To be gleeful that most of us were right

[Wranglestar]

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/adding-vat-to-private-school-fees-has-had-no-obvious-impact-on-state-sector-applications-390546/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2ATdaVlNkJsbtC-KizuW4Fw41obnpvezxnFv4IAFwzJPHXmU90Awr5eqAaem9tMIsn9I0vHSC4jrdYONIA#0rd9makyd4264nstc4us9j77yk5kaoswtLondon Economic

And that private schools has had no impact on state school places. The rich have simply - paid more. Excellent news!

You can’t get a cleaner for love or money here.

That’s a good thing right? I think it’s a good thing.

What a nasty person you are to be gleeful.
I don't in principle have an issue with VAT on school fees BUT the way it was introduced was SPITEFUL. To bring it in part way through a school term was spiteful. It should have been brought in for new pupils only.
Labour always do spiteful things (killing pensioners by withdrawing WFP, creating dodgy dossiers to kill 500,000, volunteering British troops for Ukraine etc) and their supporters get gleeful about these things...

killing pensioners by withdrawing WFP

I very much doubt a single pensioner has died from the loss of £150. The Daily Mail would never have let us hear the end of it.

She cost us £200 per month, which is about what our school fees have gone up by.

You've posted a 1-week old article that has also no factual basis - no one will be able to see any real impact of the VAT change until at least state school places for September 2025 have been accepted (the deadline for this is today). We for example have opted for the outstanding state school down the road for our second child because of the additional 5k a year we would have ended up paying. In addition, we will be moving DC1 to state for 6th form, when previously we were set on her current (private) school. YABU also because we had the EXACT SAME thread last week. Getting desperate now!

Well perhaps I don't live near you

As I said on another thread, this proves absolutely nothing. It has long been the case that parents intending to send their children to independent schools also apply for a place at state schools so that they've got a backup. Parents deciding not to go independent was never going to have a significant effect on applications for the normal year of entry. If there is an effect, it will be seen in an increase in applications for in-year places and a higher proportion than normal of those offered places actually starting in September.

It may be that there won't be any significant exodus from independent schools, but the figures on applications tell us precisely nothing. They certainly do not prove that those who said there would be no exodus are right. You may be right, but it is far too early to tell.

Well I'm glad you're so happy. I found out today come September I don't have a job as the private school I work at is now closing, like so many others. As PP have said, the impact will not be clear yet, but for some of us it is already devastating.

We haven't reached the end of the school year yet OP. Few parents would take a child out of school mid-year, even if they could find a suitable state place. I'd pause your glee until September.

I'm a single mum with a ds on a scholarship at an independent. I pay half fees which is still a massive stretch for me. He is half way through his A'levels. The only reason I will not be moving ds is because I was made redundant last August and my employer had to pay me a lump sum.

Luckily I was able to find another job within a few weeks so I have enough of my redundancy payment left over to cover the fee increases and VAT.

The ironic thing is, as a redundancy payment, I received the money tax free. Then I'll pay 20% VAT on fees. If my employer hadn't reacted to the Labour election win by making a lot of us redundant, the govt would have got 40% tax on my income. So in my case, the govt has lost a fair amount of tax. 🙄

Leaving the policy aside - people have lost their jobs. Children have had their education disrupted. Gleeful is not the word I would use.

Why are you gleeful? Has it improved your life in some way?

Totally agree with this. My kids go private (at the moment - you never know what will happen when your income comes from a job) we can well afford the increase, makes no difference to me but it makes me sick people crowing over any child’s education being disrupted

what I want to see reported is the promised “more teachers” “build new schools” … paid for by the 20% vat. This will take decades.

the promise was

NOT better educational outcomes for those in state schools.
Thats what I would have wanted to be promised

buildings don’t make education better
more teachers don’t make education

they did not promise:
better teachers
smaller classes
more support for Sen
curriculum that supports future employment

How about the private schools that have closed…people out of work? Does that make you happy too?

I'm glad it hasn't had a bad impact on state providers or caused too many schools to close. But it's not really my main concern. I personally wouldn't choose to send my kids to private school, even if I was rich.

I believe that children should be among others from mixed social, economic, racial and familial backgrounds and learn together. In real life you need to be exposed to as many different types of people as possible to help you both be a benefit and benefit yourself in society.

I support the introduction of VAT on fees but am not gleeful about it.

DH and I are both privately educated. We chose to send our DC to the local comprehensive. Some of my friends educated their children privately. All of them would have easily been able to absorb the VAT increase if it had been introduced when their DC were still in school. I don't think I know anyone who would have struggled with the VAT increase or chosen state education Vs private.

Seems rather poor form to gloat over other parents misfortune. It just smacks of jealousy.

And you've made a massive assumption that all those who send their children to private school are "rich". There will be a proportion who have begged/borrowed/done whatever they had to in order to get their child into an educational institution that meets their needs because the state system can't or won't. That's not magically going to change.

Only if you’re posh I suppose.

It’s far too early to judge.
if you apply for state and indie , you don’t need to make a decision until the last day of the Easter holidays to give notice to the indie school. It’s the take up of places in September which will give the real indication of the VAT effect.
My DC have left school but had they still been there, I would have waited until a natural break to change if we wanted to switch, e.g. for year 12, or year 9 or 7.

But higher earners have changed their behaviour and so have companies. All of that is yet to filter through. It’s the larger scale consequences. Oh that’s right, 10k NHS jobs and huge cuts to the welfare bill. Maybe all the people who read between the lines and saw that coming can be gleeful tomorrow?

Yes, it will take more than the government taking in more tax to fix the state school system. Of course you are not being unreasonable to be delighted that state schools are continuing to underperform. Good for them.

So a post about a non-benefit? Yay, well done! Show me how it helps most kids and I might do a little dance. The fact it has done nothing other than disrupt kids and make them move schools to win votes as a huge signal of reverse snobbery seems to have passed you by.

That's my take. Bitter and jealous of those better off than her. Let's hope she doesn't pass on that attitude to her DC.

Really unpleasant post OP.