To skint us all by sending DC to private school?

[Stilish]

One DC is at private school. This is because they have SEN and was really struggling at local comp. This was before the VAT issue. That DC is absolutely flourishing.

Next DC has no SEN and started at the local comp last year. Is not having a great time at all, it’s a really poor school in many ways and this DC has gone from happy and high achieving, to unhappy and failing academically in 12 months.

I want to send this DC to the private school too, where I know they will thrive like their sibling. But with the VAT it will be an incredible stretch for our family and I don’t know what to do. I have one happy child in a good school doing well, and one unhappy child in a crap school not doing well.

I hate Kier Starmer and I hate Rachel Reeves. Their spiteful tax hasn’t punished any of the rich families. But I’ve been homeless and my husband and I have grafted since our teenage years, and it’s bloody punishing us.

What on earth do I do?

YANBU - find a way and send them
YABU - keep one child in the local comp and let them keep failing

I think that’s a bit of a generalisation. I’m a lawyer so have come across A LOT of private school educated people throughout my education and career. Sure some are wankers but plenty aren’t. Same as life generally.

Yes, i agree.
But it doesn't change my experience of those I've I'm afraid. I worked in education and also knew my fair share

*of those I've known

But it doesn't change my experience of those I've I'm afraid. I worked in education and also knew my fair share.
@Letskeepcalm

Were you a teacher and these up-their-own-arse privately educated your colleagues?
Did every single one of them tell you they were privately educated?
Where I worked I don’t think anyone discussed their education.

This! I was just thinking who owns no property but spends a third of their income on private school fees! Come retirement, you’ll have no home and no savings and your kids might be educated but if they struggle to find employment straight out of college/uni, you won’t be able to support them so this will have been for nothing.

This is the point where we find out OP owns several rental properties. We probably already have as I haven’t RTFT

Have you looked at other state schools?

Get over yourself. You can afford £33k a year, you are rich. Stop being disingenuous and painting yourselves as some kind of needy beneficiaries of everyone else’s money. You can’t afford it, like 95% of parents. Tough. People like you make me feel sick

And the savings generated are being invested in additional teachers - how awful

Many of those claiming DLA are not benefit scroungers.

Indeed. But many are

If we were still in the EU, the government would not have been allowed to impose VAT on private schools. They might be a business but EU rules state that taxes cannot be imposed on education.
This government suffers from class envy. The VAT was supposed to pay for more teachers in state schools (2024 manifesto pledge) but there are now almost 2000 fewer state school teachers than there were then.

Claiming what you are entitled to, even if you're 'playing the system' (dropping your working hours) to claim as much as possible does not make someone a scrounger. Not claiming does not make you a better person. You could put any money you don't need at the time into savings to ensure the person has a safety net in the future.

I was commenting on the poster I was quoting use of the phrase "benefit scroungers".

Don't put too much savings away for them though as they might not get much help when they are 18.

Yes, I know - my quoting might be messed up. Not having a go at you.

In most private schools the academic/ sports/ drama scholarships are only worth 10% of the fees, and only once no matter how many scholarships you have. But I agree that bursaries and hardship fund applications should be the way to go.

How much sympathy did you have, pre VAT, for the families that wanted to go private but couldn't afford it by about 10%? Did you push the school to offer them a discount or more bursaries, did you care at all?

There have always been people who can borderline afford it, most people only care when they fall into that group. If you think about your previous attitude to people on the border, that's how much people are going to sympathise with you.

Maybe it's got nothing to do with the school. Maybe your younger son just doesn't like school or just isn't academic? Maybe he is feeding off your vibes as you do seem to think that his school isnt as good? It's kinda a self fulfilling prophecy isn't it?

Anyway, take him out of state and get the other parents in the private school to subsidise him. One less in state means one less for the state school teachers to teach.

So many on Mumsnet have the attitude of, “Well, WE worked hard, so WE deserve private school!” Why do they expect anyone who could never afford private to care that they have to pay VAT? If they can’t afford it, they can’t have it, just like most of the country.

I was thinking the same. It sounds like DC2 also has SEN. It happened to us as a family, putting so much resource behind DC1, only to find both were in fact struggling for the same reason. Secondary school is often when it become noticeable. Worth having a chat with the (SENCO at the) state school as a starting point.

My friends daughter has SEN and couldn’t attend school as it was just too stressful for her… they’ve now got her into a private school and it’s fully funded… why couldn’t you do that?

This government suffers from class envy.

explain this @OneLilacCrow. You think you are of a ‘higher class’ than others because you have more money? Even though, you don’t have quite enough to send your kids private, so therefore you’re not the ‘class’ required ?

So she can attend school?

It’ll add 1% to the education budget
So there will be no discernible difference unless it funded something noticeable and specific, like Latin lessons for all

Maybe a bursary for your 2nd child? It’s worth exploring with the school.

Do you understand what 1% of the education budget equates to?

Fuck off with you ‘latin’ joke. Gross