Request a state school place if you want it or not

[clarkkentsglasses]

This email is doing the rounds aimed at private school parents:

"The idea is to try to flood the Council with requests for urgent school places from September. If they get tens of thousands of emails like this we may see them under pressure."

Basically request a state school place if you want it or not.

Yes, with council budgets cut by 50% that also means a cut to the pot which provides EHC plans.

I’m talking about the fee element, not the VAT element. My comment was in response to a poster saying that every private child will have had to have given notice by the beginning of this term if they wanted to avoid a bill for the next term starting in September. Some contracts have a clause which says no termly fees are due if notice is given within, say, 28 days of a notice of fee increase, if there hasn’t been a clear term’s notice given by the school of any fee increase. It’s the fee element, not the VAT element I’m talking about. Some schools have not yet given parents details of fee increases for the next academic year.

This, the numbers in private schools are less than 7%, and most of those are in sixth forms, so even if every single private school child in the country requested a state school place, the numbers would be easily accommodated. A 3-4% increase in most school years, if EVERY SINGLE CHILD applies. And of course, the vast majority won't.

No one is arguing that point. The point is that parents are in the position they are now in. Parents are more interested in the future than the past. Why would a Labour government want to punish families who have been failed by a Conservative government even more?

And what does that have to do with the children that will be impacted by the Labour policy? They didn’t vote for the Conservatives and not all of their parents would have done either. In any event, two wrongs don’t make a right. I certainly don’t think any children should be “punished” and have made that clear. Why do you?

I didn't vote conservative either. I didn't vote for Brexit and I'm angry about how that has impacted me but it's how it goes.

Also, the election hasn't even happened yet.

As a parent who has had kids in both sectors - the authors of these emails are a-holes.

private education is a choice, I don’t regret paying for it. And my kids loved both their private and state schools for different reasons.

But it is a choice, a service. Make no mistake, the vast majority of these parents will moan about it and pay up. Some will avail themselves of the incentives that the schools will offer to keep bums on seats. A few, not millions, will enter the state sector.

I can’t get too worked up about yummy mummies bemoaning the absence of a ski trip this year.

But you still want to make others suffer? I just don’t get it. And isn’t the whole point to debate policies and their potential impact prior to an election?

Where did I say that I think children should be punished? Of course I didn't. I feel sorry for any child who will have to move from a school they're happy at.

But I don't see Labour's policy as being intended to punish anyone, it's just a way to find a small part of the money needed to fix the massive shortfall in funding state education that the Conservatives will leave behind them.

Will you stop making things up? I did not say anyone should be punished.

The private schools are the ones who should be stepping in to help the children who will be most impacted by this policy.

Used to feel quite sympathetic towards private school parents

Every hissy fit throwing, foot stamping post on here makes me less and less so.

Yeah my children are at private school and I find it horrifying reading some of the entitlement on here from PS parents

One of the most popular responses when people point out that this policy will have a detrimental impact on some children is “the Conservatives did this” or “these people have suffered over the past decade”. Why? What has that got to do with the children impacted by this policy if you don’t see it as a punishment on them or their parents?

And this policy will raise very little, if anything, damage some children in the process and there are better ways to raise revenue actually based on how much people earn which won’t impact those who will struggle to pay the VAT because they have a regular job like a teacher, social worker or careers adviser (I have friends with those jobs who have children in private school which is why I specifically refer to them).

And those that can will help. My DC’s school has 300 children out of 1300 on bursaries already. But small private schools will fail and those are the schools that tend to have the most vulnerable students who have transferred from the state system because their needs were not met. 80% of a schools cost are its teachers and pensions. There is only so much they can cut. The Labour Party’s answer is always to push it back onto the schools but not all private schools are Eton or Winchester - which seem to be the only two schools that Labour mention.

Take a look at the Lib Dem manifesto for a much more positive approach to improving education that doesn’t have the impact of damaging a group of children in the process.

And what do you think about the personal insults about private schools parents and children? And by hissy fit, do you mean challenging this policy, pointing out why it will have a negative impact and that it won’t do what the Labour Party say it will?

What about the 93% of children whose educations have been damaged because of the current government's policies over the last 14 years of cutting state school funding to the bone? Many of them weren't lucky enough for their parents to simply move them to a private school.

You know what I hear about from parents of kids at the local high school? I hear of teachers having to buy resources for students from their own pocket. I hear of food tech lessons where the food cannot be cooked at school because the school can't afford to put the ovens on. And of unqualified teachers who aren't up to the job.

I find it a bit rich that some people are unable to accept that most children in the UK have been deliberately disadvantaged by those in power for 14 years and we should all be up in arms now about VAT on fee paying schools?

Children whose parents can afford to send them to private school are not a disadvantaged group, however much you try to spin it that way. The VAT plans are to tax those who can more easily afford it.

There should be fairness for all and attempts at a level playing field. That is the reason for Labour's policy from where I sit, after many years of the Tories taking from the many and giving to the few.

The Lib Dems don't have much chance of being elected by themselves.

I would expect private schools to be more likely to reduce the VAT-exclusive fee element, if only because they will be able to reclaim VAT on some of their inputs. 5% reduction in the fee plus 20% VAT will result in the 15% overall increase which many are expecting. But the implication is that few private school parents would benefit from this type of clause because there won't be an increase in the pre-VAT fees.

My two DCs are at two different Independent schools and this is news to me.

Both schools have sent a letter out warning of increases next year, but that is all.
I have this morning asked several friends with Dcs and not one has heard of this .

I’m fairly sure most schools are putting their fees up this September, as the VAT hasn’t been introduced yet. They can’t reduce fees in the expectation of being able to reclaim input VAT before they know when and how it’s going to be enacted.

But then parents would need to withdraw their DC from schools before they were certain that VAT will be added to the fees. Either way, any such clause won't provide much protection for parents.

And those that can will help. My DC’s school has 300 children out of 1300 on bursaries already.

And so they should, if they have charitable status.

I am quite aware of the situation in state schools because I have a DC in state school. But this policy isn’t going to resolve those issues.

And I never said that private schools children were a disadvantaged group - show me where I said that. I am not the one spinning things! I said that this policy will negatively impact a group of children and that’s true, it will; those that have parents who cannot afford the increase.

There should absolutely be fairness and this policy is not that. As far as the Tories giving to the few, well if that is aimed at private schools parents I can assure you that I haven’t been given anything and I think you will find it the same for most. We have paid more and more tax and received less and less for it.

No one has asked you to be up in arms about this policy. You decided to come on this thread and start insulting people.

Actually they don’t have to have that many bursaries, especially for a school without endowments. They do an awful lot more to support their charitable status including sponsoring a state primary that they have helped to turn around from a failing school. That’s exactly why I am a supporter of the Lib Dem education policy because they want to work with private schools to benefit the state sector.

Where exactly have I insulted anyone? 🧐

You are the one with a ‘them’ and ‘us’ attitude and you seem unable to put yourself in anyone else’s shoes or to see the bigger picture here.

I have no idea what anyone earns but I do know that the current government has benefitted the richest in society. That’s a fact - it’s not an insult.

Where I live, many of the people who usually would have chosen private school decided not to because of the cost of living crisis.

People spend their money in a variety of ways and it is a choice, we all make choices, some people can afford private schools some can't , some people can afford lavish holidays some can't. People sacrifice and prioritise different things that is personal choice. The proposal to end charity status and the VAT issue is a policy put forward by Labour, of course voting for a party does not mean people agree with all the policies, again people have a choice. There is no right answer to any of these issues but we all have views depending upon our situation and that of course will influence our position.