To really dislike Bridget Phillipson?

[Sensiblyplease]

I just absolutely can’t stand the woman.

The lady seems to be making decisions based on personal prejudices and causing intentional division in our education system.
She’s not listening to anyone, and the consequences her decisions are having is far too impactful to ignore. As someone in her power she should model balanced politics, based on evidence, instead of in-sighting hate and division.

My children are in state school- we’ve had 3
more children come into their year group with SEN but no EHCPs as their previous independent schools could cope without one. The parents inform me it’ll take a few years and that’s if they get one- and then they can either go back to their previous independent school (as apparently they won’t have to pay VAT with an ECHP?) or have the help they need according to the results of the ECHP.

Im just so angry. I have nothing against these children and can understand they can’t afford the VAT increase and needed to move back into state schools, but it’s now really disrupted the class. The TA is apparently out the class all the time now and the class teacher has 32 children on her own. It appears that Bridget’s insistence and personal hate against the private sector is damaging to state school children. It’s really pissing me off - our children’s education is important and not to be messed around with.

I feel like the woman likes a good headline but is prepared to throw our children’s education away in order to meet her personal objectives / vendettas.

What is she actually doing for state schools? Her headline grabbing titles is deflecting from her actually trying to improve state education in any meaningful and impactful way. 6500 teachers - so my kids get 1/3 of a teacher for their school? That’s shocking. More children entering the state system now puts pressure on their school, and their teachers. What is she actually doing to address this. Where is she magic-ing these trained and qualified teachers from? What is she doing to retain teachers and help with their current work load?

I’m fed up with her agenda effecting normal people. We need someone with a level head to sort schools out. End of rant!

It's in very poor taste to object to children with SEN joining your child's class just because they have SEN. Disablist even. If the class size permitted is 32, the class is now at 32 then why have you even mentioned the children have SEN? They're entitled to be there. What are you scared that these children are taking away from your precious, perfect, non-SEN child?

It's just weird how many people suddenly care so much about children with SEN when they can use them as a political football but at any other time they're a nuisance and a burden, taking resources away from the other children.

Well if anything is to change in the state sector, the funding needs to come from somewhere other than VAT on fees! It doesn’t raise enough. Even the IFS have said that.

The PP doesn’t understand behavioural economics, messaging, and nudge theory…

Bridget Phillipson has actually made a pretty well-received start as Education Secretary by the teaching profession who are used to a constant revolving door of utter dildos in the role.

So far we have had Ofsted single grades scrapped immediately, which was a huge issue for teachers, particularly headteachers. The 5.5% pay rise signed off with funding, unlike twatting around by the previous government. Performance-related pay scrapped and the right to take PPA at home have also been put in.

There's a curriculum review that has just opened and they are taking submissions. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review

The Observer put out a twatty story about how Labour were going to ban exclusions and she was on it right away saying it was bollocks and she wouldn't do anything like that, which shows that she isn't going to pander to the ultra-progressive lefty education wing, which is good.

She does, unlike previous Ed Secs, appear to be listening and taking on board the scale of the problems in education. Things feel like they have the potential to get better at least.

I don't have children at school any longer but both mine went to an OK state school. I don't really understand why Labour are doing this (if they do), if this policy sends many more children to state schools (which have financial pressures, lack of experienced teachers and a soaring demand for SEN provision) surely things will only get worse in the state sector? Do overseas pupils at private schools have to pay VAT on their fees? Will we just see an increase in overseas students coming into the private sector to keep it financially viable? For the small sums raised by VAT being added to fees, this seems an odd decision.

And selfishly for them to need an EHCP they will need a lot of
support that isn’t budgeted for before they get it. And this takes resources from the children already in class.

God forbid disabled people have needs, eh?

Do you feel the same about disabled children who enter the class but haven't come from private school? Or is it only certain children that are taking resources you feel they're not entitled to?

My understanding of the issue with EHCP is that the VAT will not be applied ONLY if it specifically names the private school as being the only suitable place for that child. And then the local authority is obliged to pay for the schooling. At least that is what I was told by a parent at our Indy who has exactly this scenario. How many spanking brand new EHCPs do you think the LA wishes to produce that obligates them like this, when authorities ar so stretched as it is? We never went the EHCP route with my oldest because his private school caters to his needs beautifully. Loads of his peers parents have said the same thing. Not only were they alleviating the state from educating their child, they we alleviating the obvious costs to the council of even applying for an EHCP in terms of assessments and staff time etc.

Do overseas pupils at private schools have to pay VAT on their fees? Will we just see an increase in overseas students coming into the private sector to keep it financially viable?

