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 ..

All.pupils should have access to good schools

All children should get the very best education. Provide excellent state education for everyone and no one would feel the need to pay for it. Stopping some children getting the best because everyone can’t have it is dog in the manger politics and won’t improve overall standards.

Lots of people benefit from things others never have? What are we marvelling about?

@HaPPy8 but OP never could afford them. They are upset that the other parents who have been subsidising her will no longer being doing it to them same level. That is hypocrisy.

I can understand why you’re upset for your own children. You or their other parent will need to drive a taxi at night or some other side hustle to find the money, if necessary. Not many of us can afford to give our kids everything we’d like for them. You’ll have to make choices.

Are there any other state school options?

EDITED It’s unreasonable to make the hypocrisy statement, in my opinion.

Spot on, remove their charitable status! I agree. It is not the fee-paying parents job to pay for others' children. When I have extra cash after the outgoings are met, I shall decide myself which charity to donate it to and it won't be anything to do with paying for the education for those who want the benefit of a capitalist private school at a fraction of the price. P.S. On a separate note, I won't be recommending private education for my grandchildren - it turned out to be a con, teachers are the same as in state schools, teaching is the same, we were sold a lie.

You're not really helping your case.

Yes it's wrong and sad that they experienced racism at their state school but I assure you there are also people who experience racism at private schools and many minorities who don't experience racism at state schools so that's not a reason to justify private schools. That's an issue with that specific school.

Like most children, Keir Starmer did not choose his school. That decision was made by his parents. And you might as well learn to spell his name properly, because he is likely to be in charge for some time.

Oh god this again?

So his success has nothing to do with intelligence and hard work then?

And know how to spell Keir Starmer's name.

The difference is Sir Keir Stramer lives in a very affluent area, where everyone lives in large houses, he is not sending his children to the local comp in a deprived area.

This policy is going to make those great schools become more difficult to get into as the prices of housing in the vicinity more expensive out of the price range of most.

Of course he is trying to destroy private schools. That is the aim of all socialists - to make sure there is a level playing field of the lowest possible standard.

Why do you think private education should be exempt from the tax structure that every other business and non-profit is subject to, other than it affects affordability for you.

I could argue it’s unfair to place VAT on construction work because I can’t afford a much needed new roof, or that I shouldn’t need to pay VAT on clothes that I need because it makes them unaffordable for me but I doubt HMRC would agree. At least with education you have other, free at source, alternatives.

Alternatively, AIBU to marvel at all these posts filled with stupidity and faux naivety??

Personally, I'm relieved to finally have a pm who can see past their own privilege and prioritise the many over the few.

If more ambitious and articulate parents send their children to state schools, that will help raise the standards in state schools.

In fact @Jellycatspyjamas , all children's clothes and shoes are VAT exempt. You didn't know this right?

So when Keir Starmer was a child, he should’ve anticipated that one day he’d be prime minister and might want to impose VAT on private school fees, and should’ve therefore strongly objected to the school his parents sent him to?

And he should also be held to account for decisions taken by his in laws decades ago?

There are several perfectly rational arguments against this policy, I’m not sure why you’d scrape the barrel with this nonsense.

😂 and it’s Keir. Not Kier. As Diane Abbott said she blames keir’s mother for calling him Keir.

It seems that many people had no issue with the elitism etc of private schools until they were on the wrong side of the fence but want other people to now care.

I am unashamedly pro VAT but I'd much rather private (or any form of selective barring SEN) schools were banned entirely. Inequality of educational opportunity sustains inequalities in society. I care much more about children growing up in abject poverty in our country than I do about those few who may have to switch to state sixth form or even in year 10. Those DC have already hugely benefited from educational privileges that someone travelling miles to school, sharing bed sit with their entire family and living on food bank hand outs will ever do.
I'm sorry OP but attacking our PM with an incorrect fact and claiming you work hard (who doesn't these days?) does nothing to win your cause. It's just so out of touch.

She probably has to wear adults clothes though. What with this being a forum for grown ups.

Lots of private schools dont have charitable status and any bursaries are part of their business plan and creating a balanced class.

Not all bursaries come from fee income at all schools. Some schools have big endowment funds or get funds from odd sources like guilds for other charities

I think its a bit daft to pick a school that is a charity and then complain about its charitable activities. Pick one of the ones that isn't.

You can not label all the state schools the same just because you experienced racism in one, just like I can not label all private schools as racist because my friend experienced it and almost took her life as a result of it.

Utterly shocked, I tell you, to find another post slagging off Keir Starmer, complete with accusations of hypocrisy regarding his own education and misspelling of his first name. We should start playing bingo.