To wonder if Labour really understand the implications of their attack on private schools?

[Bumpitybumper]

I've just found out a private school near me is almost certainly closing. I honestly think this is a disaster for everyone involved. Obviously the direct employees (teachers, caretakers, caterers and cleaners etc) and the suppliers will suffer. The children will now need to find a new school either in the state or private sector. Easier said than done considering many of the good local schools are full so there it isn't like they are applying for a state schools with a full range of options that everyone else has. Most importantly though, I wonder if the government has quite anticipated the type of children that they are disrupting and harming here.

I withdrew my child from this private school because the school was basically acting as a bit of a school that unofficially specialised in SEN and my child doesn't have a SEN so it was a poor fit. Many of the children struggled with behaviour, socialising and needed adaptions to the school day to keep them on an even keel. The school managed this fine as it was small enough to adapt and create an environment that wasn't too stressful for the children. I am seriously worried about what will happen to these kids now. I don't think many of them could cope in a state setting, especially one that is struggling already to deliver a good level of education to the children there. I honestly think these children will either have their own education decimated or they will incredibly disruptive and resource hungry which will impact other kids. I feel really angry on these poor children's behalf. The parents that I know that sent their kids there were doing so as a last resort because they had been failed by the state sector.

AIBU to think that Labour really hasn't thought through who they are impacting with their anti private school policies? They are nowhere near nuanced enough to target the privileged only and inevitably many struggling and SEN kids are going to be hugely detrimented by this.

Whst about the thousands of kids whose parents cant afford private school at all but are being failed becsuse they cant cope in mainstream?
Do they not matter?
The real solution would be to improve SEN provision for ALL.

If there was infinite state funding and resource then of course you are right, but the opposite is true. How does it help SEN kids in the state schools to have these children join their school and stretch what limited resource is available even further?

Surely the answer is to let private school parents pay for their children to attend schools that work for their children and focus state resource and money on those that can't afford to use the private schools.

Dumping more kids with additional needs into the state sector doesn't help anyone.

I think you're missing the point. The VAT on private schools policy is primarily there for idealogical reasons, the government did it because they believe this is what Labour governments should do. The outcomes aren't really a concern to them. It's a way of them being able to say "we're on the side of working people who can't afford to send their children to private schools" (whilst at the same time making these same people significantly poorer and risking their jobs through other "strategies").

The actual outcome in terms of schools closing, more pupils going into state schools and people losing their jobs doesn't really matter to the government. A lot of voters will support anything that negatively impacts anyone better off than them. (I do to be fair, I'd like to see a massive tax increase for people earning over 100K, mainly because I can't see any likelihood of me ever earning that much!)

Many of the kids in private sen schools are funded in part or fully by their council as part of their echp as its cheaper for the council and/or the council don't have the space/facilities handle/educate them

Is the SEN provision for those kids going to be improved by competing for existing resources with more SEN kids coming back into state from private?

The parents who were paying for private have already been taxed for the state system, so if their school closes and they move back into state, then the existing funding just has to go around more students.

Is that a good outcome for SEN children in state?

I agree but thats not happening and pushing up Private School fees will not benefit even 1 child in any kind of school.

Bur things are not going to improve for them because others will be worse off?
How is what OP is describing going to make things better fur the children you are talking about?

You do realise this government made no secret that this was their intention. It was in a manifesto- which won them a landslide majority.
Seems the electorate are generally not really that bothered about you buying your kids advantages. Who knew?

The Labour Party is full of spite. They enjoy punishing people who won’t ever vote for them. Look at pensioners, typically more like on to vote Conservative, so push out a policy without an impact assessment to punish them.

It’s abysmal politics.

Surely the answer is to let private school parents pay for their children to attend schools that work for their children and focus state resource and money on those that can't afford to use the private schools.

You just want a bunfight, don't you?

You withdrew your child and now you're blaming Labour for its closing down? Was logic high on your curriculum OP?

The sensible and economical thing to do would be for the state to support those schools to provide places for even more children with SEN. The infrastructure and staff are already there.
But that doesn't fit their ideology. I have autistic chiidren in my family in private facilities individually funded by the state. There are no suitable state facilities. The government should work with the schools, not force them to close, leaving the children high and dry.

Seems the electorate are generally not really that bothered about you buying your kids advantages

That doesn’t sound like the case in OP’s scenario.

They don’t care about the consequences so it’s irrelevant whether they understand or not. It was an ideological vote winner designed to grab the attention of the jealous, and it worked.

Me removing my child wasn't the reason the school shut down. It has roughly the same number of pupils it's had for years.

I think you will find that schools that are currently closing have been in financial difficulties for quite some time.

The State should nationalise schools like this and fund it properly and allow more SEND kids in. Turn this shambles into something positive.

Whst about the thousands of kids whose parents cant afford private school at all but are being failed becsuse they cant cope in mainstream?
Do they not matter?
The real solution would be to improve SEN provision for ALL.

I didn't have a private education and neither did my children but to drag all education down to a 'one size fits all' setting just doesn't make any sense to me.

This school specialised in SEN kids which do not fare well in secondry education generally and so it was in my opinion taking on children that will now get a less specialised education at taxpayers expense doesn't make sense.
Private schools allow different ideas in education, such as Montissori schools where it's less curriculum driven and to reduce education to one system only is communist ideal, one size fits all, it's not democratic.
I'm in Kent and there are still Grammar Schools here and people love them, they were all destroyed in the 1930's and education has not got any better since then.

I went to a failing Comprehensive in the North East and it was hell, I don't wish that on any kids especially with SEN.

If the kids are that bad they will have an EHCP.

There will be no vat added to the fees of these students.

Presumably a lot will be home educated, some will find the money to move to another private. I feel it's getting harder & harder to rely on the state for stuff.

I do to be fair, I'd like to see a massive tax increase for people earning over 100K, mainly because I can't see any likelihood of me ever earning that much!)

Someone earning 100k paye pays a lot of tax & loses a lot of benefits. How much would you have them pay?

Look at pensioners, typically more like on to vote Conservative, so push out a policy without an impact assessment to punish them.

means testing winter fuel is not punishing pensioners.

There should be more SEN special schools in the state system.

It took 4 years and thousands of pounds in legal fees and private paediatric/ psychiatric assessments to get EHCP for 2 of the dc in our family. Because the education system and the NHS fail these children at every turn.
The damage done in those 4 years is irreversible.

So this is a private school that isn't actually a specialist SEN private school but has lots of children with SEN. So many kids with SEN that you decided it was an inappropriate school for your child and withdrew him.

Honestly, sounds like a pretty shoddy business model. They won't have the actual SEN expertise to be able to handle kids with EHCPs (which means their fees are VAT exempt) but they also are clearly not attractive to parents who think their kids are held back by the SEN kids there.

So yeah, not sure that is Labour's fault. Some businesses fail because they simply aren't good businesses.