to find on professional wages still plus high mortgage.

i do agree with vat and it woukd never have affected me but wow imagine trying to find an extra £800 a month for 2 primary kids secondary school be even more. i feel sad fir kids being pulled out at short notice it’s disruptive

Our PS does a huge amount of charitable work with local school collaborations, providing facilities for free, workshops, scholarships and bursaries.
The state schools which currently benefit from these will lose these facilities and opportunities, pushing down the opportunities for state school children in the area.
Have the labour loonies quantified this that anyone has seen?

I was reading just today about Cavendish Education opening another independent special needs school in Surrey. Using the site of a small indep prep school with great facilities that closed recently, and used to host another special needs school until they moved. Much needed. Saves transporting students miles or requiring them to board.

There is so much jealousy, why start this thread? It's really not the most important manifesto pledge to focus on, so why the "let's get on with it"? And it won't make anywhere near the amount they think it will once exceptions like SEN etc are taken into account.

Love the comment from the OP about if kids are bright they'll thrive anywhere...even when playing on the imaginary hockey pitch or playing clarinet in the imaginary orchestra at their local comp! The vast majority of state school parents pay for music/sport/drama outside of state school because these are not consistently provided across the state system.

The Labour loonies may or may not have quantified these claims - but independent studies and many media outlets - including pro-private school ones- have and, you’ll be stunned to hear it turns out that private schools do very little to earn charitable status.

They are not giving free anything to anyone - they’re renting out some of their facilities just as state schools do at the going market rate. The bursaries and scholarships are going to families who could afford the entirety of the fees for the most part too.

We’ll be okay without the ‘charity ‘
of local private schools, because their charity overwhelmingly amounts to Sweet FA. Playing one off football match with a local state secondary in your grounds and taking photos for the brochure ( which one very well known, elite school did with our team) isn’t being ‘part of the community’ or giving back in anyway. I’m afraid. And they were LIVID when we refused permission for the photographs to be published in any way. Endless fucking emails about why not.

Nope you're entirely incorrect.
Your experience may have been different but that is entirely not the case for the amount of charitable work and FREE access our local state schools have had until now to facilities and workshops.

St Paul’s for example offers fee assistance to families with income less than £120k. Most people would consider, say £115k, to be a very health income and hardly the obvious case for ‘charity’ .

So, let's set up a thread on Mumsnet that pitches all the haves against the have-nots.

Then sit back and watch everyone driving themselves into an early grave by getting all het up, and taking it all soo personally.

What fun OP and all.

That's fantastic to hear, so more funding isn't required for state schools after all. Labour really haven't done a good job of looking into the existing needs have they.
It sounds like funding levels are already too high in state schools and this should be reduced in favour of healthcare or pensions.

My DC's private school takes its charitable purposes very seriously....but I think the above post shows why you have such a problem with private schools. You had a bad experience with one so judge all private schools in the same way. Do you do the same for the kids under your care? For example, one child from a family causes you a problem, so all the kids in that family will be the same.

I wonder why nobody has thought of extra tax imposed on those who buy houses in expensive areas, which is done purely to secure a place in a decent school?

@Shaketherombooga I am embarrassed for you. I have no idea what you do or your background (haven’t read the full thread) but I strongly suspect you didn’t receive a privileged or decent education. The doctors, scientists and other professionals you will have relied upon in your life are, as we know, largely from private schools. Grow up a bit and recognise the importance of private education if the uk is going to have any of its own people be able to deliver these services. Your VAT won’t change state schools, which are in the main a problem of uninterested parents who outsource all parenting and behavioural matters to teachers.

Rubbish.

The idea of an elite private school wanting pics of a local state playing football for their brochure is just one of the untruths in this post.

The main full-time ballet schools hold auditions and only the most exceptional are offered a place, irrespective of parental income. People on lower incomes can then apply for the government-funded Music and Dance Scheme which pays for some or all of their training. Some music schools operate the same way.

So the government will be charging itself the vat. Bit daft.

Horrified that you work in education and cringing at some of your posts, they are quite embarrassing

what a sad bitter bunch of people many of whom do not understand what they are talking about but assume all children who go to private school are little Hooray Henrys with parents with too much monies - so tough shit.

I am a single parent with minimal CMS for 2 children. I work my bollocks off so my younger DC can got to a private school where they are now thriving. The state school they left, refused to sort out the bullying - so bad he ended up with ED visits, the mental abuse and various other issues- school refusal, tics. My other DC are in a different state school and thriving.

I put DC2 down for a state school because the 20% rise will kill me financially - what have I been offered and I am lucky to have an offer - the very school i' took them out of in th first place.

So to you nasty small minded idiots who are so stuck in your rigid class ideas - not all kids at private schools are stuck up individuals, not all parents are rolling in it and yes my DC got a broad education in the state system that left them ill and in needs of counselliing and medical intervention.

I am biting the bullet and have been saving what little I can afford to off set the rise because their well being is more important than puttig them back in the same school they left.

Some of you on here are truly pathetic

@Shaketherombooga just read that you’ve said you don’t actually think private schools are better and that you’re a teacher. So why exactly are you wanting to take money from parents whose children are paying to receive a lesser education than in state?

People like you are the exact reason I don’t want my child in a state school.

So I walk around a lot of the time thinking, how can we make this better?

No you don’t 😂

So is that give money or take it away? Or you have realised it's not that simple when given an example

Underperforming schools need looking to see why they are underperforming before just giving more money. Sometimes a radical change is needed.

@treasg
We already have that tax. It's called stamp duty!

You don't get rich by luck.

Many families are not rich anyway . They are mildy comfortable and have worked hard enough to just about afford it. Theoretically the people Labour purports to support. Those where social mobility is kicking in and they worked hard, now want to give their child good opportunities. They are the ones who will miss out here. Not the truly rich people.