To think that the private school VAT case is a waste of time and money?

[Yaaaassssssqueeeeeennnnnslay]

The government’s removal of VAT breaks on school fees is being challenged in courts - friend has been pinning her hopes on this, her DC ( no SEN, perfectly bright) are in an expensive private school. I told her it wasn’t likely to make a difference, and her children will be long out of school by the time any absolute decisions are made.

However, even if the judgement goes the school’s way it’ll court to the Court of Appeal, then the European Court - which could take years - and even then IF that court rules in favour of private schools our government is under no obligation to change anything.

IF a court is even willing to intervene in a social/economic policy that was in a political manifesto - a BIG policy - and voted for.

YANBU - it’s a waste of time/money if the goal is to get the government to reverse the VAT/ business rates policy in private achools

YABU - it could overturn their policy

It would seem that Labour no longer cares about bolstering state education as the promises of 6,500 teachers have been quietly dropped while KS tweeted a few days ago that the VAT revenue had allowed the Govt to provide affordable housing. That tweet appears to have been subsequently deleted.

Are all the schools directly reporting to you on their employment practices and plans? Unless that is the case, your personal experience is irrelevant.

Looks like OP is vindicated, so far.
https://inews.co.uk/news/private-schools-lose-high-court-challenge-governments-vat-fees-policy-3747195

The court case was lost. The court held that yes the child right to education was being breeched, but the right of the government to raise taxes over ruled the child’s rights. So the government ‘won’ but didn’t cover themselves in glory in doing so.

So, what is the solution, everyone?

Do we all proceed in an, fruitless, individualistic fashion? Or organise, on a collective front, and effect some change? Having opinions, points of view and making assumptions is never the basis for Progress.

Good luck.

‘ Starmer @ @Keir_Starmer • 5h
In the budget last year, my government made the tough but fair decision to apply VAT to private schools.
The Tories opposed it.
Reform opposed it.
Today, because of that choice, we have announced the largest investment in affordable housing in a generation.’

That’s the tweet from KS which has been deleted, surprise surprise.

So it’s’fair’ for independent school parents who’ve already contributed towards state education through income tax, to pay a second tax towards the same thing, on top of their fees, and to be ordered to do so mid school-year, causing thousands of children to have to suddenly change schools, some during exam years, either because their parents can’t afford the VAT or their school is closing, and now the revenue hasn’t even gone to state schools anyway? And how is the struggling state sector going to cope with the so far 13000 kids moving into it, which it now has to pay for when it previously did not - and the numbers are only increasing. Does all this sound like a good idea?

The language is interesting too 'tax break' on education was a Labour election term, they had to pass a new Act of Parliament to tax education thus creating a new 'tax opportunity'.

Whatever your politics this tax affects EVERYONE, state and private. Here's why, so far 5 times more children have left private education than labour estimated (ISC census Sept 24 before any VAT added to fees, watch this fig soar). Many in education now are fearful there's a possible crisis looming in some some schools where class sizes are 32 with 4-5 recognised SEND kids and many more slipping between the cracks, add in another 5 SEND kids and the teacher can't cope. Normal kids get ignored and the gifted and talented ones don't achieve their full potential. These extra SEND kids were absolutely fine in a class of 15 where the teacher could meet their additional needs with no impact on others. And their parents were paying for it. This situation is relevant to EVERYONE and it's not about wealth it's about meeting the needs of all children as best we can, and helping ALL children thrive and succeed at school.

Oh and the human cost of all the schools closing, dinner ladies losing their jobs etc. Well done Labour.

And those tax revenues.. now going into social housing for migrant housing, not 6.500 new state teachers as promised at the time of thd election. Well done Labour.

We are still working through the effects of Covid on these kids, and we are now forcing many to change schools.. cruel and stupid beyond words.

