AIBU to question rising private school fees amid declining GCSE results

[Sidedoors]

Private school GCSE decline.

What happened? Is this an example of what’s to come?

Fees are rising well beyond inflation annually yet, results are in decline.

State schools prioritising, ‘reserving seats’ in house for 6th Form. Risky investment?

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/gcse-results-day-2026-6-key-trends-from-this-years-data/

I am not sure what this thread is really about but private school is a choice and only for the few.

I’m in an affluent area and some of the schools here get the same level of grades at 7-9 as the private schools and obviously the grammars get even higher. It certainly isn’t worth sending them for the grades round here.

But I can imagine that is completely the opposite in other areas.

OP, you haven't actually answered what the point of your thread is. It does appear that its yet another post to try stick the knife in to private schools. You make your choices re. children's education, let other parents make their own. Its funny how it's always vitriol going one way through with state throwing daggers at private. As many people have said, grades are not the reason the majority choose private. If the GCSE attainment gap is closing, great - perhaps state schools are improving and that should be celebrated, not used to knock private provision.

There are so many variables though. "Private/Independent" schools, if good, offer so so much more than just the 'education', its the opportunities, the connections, the confidence to name just a few things. However, there are few grammar schools in a lot of areas, those that do have them have such stringent entry requirements so theyre getting the "best of the best" so it is no wonder they get decent grades. There are some outstanding state schools in London for example who out do most of the country but equally they have some decent kids, they're not the ones who have zero ambitions.
In our local area the local state schools excitedly advertised 70% of kids got 9-4 in their GCSE, meaning a while 30% didnt.... 15% got 9-7 (which is good) but the local Independent school advertised 58% 9-8.....

So whatever the media and society keep telling us, there are differences, private schools are not going to cease to exist, especially in our or our children's life times. I do think as a whole there will be a bigger difference between education levels. Its a postcode lottery, like the healthcare system is.

Agree. I replied to a post recently highlighting how its always state school supporters sticking knives into private education.

They’re for anyone.

So do we believe that Labour as promised will level up education in UK?

(Once they’ve dealt with the financial black hole 14 years of mismanagement under conservative government) Are we already seeing change?

Right 😂

Is this really about the VAT?

What your own, independent school management article explains is that Independent school is not a demonstration of status or prestige (it once was).

In 2026 independent schools are filled with those 1/3 ( and rising on benefits) funded by revenue through Fee payers.

Independent school families pay the benefits bill. Benefits at state schools are paid by the government.

Lots of people are obsessed with exam results alone. Life is about more than exam results on a piece of paper.

Just for balance though, the picture is the opposite for A levels (private v state gap has widened further)

https://inews.co.uk/news/education/private-schools-vat-widening-a-level-results-gap-4708168?srsltid=AfmBOoq0kT5RWUG5cBjUioq6A7tFTcwwjtwCokUscqx4iqCDD-eh25Dm

Choose the best school for your child. Different schools suit different children.

The indie I work at has had the best results ever.

It’s a clever cohort that’s gone through although we are not selective and take children with EHCPs and a full range of needs.

One thing indies can do is offer international GCSEs that have coursework elements that current GCSE exam boards do not. (Thanks Michael Gove). This does help children know they have already bagged so many marks before the exams and obviously, this reduces the number of exams they sit.

Indies are charging more because of VAT and an increase in employer NI costs but a good indie is still worth the money for many children.

Some independent schools aren’t academically selective and are chosen for pastoral reasons.

Here too.

My DCs’ school is very academically selective, as are many other independent schools locally. This year 90% of their Y11 students got a 9 in maths, and 92% in English Lit. If the state schools are narrowing the gap then that’s fantastic. All things considered, even with VAT on fees we are still happy with the choices we have made.

Articles suggest these are the final families coming through the ranks pre VAT.

Many families now looking at off ramps, transition years as they don’t want to subsidise the internal benefits culture.

The true impact of VAT not yet recognised.

But argument is one has a £250k + price tag and lots of hardship for many independent school families, unsustainable. The alternative is Free.

That chart you linked showing that grammar schools outperform both independent and other state. It just proves that grades are about brains, not money spent. Grammar schools have some of the worst funding in the country per pupil.

Evidence suggests exams are getting easier,

Many More children all getting the same grades.

Universities easier to get into due to exodus of international competition.

which all diminishes the value for money RE Independent school.

What’s the ‘internal benefits culture’? Do you mean fees going towards bursaries? At a lot of schools the bursary pot is an entirely separate pot of money funded by donations from alumni, fundraising etc.

Not regional ones.

https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/uk-schools/advice/the-future-of-private-school-fees-uk

https://spectator.com/article/schools-out-the-dissolution-of-private-education/

Surely, The results, The data proves Labour are closing the gap (already).

I hear this a lot, yet private schools’ marketing would suggest otherwise. Sure they talk about facilities ans friendships, but grades are always in the mix, often at the top.
i think they know what their prospective parents’ priorities are!

I don't agree that exams have become easier.
Have you seen any gcse papers recently?

I know I have forgotten things in the 30 years since I did GCSEs, but didn't know where to start with some of the year 10 higher maths mock paper my DC sat. In Wales they cover enough syllabus for maths and numeracy to be a double award.

Not sure how I would do on the new WJEC English either (double award including both lang and lit).

I wasn't straight A student but got 3xA, 3xB( inc maths) and 3xC in gcse. I got A and 2xC in A levels and a 2.1 in my degree.

What evidence “suggests exams are getting easier”? In my subject, 60% is assessed through NEA (non-examined assessment AKA coursework). This year, the Appraisal paper, the remaining 40% of GCSE Music, needed 75/96 to get a 9. Previous years, pre and post Covid have always been around 68-72 out of 96. A number of my students got 73, 72 etc and in previous years this would have been a 9. This year they got 8.
I don’t know what point you are trying to make. 2 years in power for Labour cannot possibly make much difference to GCSE grades. This cohort endured the so-called reforms of Gove which will take years to unravel. Gove wanted to force all students through the same narrow “doorway” of assessment and we know that this has not worked for loads of students. Y6 students should know what a fronted adverbial is; I had no clue until a y5 teacher explained it to me. I had gone through a degree and PGCE without knowing, but a y6 who doesn’t know is somehow failing.
i was educated at a private school (on a 100% scholarship). They now charge c£20k per year. The state school that I have just left after more than 20 years receives approximately £5.5k per pupil. My old school should get 3x better results as it gets 3x more income. Newsflash: results there are marginally better but where I worked gets great results too.
It’s too simplistic to throw out these assertions. You need facts to back them up and I know for certain that results are not yet set in stone as there are re-marks and reviews in progress.

The young people who just received their grades have been in education for approximately 10 yrs. Attributing their success to a policy put in place less than 2 yrs ago is silly.
Maybe the higher achievement is due to independent students who switched in the last 2 yrs bolstering up the state sector?
There’s too many variables honestly to draw conclusions, just within the state sector all schools and all student bodies are not the same.