To ask if anyone is clued up on the challenge this week to VAT on school fees?

[feesss]

we went to look round a school this morning and we obviously asked about VAT and the lady showing us round said there has been a challenge this week so it may not happen? Is anyone aware of this? I can’t see much online about it?

All tutors do is use materials anybody can buy at very low cost.

90% of schools are rated good or above by Ofsted and many private schools are shite so not getting your idea of what equality is here.

That's barely worth a response. Ofsted ratings are basically meaningless in terms of how a school performs outside of academic results and compliance with paperwork and I'd love to know what your evidence is for "many" and your criteria for "shite".

Tutors can teach exam techniques which a lot of parents might overlook. There’s more to studying for the exams than doing practice questions.

Well said poster introduced Ofsted terms sooo🤷‍♀️

You’re not suggesting private schools are good schools by default are you?🤔

You can look those up anywhere.

Well this is my source

https://www.edsk.org/publications/private-matters/#:~:text=The%20political%20debate%20over%20the,charitable%20status%20of%20independent%20schools.

"The latest annual census from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) – an umbrella body for seven associations that cover the operations of around 1,300 independent schools in England – shows that 34 per cent of their pupils receive some kind of ‘fee assistance’ such as a bursary or scholarship, with around £1 billion a year being spent by schools on such assistance. Almost £500 million of this fee assistance is spent on means-tested bursaries, with the average bursary approaching £12,000. Nearly half of the pupils who receive a bursary have more than half of their fees remitted, with 18 per cent of bursary recipients paying no fees at all."

And respectfully The Welcome Trust is a UK headquartered global charity that does spend more than the private schools collective spend but much of this money is non-UK spending pledges with significant amounts (rightfully) spent in developing countries

‘You’re not suggesting private schools are good schools by default are you?🤔’

only a moron would suggest that.

‘The latest annual census from the Independent Schools Council (ISC’

there’s nothing ‘independent’ about them - they’re a business that makes money from the promotion and existence of private schools

No one can possibly argue that tutoring does not convey an advantage for entrance exams. Of course it does. It’s precisely why so many people pay for it.

Olympic standard swimming pools 🤣🤣🤣

You really are deluded!

@SpringSt3p of course I'm not saying they're good schools by default. Nothing in my posts would suggest that. To do so would be idiotic, just as your assertion that they're "mostly shite" is. I've asked for your criteria and statistics which you seem unable to provide?

I don't think their organisational title was trying to infer their independence, rather that they represented "independent" schools

But rather than disputing a name, do you dispute the significant sums afforded by such schools to bursaries etc?

I see that Rachel Reeves has confirmed VAT on school fees from January
Biggest winners (as 10yrs input VAT can then be reclaimed) will be the bigger public schools & those wealthy enough to pre-pay (prior to 29th July). Windfalls for both.

Biggest losers: small independent schools, SEND kids, those kids whose parents are just about affording it, state schools, the treasury

It won’t be implemented in January, I really wouldn’t worry about it.

The invoices for the spring term will be sent to parents in December, in around 6 weeks time. The government clearly have no intention of backing down on this. I’m not sure any legal challenge could be concluded within 6 weeks.

My guess is that the legal advice to the Government will be that they are likely to be ruled against in all three legal actions. They will delay implementation under some spurious excuse and ultimately drop it when independently educated children are not enemy de jour.

I’ve got to admit, they’re cutting it fine though. Maybe they think the spite they generated hasn’t subsided quite enough yet.

It’s not naive. It’s an urban myth. I have had DC recently in super selective grammars. What’s your direct experience?

I'd love you to be right. I'm not sure what will happen. It's the most ridiculous harmful policy that sums them up. It'd be great if they got distracted and dropped it.

Completely agree and the accompanying rhetoric has been utterly disgusting, including from the education minister.

‘State schools don’t have state of the art theatres like the ones I’m taking about. They don’t have Olympic standard swimming pools. We are talking different level here.’

mmm, not to most private schools!
we have 6 very expensive - cheapest £24 day, most expensive double that - private schools in our city and none has an Olympic size pool - 25m and 20m only, 2 don’t have a pool at all… our state school DOES use a 50m pool for lessons and the swim teams, but it’s not in a school - they hire it. They also use the state school down the roads 25m pool
Every secondary has a great theatre in the city, performing arts is a big thing these days… as is music… as is music tech
also -
isn’t the argument that most private schools are very modest, not too exclusive, ‘ordinary’ parents use them blah blah blah? Can’t have it both ways …

I can’t quite figure this out, are you arguing with yourself?

It was announced today that VAT will be introduced from January 2025.

That’s what is peddled. It might make a difference in a borderline case but not substantially for most. Direct experience of grammars?

Maybe you should take a look at Millfield School’s website. I don’t know about now but DH’s friend took a couple of polo ponies with him when he went there.