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

Is ‘To skint us all ’ a regional thing?

Is jelly lasagne?

@Longtimelurker1980 100% agree

You are being unreasonable to call it a “spiteful” tax ya but to stretch yourself to do what you feel is best for your children

Are you really sure 60 percent of private schools are SEND schools? And aren’t most places at private SEND schools predominantly state-funded via Local Authority EHCPs? I think there’s absolutely a discussion to be had about how SEND kids are given the best possible educational chances, but I really don’t see VAT exemption for private schools as the answer.

😂 I politely asked a question because I am curious! I haven’t heard the phrase before. Apologies for offending you.

I feel very sorry for the DC who is unhappy at school, it must hard to see their sibling thriving and know they aren’t the chosen one.

As a parent who couldn’t come close to affording a private education for her children (both of whom have SEN and have been left with significant trauma from being put through the state education system), if you CAN do it, do it.

VAT issue aside school fees go up every year and couple you keep affording that even without the vAT? I mean if you can’t afford it you can’t. A friend was desperate to send her last kid private after seeing her oldest two go backwards at a struggling secondary. But she just can’t afford it.
My younger sibling went to a private school and me and my older sibling did not. No resentment, but our state schools were good.

After tax/ NI/ Pension that’s closer to 60K. Add in your council tax, water bills, energy bills, car tax… there is very little, if anything, left after school fees.

We calculated that to meet school fees for 2 (with VAT) we would need to earn £115K neat (before PAYE tax and NI deductions), literally to just cover fees and VAT. That was for a flexible boarding school (which would cover 2 nights boarding per week).

Thank you for being a generous spirited person. X

We have an obsession with private schools in this country. There is very little demand for better state education and that is why the Labour manifesto could get away with being very weak on actual education policy.

Introducing VAT was popular but a number of smaller, low profile private schools having to make redundancies or close is not a win for the children involved, the economy or employment and does not benefit state schools in any way.

And so do 101 other things aimed at parents.

Music lessons.
Drama clubs.
Private tuition.
Sports clubs.

Just because my neighbour's child is doing dance classes and mine isn't doesn't make mine disadvantaged.

Good idea.
Grandparents?
Extending your mortgage?
Going interest only on your mortgage for a few years?
There are options but at the same time you don't want to skint yourself so badly you have no money for anything else at all.

X

I think it is slightly more than 60% actually.

Any funding provided through EHCPs is VAT exempt.

Gifted pupils who are on music and dance schemes at private schools also have VAT covered by government funding if their parents earn under a certain amount. I wonder if Lord Alli had a hand in that concession.

I think they should have left private schools alone and focused on state schools.

i would say you are definitely rich if you can afford to send 1 child to private.

You might not feel it compared to some other private school parents but compared to your average comp parent/ average UK earner you are.

Most SEN parents are unable to afford private school and most SEN children are at school in state schools.

I would send both children to state school as I think it’s unfair to send one and not the other.

Private school is a luxury product so I think the VAT is appropriate. Private school has always only been affordable for a minority, it continues to be so.

On behalf of the OP (I don’t know if they replied because I saw this comment and saw red), “F off, F off and F off”.

JUST being able to manage £33,600 DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE “ONE OF THE RICH FAMILIES.”

JUST being able to manage £33,600 means an extra £10,000 is really, really fucking stressful and unmanageable.

OP I hear you and this awful spite tax is causing untold stress, especially for parents of SEN children.

Spending 3k a month on something that could be ‘free’ does make the OP one of the rich families.

Can you apply for DLA for your child with needs? That would give you a boost. Also PIP if you or your partner has any disability that would qualify then claim that. Fuck them! So many people in a bad position because of their vindictive class games… oh and im a state school teacher saying this and I went to a state school. Private schools are needed- state schools are beyond struggling!

Utter, utter bollocks. The national median wage is 33k per annum. That's before tax.

I think it’s very unfair to give opportunities to one child and not the other. This will only create bad feeling between your children into adulthood and they are likely to be angry with you as well.

OP has household income of 100k plus their own business (not said what that brings in).
Top 5% of households in the Uk.
What’s rich?

Time to check your privilege?

100k a year and no mortgage 😂😂😂😂😂 oh poor OP. Maybe we should start a go fund me.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Right you are then.