To marvel at privately educated Keir Starmer's hypocrisy?

[Bursarysadness]

Both Kier Starmer and his wife are privately educated. Kier's senior school converted into a private school in the second year of his attendance and he has received a generous full bursary up until his A levels. He has built his life and his success on this education, supported to the end by the bursary funded by the same schools and parents he is now trying to destroy. It pains me as my children receive 50% bursaries from a brilliant local school. We've worked incredibly hard to cover the remaining 50% but it has been worth it, seeing how my children blossomed. We had a very different experience in their primary state schools, including bullying and racism. We don't live in a great area. We have just been told that the school will probably reduce all their bursaries to be able to lower the fees for the non bursary parents who are now struggling because of the VAT introduction. I don't know what the future for my children is now and they have so many close friends where they are. They are both academically brilliant and work very hard - hence the bursaries were granted. I feel so depressed that, from what is becoming obvious, they won't be able to benefit from the generosity of bursaries the same way Kier Starmer did when he was a child ..

Again, they could have planned ahead if finances are that precarious. They would have payed that £8k if the child was staying there, so not sure why it's suddenly a problem.

Wouldn't most people just use savings to pay the VAT for the two remaining terms of the school year though, so the DC could start the state school in September 2025? What would it be, around £3k per child? The money could be replaced very quickly from the savings made from paying nothing from September 2025. I appreciate there may be some people using private school who have no savings at all, but surely if you're spending on private education, it would be unusual for you to have left yourself with nothing put by for unforeseen costs.

You actually sound lovely and trying to be helpful so I want to respond. The fact is - a lot of people just about make it each term. The idea that all private school parents use "excess cash" is a fallacy and incredibly upsetting . We do it not because we can or want to but because we feel we have to. When you see your child fall apart, you borrow, you remortgage, yon do all you can to help them. Trust me - you would do the same. SEND children are totally abandoned in this political game and I feel upset beyond words. The state system is not fit to meet it. I don't want my child committing suicide as some other Sen children I know .I must be a horrible entitled mum... We used to think Tories were heartless but this government seems to be more heartless than the one before. More blinded. More singleminded. And if a few send kids commit suicide - so be it. Just check the data...

But it will be all sorted by January right ... ?

There are a few posts from earlier today that actually made me cry. We are not becoming a better society. We are becoming a colder ruthless society

I'm taking myself off this thread because it's become too much .I should have never joined.it. It's all petty politics, it's not at all about real children who actually exist. My bad. Enjoy your political ideals. I have to care for my children. The ones that exist. The best way I can. This is my main job and my main responsibility, more so because the society and government obviously don't care. The government that claims to protect the weak and the needy right? Im ashamed of some people's posts on this thread

Extremely, and unfair.

What because a very tiny number of parents have to pay VAT on private school fees 😒

Was there this outpouring of despair when the tories stopped free school meals. When state school pupils mainly had to stay home during covid whilst private schools with tiny classes and better tech continued to teach, further widening the attainment gap. Was all roses then wasn't it.

Real children attend state schools you know, as well as private fee paying ones.

I think a lot of the outrage on this thread is misdirected. Why not be angry with the schools for offering bursaries and then pulling the rug from under your kids half way through their schooling? They do have other options. They could find efficiency savings as all state schools have had to do on much lower budgets per pupil. They could dip into reserves to see existing pupils through. If they choose to cut bursaries to kids who are already half way through their school career, then that is a choice. Seems like they don't care about your kids as much as you thought they did.

And did the poster say that they weren’t real? Stop twisting words to suit your own agenda. All children matter.

Some people will be but not everyone has that option. It seems that a lot of people believe that private school parents are completely immune to the recent cost of living issues. They are not. From my own perspective, we have baked this increase into our figures since 2019 when the policy was touted by Labour in the last election. But we didn’t account for our other outgoings increasing so much. We are already £1500 per month worse off. That’s £18k a year. I thought we had a great buffer but our disposable income has been decimated. We can manage but for other families it is an increase too far.

Not all schools have reserves, a lot of them don’t, particulary the smaller ones. And lots of them don’t have endowments to cover bursaries, they are funded out of fee income. That’s what happens at my DC’s school and I have no issue with that but if schools are cutting costs, bursaries funded out of fee income are going to be impacted. My DC’s school has closed bursaries to new entrants. I think that’s a fair approach, but not all schools will be able to do that and still make the books balance. Some will have to cut existing bursaries to try to prevent a situation where the whole school fails because too many full fee paying students leave.

