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

@CurlewKate not sure what the misinformation is on this thread. Are you a PS parent? Perhaps this isn’t the right thread for you and your comments better served on the private vs state thread.

With a terms notice required for withdrawing pupils - are your children’s school going to allow a grace period for notices as unless VAT for lent term is provided before school starts parents cannot make an informed decision?

I have one child entering year 2 and preparing to sit the 7+ so I will need to make a decision on whether he stays in PS or moves to state school.
I find that clubs, music lessons, after school care and breakfast club add a significant amount onto the published fees. So the total impact of fees with VAT could be greater than just looking at VAT on ‘fees’

Our school are passing on 9.5% VAT from January. Co-ed prep, Home Counties.

Our school will let us know soon, the rises we have seen with other schools in our area are :

5-12.5%

This was my thought too. I was pretty incredulous at that. Surely just plain discriminatory.

GDST have announced 12% increase from Jan.

Is that the price parents will pay, or is that a fee increase that will then have VAT applied?

@shockeditellyou seems to be the price parents pay. Not all the 20% to be passed on.

We have the GDST 12% and a southern coast rural primary only prep that has just said 18%. We will be moving the oldest and youngest to state in two years as they hit natural breaks. Not sure on middle yet.
A January start is deeply unfair (mean twats).

Eton just announced it’s passing on the full 20% unless you’re on a bursary.

Hopefully puts at rest the rumour on mumsnet that Eton is going to absorb it all. 20% it is.

One of the full through schools in Dulwich - raised 8% for Sep 24 (announced around Easter) and another 15% from Jan 2025. Effectively an increase of 24.2% from 2023-24 fees.

Group of local schools are discounting fees for spring and summer by 8%, so with VAT added it's a 10.4% rise for parents. Not sure what the baseline fee increase was for this coming academic year, but that's still in there before the 8% discount.
They're also doing the same for boarding fees - mostly overseas students.

Seems many schools has announced their Jan fees yesterday to honor one term notice, while our one has no news. Fingers crossed the fees will be kept the same. It will defintely be increased next year onwards though.

No news from our school either!

Has anyone taken legal advice on whether the one term’s notice is enforceable if the school do not announce their position pre the start of autumn term? Does it become an enforceable unfair contract term?

A school near us is reducing its fees.. presumably this is a last ditched attempt before it goes bust..

Hoping our school bursar is reading this thread 😂🙊🤞

Is that the Warwick group of schools? Princethorpe have been more competitive

@Summertimelooooonghols you’ve raised an interesting point. Ds’ school hasn’t announced exactly how much will be passed on but did send a letter in July saying that they expected to pass on 17-18-%. School starts tomorrow so people wanting to leave at Christmas without paying a term in lieu of notice need to give notice by tomorrow.

I think in ds’ school’s case one couldn’t argue a material variation in contract without notice (due to the letter in July plus some fast and dirty variations to the parent school contract) but other schools who hadn’t written into the T’s and cs that vat needed to be passed on may find themselves facing this argument re notice.

At least they mentioned some expected increased in how many %. Our one has no news about it at all. On the bright side it may mean no increase in Jan.

Did they make you aware of the variations to the contract and did you have to resign?

If ours have changed the contract then it’s completely passed me by and we entered the system before VAT was even on the horizon

Our private is a massive direct and indirect local employer. Probably going to see 15% increase albeit on low fees by national standards.

Very few leaving at top end but new reception is only 7 kids which is less than half of normal. I think the long-term, prep might well fail now. Doesn't effect me but will effect local economy.

@Summertimelooooonghols good point you’re raising

we haven’t heard anything either and I’m 100% sure contract doesn’t mention vat

knowing how they operate they ll notify us when the new invoice is due!

Our school still quote the fees “as is” with no mention of VAT. They also still haven’t confirmed the VAT pass through rate to parents. Pretty sure that means the headline figure is presumed to include VAT.

From a practical perspective of course we can’t take that line with the school. However it doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in their ability to manage the economic challenges ahead!

7% Spring/Summer 24/25.
12% 25/26 onwards.

This is the % of VAT passed on to parents. As good as we could have hoped for.

Surrey prep/senior.