And yes the Etons will survive (in fact are even better off because they can now claim back VAT on major projects). But many of the middling schools and special schools won’t, and the collateral damage is children. Three closure announcements this week alone, I heard of someone whose year-10 son now has no year-11 school place for September - an entire school full of children (and school staff) displaced. Imagine if this was entire state schools closing, the effect on the kids - they’re all just kids. It’s cruel.

God just when you think they can’t go any lower they can’t even stand by their stupid tweet disgraceful

They have to offer outstanding sporting facilities because that attracts many students.

Don't be ridiculous. What I mean is that they haven't published or publicised a single, specific educational improvement to state schools as a result of this. Breakfast clubs are not educational and should come out of the welfare budget. I love how it's ok for it to take time for the funds to trickle in (or not) but it wasn't ok to introduce this gradually in September or at next point of entry for kids already in. That tweak might have allowed the gov to persuade a few more people that this wasn't just a spiteful, ideology driven spank to "the rich" and for parents who could no longer continue to organise contingency plans.

They are an absolute disgrace of jealous hypocrisy I despise their race to the bottom aspirations

Not quite. The court dismissed the argument that VAT fundamentally altered access to education, stating that the financial burden alone does not breach the right to education

Don't accuse other posters of being ridiculous when you are admitting that your post didn't say what you intended it to say.

Oh give over @Nominative . This is not the court room, it's a social media chat room. Both my posts say the same thing, that no tangible, specific educational benefit has yet been delivered, but plenty of claims for that money have been spouted. How about you address that instead of picking a fight over posting style?

I feel so sorry for all those kids affected by school closures who are in year 10. They now have to change schools and they are probably doing a different specification. I also feel for all the staff losing their jobs.
I paid a lot of money to buy a house in the catchment of a good state school. Anybody else who does the same as me then criticises the concept of private education is hypocritical imo.

Well if it attracts rich overseas students, then I’d argue that yes, that fancy cricket pitch is absolutely needed.

Also, any great sports facility, anywhere is a plus. I’ve used private school sports facilities for evening adult sports that I was involved in. Fantastic.

Also the school may be able to reclaim the VAT that they paid on the sports pitch construction.

it was a policy designed to hurt private schools. Money raised in the short term will be minimal due to repayments of VAT, like the reported £5m to Eton.

It’s all a big race to the bottom. And I don’t mean in terms of maths/english. I mean as a society in general. We have made it hard for private landlords so there is fuck all rental stock now. Yes, many were bastards and screwing tenants. But it’s the decent landlords who’ve sold up in fear.

@Mintsj a very fast race to the bottom
my son received a bursary to prep and public no way I could have afforded that it makes me so angry that this opportunity has been taken away from other kids with the withdraw of bursaries assistance for many schools
we were landlords we sold some and have changed the business model ref the others to air band b in direct response to the governments war on landlords hence less rentals
its insane and now the war on business resulting in highest unemployment but Rachel Reeves keeps saying firm footing further and faster she really believes her publicity

A lot of private schools do International GCSEs. If my kids had to change ( they’ve left now) they’d be really screwed as most of them were.
Plus they did Classics, Russian, Latin, German etc subjects not available in many schools and certainly none near us.

RR took £5million funding off state curriculum for advanced maths and Latin

You're a landlord with numerous properties, if bursaries are going to already highly privileged families like yourself then maybe they do need to be overhauled.

The lack of self awareness is astounding.

@skippersy thank you for your comment we may of had assets but sadly not generating income due to various policies like section 24. To sell would have incurred CGT we were lucky getting a bursary I admit it but now that opportunity has been taken away from others abd us available to none. State schools won’t become better now the vat raised which is nil is going towards housing tweet by Starmer now removed on Thursday it’s a disgrace

Agree, Labour are in a race to the bottom.

Any money saved from the policy of spite, has not been used for state schools or Labour would have announced it. Breakfast clubs are not education.

Breakfast clubs in a few schools, that nobody was asking for, as most schools have breakfast clubs already. Pathetic.