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.

State schools need funding. Hospitals need funding. The answer is to tax everyone more and create a meaningful tax system for the super rich. Otherwise you are essentially penalising those who already self-funding. If you self fund education and medicine you are already making a large contribution to society, via the higher tax bracket and allowing others to pull on state resources. Whereas someone with 3 kids on universal credit and low income will be removing approximately 50k per family member in resources. If this isn’t being repaid via your taxes, this is a drain.

A report came out today that reveals 4 out of 10 pupils would be forced to leave private school and go into the state system. So there you have it.. for everybody thinking everybody at private school is super wealthy and doesn’t make a difference. Those of you are absolutely tone deaf. This affects your children in state school too… larger classes and less resources for your children!! I don’t see how anybody can think this is a good idea, except those inverted snobs who want to stoke a cultural war.

How are they different?

@Elizo, that's an interesting point. I see the constant cuts my state school has had to make in the last 20 years and the impact on everyone in the school community. Private schools can make the same type of cuts to save passing the cost onto parents.

I sympathise, but the answer is to massively improve state education.

I agree. Then people wouldn’t feel the need to use private education.

However, how is it going to be funded? It’s certainly not going to be funded by VAT on fees, which is (optimistically) is going to raise around 1% of the state education budget.

Applying VAT to education has NOTHING to to with charitable status!!

Feel like banging my head against the wall that people are still so muddled on this!

The vast majority of people agree that the cuts to state education have been unacceptable though. Does it suddenly make it more acceptable if private schools have to make the same cuts?

If studying KS is your thing, crack on.

@OvalLemon I would love to see the way that study was conducted, given the vested interests I suspect there are number of ways these figures could be manipulated to tell the story they want to be told.

It's mad isn't it. These private schools are apparently going to pass the full cost onto parents because they couldn't possibly increase class sizes or cut subjects or reduce staff.

I'm not muddling the two. I'm bringing it up as an additional issue.

I'm not against charging VAT. But I cant see how it will be cost effective. What they gain on collecting the VAT and administering it will be lost in the expense of educating the private school child in the state sector. Won't it.

Private schools would absolutely not be making the same cuts that state schools have had to because private schools are massively better funded to start with.

Perhaps you can enlighten us as to your expertise in education funding?

I've told you what we get, and that's that, others get less, some get a little more.

In any case the capitation is for most schools only part of the funding they get, most capital expenditure is on top of that - so its not really a fair benchmark.

For example we have had funding for, amongst other things - asbestos removal across the site, new windows, new LED lighting and interactive boards to replace the projectors, all of these were capital grants direct from the DoE, which amount to millions which have to be applied for, such grants are not given to independent schools, they have to find it all from fees.

If you calculated the ENTIRE running cost of a state school, divided it by the pupils, you would get closer to the lower end (ie £20K) of private school fees.

Like other private institutions, public schools charge fees. What sets them apart is that they are more selective, tend to have a longer history and are still strongly associated with the ‘upper classes’. Eton and Winchester and prime examples of public schools. These are a million miles away from most independent schools.
All public schools are private schools, but not all private schools are public schools.
Labour are relying on the general public to not understand the nuisances and to lump all private schools under the 'public school' banner.

Which is completely unrelated to the topic at hand and not on the table as a potential policy under a Labour government

Oh rubbish. Private schools will just have to cut their budgets as every other school has had to. Welcome to the real world.

Do you have any idea about Camden? It’s £2m houses sit cheek by jowl by large social housing estates.

If the waiting list at schools near us for reception and year 7 is anything to go by, parents are holding onto their state offers this year much more than in previous years.

Private schools will need to address this or nobody will turn up in September and they will have no money.

You pay tax on moving

I really dislike it when the lefty parents at school make out that this is their contribution to help the community. We pay that much for schooling to get out children ahead in the world. The local state school round me have shocking sports facilities, short list of subject options, and poor standards. I do not have want my kids mixing with some of them but lets not make out it is some charitable thing.

Yes, and those "privileged" parents paying private school fees save the state huge amounts of money by not using the state system while paying very high taxes to fund it.

It's probably going to be cost-neutral at best as any money gained from added VAT receipts will have to go into funding state school places for all the pupils who leave private education. I can't remember the numbers but I think the cost to the state of educating each child in state school is more than they will get back in VAT and will just put extra pressure on state schools. It's such a stupid, ideological policy.

Public schools are an elite group of around 10 I think - such as Eton, Harrow, Charterhouse, Winchester.

Independent schools are not called public schools unless they are in this elite group.

The we work bloody hard argument is the most galling of all. So self-centred. Do you honestly think you’re the only people who work hard?

No it isn't completely unrelated as some private schools are also charities.

I'm suggesting it in case Labour also want to look into it.