I argued and argued on here for weeks / months against school closures and the lack of alternative teaching provided by some state schools during COVID (albeit under a different user name). Some people care about all children. I am one of those.

Whilst I do feel sorry for the children who may have to change schools, I’ve never understood parents who stretch themselves thin to send their kids to private school. Fees go up, that’s always been the case and they can go up sharply by any amount as they’re private businesses. private schools are not charities and should not be treated as such.

dd1 would have thrived at private but it wasn’t an option. So she had to go to state, just like thousands of other kids who would have suited private school so well. It’s hard having to change but I’m sure they’ll settle. Private school is a luxury for those who can afford it, not everyone can afford that sort of luxury and tax payers shouldn’t be subsidising other peoples choices to buy luxury services.

Taxpayers are not subsidising private schools. Private schools save the taxpayer money. The VAT policy has nothing to do with charitable status.

Fees do go up and people do plan for this. The problem is that people have already seen massive increases in their outgoings due to inflation which no one foresaw. Private school parents are not all immune from the cost of living issues.

You are sure that all private school pupils moving schools will settle? 100% sure?! Even those that were previously removed from the state sector because their needs weren’t being met or their mental health destroyed? For a lot of parents it’s not about private schools suiting their DC, it’s about state schools failing them.

This! 🤞👏

Also, do you think that good leadership is about saying, "my life experience trumps everything else, everyone should live like me" rather than what is good for the MAJORITY of people?

He's not a Tory!

People are entitled to stretch their finances in whatever direction they want. What business is it of yours to try to understand this?

I am sick of hearing the "serves you right, as you couldn't really afford it" argument. Imagine if your mortgage or rent or any other major outgoing suddenly went up by 20%. Would you think "oh silly me, I obviously couldn't afford a house this size really, so it's completely fine that I now have to uproot myself and downsize"? And anyone who said "Tough titties. Why should you have a bigger house than me. Now you'll just have to live in a small flat like the rest of us do", would rightly be seen as resentful and bitter.

I meant to quote this post in my reply! Shouldn't try to Mumsnet without my readers on!

But agree with @AssassinsEyebrow too!

Sorry. But it’s still a choice. It’s going to be hard for some families who have over stretched themselves to do what they thought was the right thing for their child, that’s rubbish for a few individuals, but it’s something that should happen for the majority rather than supporting the wealthier minority. There are thousands and thousands of kids who have to make state school work as there is no option to run off to private. Why should we be prioritising the needs of wealthier families over others?

I think good leadership is about mitigating the negative impacts of the policies you introduce. Introducing this policy in the middle of the school year is the complete opposite to that.

As for benefitting the majority of the population, the arguments are weak. This policy may end up cost the taxpayer money. I am all for improving state schools but this divisive policy isn’t the way. State schools benefit the whole of society so the whole of society should pay for them.

People can do what they like, but there are consequences to all decisions. To me the priority would be to ensure kids don’t have to live in poverty and not to subsidise wealthier families choices. I feel sorry for the individual kids this will affect, but the country needs to raise funds to help those who really are struggling. We don’t need to be subsiding luxury choices for people who could have comfortable lives if they’d chosen to send their kids to state.

I’m sure that you feel differently if it’s your child affected as it’s personal, but kids from wealthy decent families having to attend a normal school doesn’t seem like a massive tragedy to me. Thousands of kids have to make state work no matter what as there is no other option.

But the state isn’t supporting the “wealthier” minority, they are supporting themselves by paying for their own DCs education.

There are ways to raise taxes to pay for additional funding in state schools that are fair because they are based on income and assets. This policy does not do that. I know people who are wealthier than me that use state schools, why should I be paying extra tax for their DCs education and not them?

In any event, this policy is likely to raise very little due to the number of pupils leaving private schools who then need a taxpayer funded place in a state school.

Please do tell us how “wealthier” families using private schools are being subsidised and how this policy is going to end poverty.

There is no subsidy, stop falling for the Labour Party rhetoric. I saved the taxpayer £100k by sending both my DCs to private primary.

Excuse me? What exactly is dark about my posting history? I don't think this issue affects most people personally does it? I have kids in school, I'd say I've as much to an opinion as anyone else.
Interesting that you'd throw around those accusations when your own history is limited to this thread....