Yes they have to pay VAT. Overseas pupils are invariably boarders though, and many of those boarding schools are increasingly opening “branches” overseas, so there’s a chance that overseas families will avoid the UK, use overseas schools instead, which will impact tax receipts,

Teacher of over 25 years and a mother to a child with an EHCP.

Your post is offensive.

Who is it popular with?

Given I don’t mix with private school parents but I can’t see it being popular with them.

The state school parents I know think it’s at the detriment to their children as it won’t raise the funds and will increase class sizes.

The teachers I mix with want an impactful policy to properly help state schools and steer meaningful change.

So the only people I can see it being popular with are those who have a problem with paying for education . This doesn’t bother me- I pay to go on luxury holidays and I drive a 4x4 - I don’t therefore have the money to pay for school fees as I spend it frivolously (and not in the UK economy always) but no one hates on me for turning left on a plane or having a beautiful big car ( or do they?) .

Also those paying for education are taking children out the state system so actually they are doing the state a favour , and they’re not using up the state money by taking a state place. I am - I use everyone’s taxes to pay for my children , then we save huge amounts into private pensions , we’ve bought houses for our children (which we rent currently) and we have luxuries - I’m not helping the state at all. I take from it ? These parents are not taking from it but I am.

I didn’t want a chat about VAT because I don’t particular care about it - I’m selfish - it doesn’t bother me- but I do care about my children and I don’t want the new educational secretary hiding behind a headline and not actually doing anything substantial.

Exactly this. As someone who works in education I think she is doing brilliantly so far. A feeling which is widely shared amongst my colleagues.

I am serious. It is scary and the effects will be felt by state and private schools. Just give it time to see exactly how. Unfortunately, they want to control education and spread their ideology by brainwashing kids since young. This is why they do not care if it raises money or not. The end is to do away with private schools. They themselves were brainwashed. Pay attention as to how they explain their reasons. Very telling and really hope they don’t get way with this.

This disgusting attitude that state school parents should be scared in case disabled children join their child's class has been all over these private school VAT threads. I'm getting heartily sick of disabled children being used as a threat to drum up support against the VAT policy. My children have SEN. They attend state school. Luckily for them, their teachers, school and friends have a higher opinion of the value of disabled children than lots of people on Mumsnet appear to.

Bring on the VAT, I say, but then I'm not afraid of disabled children who want to receive an education.

Well said 🙌 this so what needs to be discussed!

If she’s doing so brilliantly why does she have to post juvenile, offensive Facebook comments making it clear she doesn’t care about the education of all of the children in this country?

Consider yourself lucky that your children get the support that they need. Many children don’t and that’s why their parents removed them from the state system. If you can’t understand why they would be extremely concerned about having to put them back into a system that failed them, you have a real problem.

The tweet was ridiculous and showed her poor motivation, and this issue

‘Government plans to impose VAT on private schools from 1 January next year may have to be delayed because of warnings from unions, tax experts and school leaders that meeting the deadline will cause administrative chaos and teacher job losses, and put pressure on the state sector.’

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5180761-6500-extra-teachers

You can discuss it here.

well purely anecdotal but people also do this to try and help their kids get into posh unis by getting them out of private for a levels 🤷🏻‍♀️ so it’s not new

I have nothing against children with SEN. One of my children is diagnosed with autism. I do have a problem with more children coming into the state system with SEN and not being resources or catered for , when they were catered for where they were. State schools can only do so much and only have so many resources that need to be shared. If a sudden influx of children with SEN come into a school with no EHCP where are the school magically getting TAs from to support their needs? When I was in classroom my TAs were out a lot with EAL and SEN children and those in the classroom (31 kids as 1 would be out) just had me as a teacher to cater for them all. It doesn’t work!

Katherine Birbalsingh posted on twitter this week that charging VAT on private school fees isn't going to help her find a science teacher.

What was the post?

I didn't say what support my children do or don't receive, did i?

They're currently on a very very long waiting list for OT. They need a lot more support than they're getting. But we make the best of it while we wait, potentially for years, because what choice do we have?

Perhaps it's all the whinging private school parents that should count themselves lucky that they can afford interventions and support for their children and stop expecting sympathy from everyone else. And stop using disabled children as some kind of "gotcha".

I was surprised to see the figures but apparently the number of kids in private has historically increased for sixth form - think it was 20% rather than 7% . I’ve seen that figure a couple of times - not really up on this topic though !

Bit of an own goal there from Katherine Birbalsingh - supposedly she runs the best school in the country so she ought to be able to find one science teacher in London. Alternative version is she is acknowledging the recruitment situ is so bad she will have to accept that the previous govt absolutely fucked it.