Have your school shared VAT update?

[nearlylovemyusername]

Just heard from ours, total increase will be 15%. This is on the top of annual increase of 4%.
Significant number of kids moving to grammar

@nearlylovemyusername

Nothing to do with those kids fleeing from a war torn country leaving behind their home, friends, family, pets, belongings, everything that is familiar to them etc?

That doesn't account for anything?

We had Ukrainian refugees in our PS, they haven't fallen behind.

Same here - Ukrainian refugees family at our got stellar results. They started from lower point than the family I'm talking about. @mouseyowl is trying to find another explanation to some obvious issue

If it helps some if the private school parents withdrawing bursaries, you could help disadvantaged children a lot more than providing money towards their private education. Disadvantaged children need food at food banks, clothing at clothing banks, you could give to any number of children’s charities. Disadvantaged children can get a great education at state school, what they need is the basics for food, heat, shelter etc.
A great option for you is to tithe. This is what we do. That way if your income goes down you give less, it’s all in proportion to your income.
Our favourite charities are Mercy Ships and Water Aid. The last thing these children need is a private education, they need health care, clean water and toilets.

https://www.mercyships.org.uk/

https://www.wateraid.org/uk/about-us

www.marysmeals.org.uk/

This is a thread about updates from schools about their specific VAT impact on school fees - why are non PS parents so entitled that they appear on these threads to derail them?

The thread does not need to be filled with what PS parents should do with their donations that are not going to bursary funds.

And no one should feel entitled enough to tell other parents how they should donate their own money!

This!

@Holidayissues absolutely! I'm sick to death of coming on these threads to virtually chat with mums in the same predicament and having non PS parents telling me all the reasons why they dislike private schools. So this isn't the thread for you! There are many things I dislike but I don't seek out threads on them to tell the posters why I dislike them.

Absolutely! It's incredibly rude and condescending.

I imagine they would be offended if I started making suggestions about how they should best use their non-working hours (It's likely that not everyone on this thread works full time).

Starting a sports club because their own DC is interested in that sport doesn't seem to me to be as socially beneficial as setting up a class to teach cooking skills to young families, for example.

But it's obviously none of my business what other people do with their own time and money. Personally I'm all for people making choices which chime with their own values and preferences.

@Holidayissues absolutely fine to want a thread to stick to a particular aspect of a a topic. Trouble is, you can't actually stop people reading it and dropping in to correct misinformation. "This is what is happening at my school" is absolutely fine. "This is what's happening at my school and this is what other parents are doing.." when they couldn't possibly be doing that-less fine.

Give your money to the charity of my choice because I know better than you - also less fine.

Starting a sports club because their own DC is interested in that sport doesn't seem to me to be as socially beneficial as setting up a class to teach cooking skills to young families, for example.

Apart from giving paid training and work opportunities to 60 young people every year.

Apart from providing free places to disadvantaged children.

Apart from encouraging children onto the pathway to a healthy lifestyle.

Yep, all so self serving.

I’ll be enjoying watching the paras next week - I’ll let you work out why.

Like I said @SabrinaThwaite - I'm all for each person choosing how to spend their own time and money in ways which which chime with their own values and preferences.

You don't get to choose the ladder of virtuousness.

I think it's fine for people to give charitable donations to whatever cause they choose. It's their money, after all.

Personally, I don't think donating to private school bursary funds is an effective way of helping disadvantaged children at all, and it seems rather wasteful. I am therefore completely unconcerned about people stopping these donations.

Yes I'm sure people know how and who they'd like to donate to, they don't need links.

@Give your money to the charity of my choice because I know better than you - also less fine"

Agreed. But "If you are no longer in a position to give your money in the direction you have in the past, have you considered that a much smaller donation made to these organizations might make an even bigger impact on the lives of disadvantaged children?" Seems fine to me.

Seems highly patronising to me

And neither do you.

HTH

So back to VAT on school fees...
My kids are at one of the big Scottish private schools - nothing specific on fee increase yet, but school will be lobbying government and I'm sure looking at legal action - anyone else heard anything from their school? I suspect nothing can happen till the formal budget.

There is a legal case being built but on the quiet and until there is legislation then there is nothing to challenge. Unfortunately some schools appear to be sitting back and not sticking up for their parents! Write to your bursar and governors, especially if you will be unable to afford the VAT. There is a stronger legal case I believe in Scotland anyway so contact your MSP and get lobbying!

Ours is, no details being put out there though. It's a SEN school so the majority have EHCPs and LA funded. No child is there for shits and giggles. They are at the end of their educational option road

I really can't see how putting VAT on boarding fees for one provider and not another will be legal. The parents / family pay for boarding whether it's a private school or state school and it's the same service. My kids don't board so doesn't affect me, but it's indicative of how badly thought out this policy is.

Telling people what to do with their money is not correcting misinformation.