If labour win the election can they introduce VAT immediately?

[londonparent321]

(For school fees) Or do they need to go through the courts which could take years /never happen?

And as someone else has pointed out the capacity in the state system will be in schools parents don't want.

The sharp elbows and buying power will push into the schools the parents see as desirable.

Yes I get that but if you take them out you save the fees including the VAT you would have had to pay, so freeing up loads of money to move house etc.

It won’t be. Only 7% of the population is privately educated and of that very few will be actually find themselves out in the state system.

Schools will work to keep fees down and parents will work hard to meet costs - as they have always had to.

The idea that is going to be some disruptive watershed is not borne out. It seems to be a fantasy of current fee-paying parents that somehow someone else will feel negative effects from this VAT.

Maybe all those parents, who will have to withdraw their children from private school due to not being able to afford the fee increases, should do what they frequently advise struggling families to do on here - take in ironing, get an evening job, or simply getter a better paying job.

Do you realise how competitive some state schools are?

That's not necessarily true. If there was a reasonably large cohort that would be the case but as there are decreasing numbers capacity is opening up - which may then be filled by the seemingly thousands of public school kids whose parents are borderline - so no different to the situation a couple of years ago.

There's absolutely no evidence to suggest declining birthrate is in the poorest areas not the richest.

This is another recurring fantasy of this board. This is not a negative.

Active parental input in the school system is universally a good thing. More invested parents would be great for everyone.

Not if your dc are in another school..

I don’t know any kids with SEN whose parents pay for them to attend private schools. I do know a few who have private schools funded by their EHCP.

Eh? Are you implying that there are not active parents in all schools? And why would another school be worse off?

Seriously, you are delusional.

Are you completely unaware how some state schools are very competitive and others do not attract the same cohort

Do you realise house price is often used as a way to access good state?

Whereabouts are you? You seem to have difficulty getting it

how pathetic and jealous

for many with special needs schools offer a lifeline - with specialist education and services

Besides not every private school is a Winchester or Eton - in fact most aren’t

and many parents sacrifice to send kids to private - saving on house prices near the outstanding state school

unfortunately labour does seem to be prioritising this based on talk from conferences etc

and following brexit it’s a simple and swift change to make - Probably effective from royal assent of the finance act 2025

It will be fine.

And I completely get it.

There will be little to no displacement of current students. And state schools may even benefit from those that do come.

Slightly facetious but there are quite a few parents from our local independent who work evening shifts in Tescos and Sainsbury's and also who work shifts in care homes. I also know a few who have side jobs , the lady who does Evri deliveries here has her children at a local prep which has a good rep for dyslexia support .

You do realise the state system is already overcrowded, don’t you? Have you seen 32 primary school kids in a classroom and secondary schools of 2000 pupils. Some of us have kids who have to survive in those environments- head over to the teen boards and pick any of the anxiety threads if you want some insight.

I’d get rid of the grammar system as well. It’s only exists in a few regions in England, so most kids leaving private schools would need places in non selective comprehensives.

Lots of state schools would actually massively benefit from having more students. Falling birth rates mean many primary schools are well below PAN which is heavily affecting their budgets.

I think this is a sensible policy. It’s a shame it’s another thing that will affect those who do well, but not well enough, like so many things but it’s a good way to make more public money without taking it from necessary services or people’s pockets, you have a choice if your child goes private.

That said I feel sorry for kids that may have to move schools

Not sure of your point here, unless it's to agree the overcrowding will be an issue?

honestly I don’t think there will be any dramatic effect either way from this policy . I don’t think it will raise anything like £1.7bn in year one and anyway even if it did it would have no discernible effect on school budgets as its a drop in the ocean in terms of the overall education budget . Neither will it result in an immediate inflood of pupils into the state system from the independent sector as it will be more of a trickle over time. It’s just a nothing policy , a white elephant , a sap to the culture wars .

More money spent on state schools is good for everyone. Subsidising privilege is not good value for the tax payer. More people caring about the quality of education in our state schools is good for everyone.

But does this policy deliver that , I would argue that it doesn’t . I will still vote Kabohr ( despite being b in a seat where frankly a dog in a blue rosette would get elected) but I think this policy is a waste of resources

So have labour guaranteed that any money from the taxes is going to state schools? How will they decide how much each gets?

Apparently it will pay for mental health counselling in every school. And more teachers.

Tax payers money should not be spent to subsidise private education just like it would be wrong to use it to prop up private health care for some people. If I have just enough to pay private but only with a bit of top up from the government then I need to send my kids to state school. It seems pretty obvious.

More money in the pot means more for public services. The complete obsession with this policy and the lengths people are going to threaten people that state schools will be overrun with private school kids is just nonsense. What people on here are afraid of is having to apply for places with the rest of the population and maybe not necessarily getting their first choice especially if they are joining in y8-11.

If you can't afford it, don't send them. It really is irrelevant whether you are working in Tesco to afford it.