Bursaries

[EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime]

Merely as a footnote to the comprehensively-debated VAT on school fees, we donate several thousand per year to our children’s private school, in order to provide bursaries for less-fortunate children.

We have just cancelled these donations and are aware of other parents doing similarly. It’s genuinely sad for the kids who will lose out, but the Government need to realise there are consequences to their actions.

Just a comment - I have no plans to enter into another debate.

I doubt you would be so supine in similar circumstances but hey.

Did you reply to the wrong post op? I’m not seeing the connection. I think higher state earners on mn lambasting private users should stump up £6k donations if that’s their wish and bursaries will likely suffer which is a big shame

And I loathe the VAT policy all round

Agree with you. You’re already giving more to state schools via the VAT. It’s not for anybody else to dictate your charitable giving.

I loathe the VAT policy but I think this post is a bit silly.

1. if I had £6k to donate each year, it wouldn’t be to a private school. That amount could do a lot to benefit many people in different ways.

2. bursaries aren’t necessarily spent on the most deprived children: the income threshold can be pretty high at some schools.

3. The OP is trying to punish the government by reducing her bursary donation but they are entirely unconnected. The government won’t care and won’t ever know but it will be the individual school who has to find the money to continue an existing bursary or cut future funding.

I don’t doubt bursaries will be cut in many schools but the vat itself is likely to be the biggest factor in making schools more elite.

Apologies Eastern, yes wrong post.

I otherwise agree with you. There’s some seriously fuzzy logic amongst those insisting we absorb the VAT increase, whilst also maintaining donations to ensure bursaries continue…

Hey ho.

So you’re having a strop and withdrawing your donation to make your point.

No, I don’t feel emotional about it, and I stopped doing ‘strops’ since I was about five years old I recall.

It’s simply my personal experience and a view as to the unfortunate and unintended consequences of the VAT policy.

Sorry not to bite.

So you are not donating money to help children, thanks for the clarification.

One of my daughters friends is off to an expensive public school, with a bursary.
Her parents are both doctors. I am not sure whether that is the kind of social mobility the OP has in mind?

Could you kindly confirm what NSPCC stands for?

Await yours, thanks.

So you lost your bragging rights?
So who actually cares?
If the school is good and known for their excellence in developing young talent, I am sure they will find funding elsewhere.

No bragging here, and many evidently care, even if you don’t.

I hope your last para rings true, however.

@EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime if you weren't having a strop you wouldn't have posted on MN - you'd just do it without needing to announce it to your anti-VAT friends

Well for starters, the average private school is not in the SE and so it cost 2-2.5 times the cost of state. And yes, it does cost that much considering they can’t currently claim anything back, they are often in very old buildings which have high running costs and staff are normally more expensive (they’re more likely to recruit someone with a subject degree and experience rather than an NQT). Also, half of them are charities and aren’t allowed to make a profit. So yes, it makes sense

Can you help me understand your reasoning, @EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime ? Because you disagree with the VAT policy you are cancelling your generous support now, when the recipients need it more than ever- is this to punish the Govt? Or to drive the bursary children into the state system and apply pressure there?
I ask as a parent of twin boys receiving bursary support on top of academic scholarships. Our bursaries have just been cut by 50%, presumably to broaden the support where more will need it. Parents and Old Boys who have made donations and bequests have been a life line to families like ours, especially since our only state option within 10 miles requires improvement in every area. After my DH's long military service we opted to keep the boys in their school and use our savings to fund this, which was just possible without the VAT and bursary changes.
Your generosity has been remarkable. In withdrawing it from your chosen bursary fund I do hope you will at least continue to support a children's rather than animal charity. But of course, that's up to you and no-one else.

We've just made the same sad choice and cancelled our standing order for regular bursary support for our school. I feel incredibly sad about it and our donation was not as considerable as the OP's but we simply can't afford to help anymore... We will be struggling ourselves. I believe our school is planning to cut bursaries and scholarships and I think they've already been less generous this year, anticipating this change. It's so sad as I think bursaries was what made our school amazing - we loved the fact our kids were surrounded by people from different social and cultural backgrounds. Many kids were from quite poor families but they were brilliant and worked hard. There was no massive exodus for skiing trips during February half term, many people went camping for summer holidays. My children learnt compassion, colour blindness and the value of education and hard work over money and snobbery. Not all private schools are the same. I feel that this disastrous change will have exactly the opposite result than what was intended - it will totally eliminate the underprivileged but brilliant kids from these schools and the social divide will grow, not diminish. And isn't it ironic that Kier Starmer is actually privately educated ...? And received bursary at his senior school? So he was made successful by the very system he is trying to kill?

I'm not sure this has come across in the way you intended. what does "colour blindness" have to do with your bursary fund donation?

"Colour blindness" is not a thing by the way unless you're talking about the medical condition. Pretending you don't see skin colour is actually offensive.

I think I totally understand the point the previous poster made - there is a misconception that private schools are full of privileged, white middle or upper middle class kids. Yes, there are some schools like this but not all. My kids (not white) went to open days for some of these school and they felt very "non white". The school we ended up in is very different and all kids seem to be "colour blind", meaning they just don't notice a person's colour as something that makes them "different". They don't mind what colour someone is. Hope it makes sense @Kelta ? My kids never feel like they are different colour but I can tell you it wasn't always the case in other schools.

this is coming across as really patronising.

it does parents of independent school kids a disservice to be making statements like this. I’m sure you don’t think the comments are coming across as racist but if you thought about it more carefully I think you’d probably see they do.

we loved the fact our kids were surrounded by people from different social and cultural backgrounds. Many kids were from quite poor families but they were brilliant and worked hard. There was no massive exodus for skiing trips during February half term, many people went camping for summer holidays. My children learnt compassion, colour blindness and the value of education and hard work over money and snobbery

Winces

Of course for a private school to maintain charitable status it does have to demonstrate public benefit.

This means providing things like bursaries.

So @EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime by withdrawing support from charitable benefits like bursaries you might find this comes back to bite you on the bahookie.

Why would those that are charities, wish to remain charities? What would be the point if they don’t have sufficient bursary funds? Might as well be standard business enterprises. Lots of private schools are run as businesses and they can alter their status and do as they wish.

I think quite a few parents won’t want to pay for bursaries - they need to pay vat instead.

My children learnt compassion, colour blindness

So they had to go to a private school to learn colour blindness? Do you realise how patronising and thick you sound?

It's not a consequence of the VAT policy though - it's a personal choice you have made to donate to an animal charity rather than a private school.

I think it's a sensible choice & if I am ever in a position to be able to donate £6k I think i'd prob donate to an animal charity over a private school or possibly something that would benefit vulnerable children - mental health, food banks, etc.

I think it's absolutely ridiculous charging VAT on private education. These parents are saving the government £6300 (primary) and £6900 (secondary) PER YEAR by paying for their child's education.
Schools will close, jobs will be lost, children's education will be impacted.

Before anybody asks, I went to state school as dud my parents and my child.