Is Bridget Phillipson's tweet accurate?

[Seriouslyy]

VAT debate aside - can someone please explain to me why Bridget Phillipson has linked more teachers to embossed stationary or more mental health support to pools?

My first thought was its just propaganda, but surely the Minister for Education would post something that is accurate so I am wondering what I have misunderstood?

I thought private school parents themselves are paying the VAT rather than the private schools? Bridget's tweet seems to be suggesting private school parents are paying for pools and stationary but now instead will be paying for teachers and mental health support? I'm very confused.

Bridget Phillipson's twitter post
"Our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery.
Our children need mental health support more than private schools need new pools.
Our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches."

Education Secretary’s private schools tweet ‘propagates class war’, says Tory MP | Evening Standard

Highly interesting use of language ie "divide" etc.
Can I ask whether you want to improve state or just attack indy sector? Because if you want to improve state why aren't you bothered that Labour aren't promising extra funding in order to do that?

No that's not my argument, stop putting words into my mouth

@itwasnevermine the government DOES use some private school places to help.

Military families.

Some SEND kids- the council pays for private education becuase there is nothing appropriate in state schools in the area.

@twistyizzy they have a hell of a lot to do. They won't get it all done in this first budget. They are trying.

It's telling that teachers in the state sector are happy with the new education secretary but it's only private school parents who aren't.

Probably what inspired her. Cause no imagination/creativity

Private health care is usually funded through benefit schemes though. So patients don't pay the full cost of an operation, they do it through health insurance. So if the same principle applied then yes we would do this because we would pay an education policy and then get the fees paid at a reduced rate with tax benefits.

So how about the Indy places that the government already pays for: military and SEN? Are you against these?

Because the policy is already making teachers redundant maybe? That's why teaching unions are calling for the policy to be delayed

It's a stupid tweet because it implies private schools are rolling in money and frivolously spending money on ye olde embossed stationary to perpetuate the stereotype lots of people have that they're all like hogwarts or stuck in the past. I agree it's needlessly stoking tensions, just be done with it if they're going to do it, none of this pathetic, childish tweeting.

Also regarding mental health, improve support and provision outside of schools for this and then give funding in order to be able to recruit an adequate number of teachers and support staff. Schools are becoming a catch all picking up the pieces of failing parts of the system and it's one of the reasons they're sinking; giving some arbitrary funding that won't touch the sides and won't provide anything that is as effective as having a functioning MH service and support will probably make things worse.

It's her sneering attitude to sports and exercise facilities that upsets me. Children everywhere have suffered from the closure of public pools, selling off of sports fields and parks and the de facto privatisation of play opportunities. The biggest factor in children's mental well being is access to exercise and outdoors. Girls are particularly likely do a lot less activity.

Schools don't need mental health hubs selling otherwise healthy teen problems (which is essentially what they do) - they need sports, play & outdoor classrooms.

What is interesting is the glee shown from supporters of VAT about the impact on indy kids. Actual glee at kids being without a school. It isnt the fault of the kids that their parents chose indy yet they are the ones impacted.
If this had been a properly thought put policy it would be tapered and kids currently in Indy schools would be exemt until the natural break points, exactly like Starmer was when his grammar turned into an indy.

Are we? I don't know any of my colleagues who are overly enamoured, we have the breakfast club it looks like if it happens we'd be expected to staff for no additional pay, and not really anything about improving training, retention, crumbling buildings, reworking the curriculum etc. What aside from crowing about the VAT on private schools (which won't improve the number of teachers in state schools anyway) is particularly inspiring?

I teach in a private school, we don't have embossed stationery... and our pool was built in the 60's, so all paid for....

The local state grammar does have an embossed letter head and has a much bigger poor built 6 years ago, that we hire sometimes!

Very telling that as soon as the idea of state school children being sent into private schools in order to ease the burden the answer is "well no!"

Just admit you don't want your children around the children who go to state schools.

I find it incredibly sad that so many refuse to see the privilege that they have.

She is ridiculous. It's funny because the state schools in our local area have Astro turf pitches that are brilliant- so much so that the local football clubs rent them out on a weekend. The local state schools get a coach to the brand new shiny Becky Adlington swim school once a week and the private school has a run down pool that's been there for longer than my secondary school child has been alive. 😅 There are also 2 state schools within a 20 mile radius that have pools of their own. The local state schools have access to services like Kooth and other mental health support meanwhile the private was without a school nurse for almost a year. Clearly there are plenty of advantages to private vs state I.e variety of subjects, smaller class sizes, sports coaching etc etc but what I'm saying is, it's clearly not as simple Bridget seems to think. Added VAT won't help anybody's education, it will probably make it worse for all.

Who said that? My child was at state through primary and will again for 6th form. Most parents using indy on a mix and match basis with state. So stop perpetuating the "don't want to mix with state" stereotype because it simply isn't true.

@twistyizzy when I suggested that the private sector is used to ease the burden in the same way as the NHS you said no.

I've not seen a comprehensive argument against it that doesn't boil down to "it's not fair!"

Yet you can't see how indy currently eases the burden on state? Quite simply it takes 550,000 kids out of state which means it saves the state £4 billion per year whilst those parents already pay taxes to fund state.

What bothers me the most is that you get some people saying "fuck the rich, they deserve it". But if PS parents said "fuck the poor, they deserve", we would be completely destroyed.

Nobody has said this though?

Is there not an expectation that when you buy a service, you will pay VAT?

There was the option for private schools to make their current fees inclusive of VAT.

If they haven't done that, take it up with the school.

I think the point is, that people miss (and I know, having taught 20 years in private), a huge majority of the parents are not rich - they have normal jobs and put aside a large chunk of income to give their child a private education.

In many cases so the child has better access to SEND facilities, or for the built in wraparound care, or boarding.

And based on an average secondary state capitation of £5K per annum our parents save the state £25K approx per child between year 7 & 11.

Errr? My DD’s independent school does take on state school SEN from the local authority, it doesn’t make a profit, and teachers are paid less than they would get in state, but have less of the pressure. They have a number of ex-state school teachers.

The 6,000 extra teachers this policy is supposed to fund will not fill the gap caused by the huge number of teachers leaving the state system because of the pressures within that system. I personally know of three teachers, qualified less than 8 years, who have quit this year. Maybe the Government should focus on fixing the state system before attacking independents.

Except that service has always been zero rated because of EU law. That's the issue, this makes us the first country in Europe tax education. It has already caused diplomatic ruptions with France + Germany because of international schools in the UK. What a legacy for Labour "the first European country to tax education".

@twistyizzy well we aren't a part of the EU anymore.

The argument is that if you weren't paying those fees you'd have thousands of disposable income that would either be spent or saved, generating tax for the economy.

Because you aren't listening. Are you Phillipson?
Teaching unions, head teachers, SEN charities, military personnel groups, lawyers, accountancy firms, French + German diplomats etc etc are all saying pause or stop. Labour, much like yourself, are ignoring it all.