Doubts grow over Labour’s VAT plan for private schools

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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.

So buying consumer goods is virtuous. But investing in your child’s education is not.

Pretty messed up thinking. 🤨

Very few. Only 7% pay private, most will continue, a tiny fraction will join the demographic just below being able to afford private. Such is life.

I feel for the children half way through Alevels and GCSEs having a change of curriculum just before their exams.
French and Germans are not happy their students over here are being taxed.

https://damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk

This looks pretty good re: a state school & Thomas Telford etc.

https://www.keswick.cumbria.sch.uk

Hear this is excellent. Ironic VAT on inferior schools (?)

A huge amount of the difference in pupil outcome isn't school dependent- it's parent dependent. Motivated parents who value education and help and teach their kids have a huge influence on outcomes. Fiddling around with schools doesn't change parental behaviour sadly.

You have said that private schools are the biggest cause of inequality and that the inequality should be addressed. Now you are saying that a tiny percentage will leave because of the VAT. How will VAT help the inequality if the same number of pupils are attending private school? By saying that the number of children in private education will remain the same, you are admitting that the VAT is doing nothing to address that apparent inequality.

100% Parents play a huge role in education - they are their children's first teacher.

Adding VAT to independents isn't going to get people to read with their children or teach them time tables. Or even get them to watch Cbeebies over looking at something low quality on a phone.

Do you count a nurse who is a single parent as ‘elite? Or a first generation immigrant who works three jobs to put his daughter through school?

Yep. The fees are an elite luxury service very few can afford. Any nurse on a single nurse salary able to afford private which is more than a minimum wage must have next to zero housing costs or wealthy parents .

Envy? Seriously old argument. Not envious at all. My children both have degrees from Russell Group unis, and I held on to my cash!

Poor Bridg, still a bit miffed about not getting in to Cheltenham ladies I see. She’s gone full Vector from Despicable Me 🔫

Not necessarily what do you think the fees are? At £10K per annum and with a 25% bursary it might be affordable for a nurse pre VAT increase

Average nurse gets paid £35k at £2,265 per month after tax and National Insurance.

Average fees are now £16,656. Given the cost of living and houses as I said it would have to be a nurse with very low housing costs or rich parents bursary or no bursary.

Yeah but in this instance the fees are £10K and the nurse doesn’t have rich parents.

My point is ‘elite’ isn’t always quite right and it’s not the actual elite who will suffer

So she’d have £1225 a month to pay for rent/ mortgage, food, bills and everything else. As I said she’d need next to no housing costs and rich parents.

It’s a luxury service for an elite few.

And not having access to a luxury service isn’t suffering.

It is for a child who has been there for 4 years and has to leave all her close friendships behind. Look that is one example of I’m sure many many and that’s before we get into the children with SEN. Honestly, it’s just not that black and white

And the variety of independent schools is massive it’s not all Eton and Harrow there are many inner city independent schools with huge ethnic and economic diversity where parents do choose to prioritise education over anything else but you clearly have a very set point of view

Brothers we knew had a business together. One of the wives filed for divorce wanted a fourth of the business, the house and got it. However, it meant that everyone had to cut back. Our friend was 14 he had to leave private school and go into a not good state school. He said it was awful, he was small and shy. Other kids gave him hell. He never recovered academically leaving school at 16 which was not what his parents wanted.

I was wondering if Lord Ali could make donations to those parents who only just about manage school fees? He appears to have a lot cash to give away!! When I had to pay school fees 20% extra would have floored me, I was scrimping along as it was. Anyone know when Starter is going😁

STARMER - not Starter. - when will they offer an edit button?

Pupils move schools all the time. If parents are concerned about pupils moving schools and the cost of private education is an issue they shouldn’t have got into it in the first place. Fees go up regardless of VAT.

What people didn’t anticipate when they entered private education 5-10 years ago was global high inflation, causing fees and other living costs to increase substantially, plus a 20% overnight hike on those increased prices.