To be completely shocked by this - Bridget can’t tell us the impact of the government’s VAT on Education?

[Sasskitty]

Bridget Phillipson dodges question on impact of private school tax raid

As parents and schools complain of chaos, Ms Phillipson refuses to spell out details of the assessment made by the department for education

Bridget Phillipson failed to spell out the full impact of the government’s private school VAT raid, dodging the question when asked about the possible implications for special education schools.

While she said the government has “looked at all of the potential impacts”, her answer failed to provide any real detail on the expected consequences.

It comes as parents and schools complain about the implications of the tax raid, which came into force on New Year’s Day and is expected to raise £1.5bn for the Treasury.

YABU - Bridget Phillipson has it all in hand. She just didn’t feel like answering the pesky question. The point is to piss rich people off. Leave Labour alone, they want nothing but erm oh I’m not sure.

YANBU - Phillipson clearly has no idea what the impact of VAT on Education will be. Nor does she really care as long as she’s seen to be punishing those horrible rich people. Or even better (it seems) the not really rich ones just trying to improve the education of their children as the available state schools were not suitable.

https://apple.news/AO7fcmrzuRaik4stLaPQxwA

(sorry paywall but there’s not much more in the article)

PS. I’ve removed the poll tally, no one needs to see real data. Do they?

UN believes quality education is a right not a privilege

In which case every child should be getting it and not just those who can afford to pay for it.

Agreed but that's not what Labour are doing. Budget cuts to state schools etc

https://www.sinclairslaw.co.uk/news/2024-10-14-mother-of-autistic-child-to-take-legal-action-against-governments-vat-raid-on-independent-schools

One of the challenges

I wonder where she’s getting the money? Lawyers cost a lot more than a 20% increase in school fees.

Crowd funding. Hope that helps

It certainly helps her. Some people have no shame.

Really? Lots of parents very happy to help support her. I can't believe your attitude towards a parent who is just fighting on behalf of their child.
You comment of "no shame" is disgusting

@blossomtoes - what would you like Reeves to do if she loses on human rights grounds for SEND or is instructed to widen the SEND exemption? Would you like her to just ignore it? It is not possible to do that. How do people think this will pan out if they lose?

I guess we’ll cross that bridge if we come to it.

Oh give over with the moral high ground. You were on here saying you feel visceral hatred towards a cabinet minister last week. I find that disgusting.

Based on cases in Denmark and Sweden plus the Tory government’s decision not to impose VAT on private school fees in 1987.
In what way do you feel that VAT on private school fees breaches the Human Rights Act in the 21st century post-Brexit UK?

Yes exactly, the Human Rights Act stipulates an education, not a private education. And that’s on offer in the UK, a state education for every child. There’s no right in law to be able to choose private!

There is plenty of real evidence to draw on that many children with SEND are not getting -either at all or not promptly enough- the state education they deserve, as a matter of human right.
The barriers to access are too high and not automatic, as they should be based on need and easy to access.
So I do not think the appellants in this judicial review have to reach very far to gather evidence? See my links below. One of the appellants has been through the process themselves, see my link above.

I do not think this situation with SEND is acceptable. I have not heard of other European countries having such high barriers to entry? I think it is unacceptable that the Government then taxes and limits the choice of such children further, in this SEND crisis climate?
The funding barriers put up, in my mind, are not OK - the financial burden placed on individual schools and local authorities are not OK. A growing SEND crisis should be funded fully by Central Government - although I am sure most people will disagree with me, due to shortage of funds in the economy.

https://ifs.org.uk/publications/spending-special-educational-needs-england-something-has-change

www.nao.org.uk/reports/support-for-children-and-young-people-with-special-educational-needs/

In addition, because there are now already a number of exemptions to the VAT policy, it is harder to argue that an exemption should not apply more widely to children with SEND, and that a mistake has not been made, not including them.
Especially those who would be entitled to an EHCP? Or any receiving DLA etc

If other exemptions have been granted, it would be proportionate to grant a SEND exemption?
Or in other words, are children with SEND less important than children in state boarding schools or the children of the US military or children on dance & music schemes?

that’s on offer in the UK, a state education for every child.

If only that were true. For my child, it wasn’t.

Absolutely agree. Which is why taxes are used to fund education for every child in this country. If anything it’s institutions that charge money to give children basic education that should be stopped, not the removal of tax breaks on fees.

So @Letlooseonthedanse - are you offering that Central Government negotiates with all those private schools and fully funds the fees of kids with SEND in them in accordance with those negotiations?

It is for 99.9% of children though, so not really a reason to claim that VAT on a private education breaches human rights.

There are plenty of children affected, not just those who had to choose private education. Plenty of homeschooled children as well.

You said every child. That’s not true. It’s pretty tough being one of the 0.1%.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/gibb-we-have-let-down-thousands-of-send-children/

Bousted pointed to Germany as an example of best practice. “They look to have smaller classes. They’ve got a more flexible workforce. We need to start looking at those solutions.”

Yes I know and I’m sorry this has happened to you. I definitely don’t lack empathy. It’s just that the general principle in the human rights act is that a child must have the opportunity for an education and this is being misused by those who disagree that an almost always privileged choice should be subject to VAT.

@ChallahPlaiter - there are thousands of children not getting a suitable state education, the absence figures speak for themselves. There are so many people desperate for their children to be in school and the state has failed them! Some of these people have paid up out of their own pockets to send their children to private schools, so that they get some sort of an education. None of this is controversial, it is a concept all over, in so many different reports, in the absence figures, in the teacher shortages as well as many teachers cannot cope with the level of need and expectations placed on them without funding, to support that need.
The mainstream inclusion argument vs specialist SEND schools - none of it matters if neither side on the political spectrum is going to provide the funding needed for these children. And the impacts are felt by everyone.
Of course the private schools parents caught up in all of these, essentially budgeting fights, are exasperated and are going to challenge the human rights of their children. I think they are brave to do so. Let’s see what happens. We may all benefit from the outcome, ultimately.

I think the current - post-covid - situation in education is too complex to be resolved by a handful of parents complaining about paying VAT on private school fees.

It’s extrapolation to claim that a court proceeding undertaken by a few parents is indicative of VAT on private education affecting large numbers of SEN children. Personally I also find it distasteful.