Doubts grow over Labour’s VAT plan for private schools

[Blanketyre]

Article in the Observer here:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2024/oct/05/doubts-grow-over-labours-vat-plan-for-private-schools

I must say they've gone very quiet on it.

Why do you say that? Have you lived and worked in Dubai?

Exactly. The Labour Party are obviously Very Clever.

Scientists have always been internationally mobile. Brexit related limitations and the current funding problems in higher education institutions are the main drivers of that particular exodus for scientists who are British nationals.

And for scientists who are non British nationals, more stringent ‘anti immigrant’ visa conditions are making family life in the UK more challenging or impossible.

Clearly not, as I said "from what I have heard". I do have a close friend who lived there until very recently. I also have colleagues who go there frequently.

I'm not going to detail the reasons why though here on this thread. This is a thread about private sch VAT fees, not Dubai living conditions.

Depends on the school. Not my daughter's school for example.

But those houses are already going to be taken with families who have kids in said schools.

Ok thanks, I’ve lost track on this thread there are so many posts. I have and it was fantastic, we had a brilliant time. I’d go back in future for sure. Not atm, it’s the wrong time for us (extra uni fees if counted as a non uk resident last 3yrs)

Yep in London. In London there are some excellent state teachers but sadly they are not respected and appreciated so leave and leave fast. The sub teachers, some are excellent but would not way take a perm contract when they get more money freelance without the additional paperwork

Yes. It depends on the school. Very much. There’s one called Kew House - staff turnover is through the roof.

Yep. A lot go to private tutoring. Good choice these days..

Yep so many good teachers tutoring for 11 plus and grammar entry. Lucrative business currently

The best tutors in London & SE charge a fortune - some north of 150ph.

your parents having a Porsche or not doesn’t affect your life chances.

Yet actually it does. If your parents can afford a Porsche then they can afford other things that give you an advantage eg holidays, access to cultural activities + extra curriculars etc. They won't be struggling to put food on the table and will most likely to have a strong work ethic + expectations of their DC

The Porsche doesn’t help.
Are you seriously saying on,y people who can afford all that have a strong work ethic?

No, it was your example. You actually said "your parents having a porsche or not doesn't affect your life chances". That is blatantly untrue

It was the example of t(e person I replied to. For a minute I thought that was you. Edited now. And no, it’s not untrue to say a Porsche doesn’t affect your life chances. That’s nonsense.

Not really, my cleaner who lives in a council flat drives an old Porsche, they are not particularly expensive when old, like most cars - my mercedes soft top cost me £50 + £300 to have some jobs done, a lot more 20 years ago when it was new.

Yes, people should be grateful for having children with educational needs which may mean they struggle to ever function in a work place. Same as we’re supposed to be grateful our disabled children have a school,place.

Jesus wept.

Yeah. People often somehow afford nice cars / sky tv etc when they have little Money.

a friend who’s a mortgage advisor one told me the size of a persons’ TV was (in his experience) inversely proportional to their wealth.

Yes why not? The poster described a PERFECT school for the kids needs and it is very rare like a lucky draw!

Somebody who has achieved the same grades from a state school as opposed to private has oodles more resilience and ability to put up with achieving in more challenging circumstances

oodles? Please quantify ‘oodles’

shit happens to rich people as well, you know. Kids are abused, they are carers, deal with domestic abuse, drug abuse and alcoholism in the home. Their parents have acrimonious divorces, remarry and subject their children to all kinds of dodgy parenting in the name of ‘blending families’, their grandparents get dementia and their parents get cancer and other diseases. Sometimes their parents die. Their parents are almost always working ridiculously long hours to pay the school fees and teens may be alone longer than is ideal. Friendship issues hit just as hard, bullying still happens and not all classrooms are pleasant places to be. If you’re dyslexic, or you have some other learning difficulty, you still need to work hard to overcome that.

independents are not some kind of utopia the real world bypasses. Resilience can be developed in any environment.

Sooooo glad you had a marvellous time. I don't think it's for me.

Yep, it’s like being in PS is some wonderland where nothing ever bad happens. Kids are kids, life is life.

In fairness most workplaces are now so crackers, people sat a computers all day, at home, or in open plan offices, with things like HR and appraisals, its honestly a mystery how anyone functions.

I look in on that world with a sense of disbelief, pity and some admiration for the sheer staying power.