If you’re charged VAT will you remove your child from their private school? I’m v stressed!

[Liikklu]

We won’t be able to pay the increase. Only hope is asking grandparents for the shortfall which we don’t want to do. Anyone else in a similar boat? Do you think it will literally be a 20% increase on fees or will schools absorb some of it? Our school has said they will address the matter ‘if and when’ it applies.

I would join the Facebook group Education not Taxation: Parents Against School Fees VAT. You will get much better support on there than Mumsnet where I’ve received a number of personal attacks when discussing this subject.

@Dibblydoodahdah thank you!

You need to work out what you could go to and ask grandparents if they can help with the shortfall based on the full 20% being passed on.

Schools are not going to be able to tell you anything just yet. They’ll need to know if the policy is enacted, how their competitors respond and how their parents are affected before making a decision.

Parental pressure will play a big part in schools’ decision-making; one or two parents needing to pull their kids out is your problem; 30% of parents is their problem.

Here we go....

@StormingNorman we’ve not broached other parents so far. It feels an awkward conversation but I have no idea if others are in the same boat as us.

Good point, it's hardly been discussed on here.

It really depends on the school and you WNBU to ask the school what they have planned.

Our kids' school is in regular dialogue with parents about this-how much they think they can absorb, surveying parents re our views on where cuts might be made, and sharing info on what's available for parents who are in financial difficulties.

There will be other parents in the same boat.

Ask your school. The 90 odd percent of people who don’t use private schools don’t know, and don’t care!

Presumably the grandparents are wealthy? I’d be absolutely mortified to be tapping my parents up for money for anything, let alone a luxury.

There was an article recently that reported on the first school to fall as a result of dwindling pupil numbers chalked up to the impending vat charges. So, a significant drop in numbers became a problem for the school and the remaining kids who had to be parcelled out to other nearby schools.

I won't remove mine as it'll be just one year of sixth form.

However, I am disgusted by Starmer's hypocrisy on this matter. He sent his own children to a rather lovely state primary school. Loads of that catchment consists of houses in the £2million region. Like Starmer's house. Just like Blair's went to London Oratory or whatever. The state schools that politicians use are ones that most of us could only dream of. Massive inequality. Selection by price of house. Which, if we destroy our private sector, will happen more and more.

My house is probably worth about a quarter of what Starmer's is worth. I don't have access to the kind of exclusive state schools he does so I sent mine to private school (and I don't have an expensive house to show for it at the end of the education process).

The state sector obviously needs money. Why aren't we taxing those in £1million+ houses who use state schools? They could pay VAT of 20% on the value of their free state place? Seeing as it's OK to tax education and the state sector needs money. Why only tax those of us who've had to pay for private due to the shit local state options. Why not actually tax the rich people who are using state places for free, having gamed the housing situation? Like Starmer himself.

Keeping a kid in his/her school isn't a luxury.

Hide it then. Presume you aren't going to get fucked by the VAT. People are entitled to discuss issues that affect them, particularly when they are made by politicians who have £2m houses in lovely catchments.

Do you pay vat on uni fees?

Not at the moment.

No, just a lot of people who are worried about what they are going to do and some who have already received notice that their DC’s school is closing. If you can find pleasure in that, it says a lot about you.

Keeping a kid at a private school is.
Except for specific health reasons, like a disability, which I'd agree state schools can't always cope with because of the way they have been underfunded for 14 years.

You mean like your lack of self awareness?

Of course it is, and it's not up to the grandparents to have to do it.

This is the main issue with the policy.

It doesn't deal with the fact there is inequality between state schools and will likely just lead to houses near desirable state schools becoming even more valuable.
It's a policy that looks good is headlines, appeals to a large proportion of the population and works very well after the Johnson/Sunak era. However it does not deal with the real issues.

Have you considered switching to value brands at the supermarket? Or getting rid of expensive mobile phones / netflix subscriptions / brand name trainers etc?

@Thegreatergoodgerald

how rude!

& you should care, even if only selfishly, because if schools put it all on parents & they can't afford it, the state schools will have to absorb the extra kids!

There are a decent number of kids in private schools because they couldn't cope in state school, not just because the parents can afford the private schools for Tarquin!

Can you remortgage at all?