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

Sisters school (which we are looking at) has seen an increase of about 11% including annual increase.

Interestingly our local council have miraculously found 1000's of extra spaces in the local high schools in the last few months after publishing their capacity figures. Schools that were bursting at the seams last academic year now have 300 extra spaces it seems. So they've obviously been told to get with the narrative that children moving to state won't be an issue...

Certainly in London particularly at state primary schools are suffering from falling rolls so there are places.

The reduction in scholarships/bursaries is interesting in how that will play out. Some London schools I know are very pro these schemes & obviously they attract very bright dc which in turn helps results.

This is a really positive development. The clever local kids will do well in the state sector, so no great loss to them, and it will help state schools to have those bright, motivated kids.

I mean, the state school is depressing with no extra curricular, but yes academically they will do fine as long as they aren't too clever, in which case they won't be stretched. Contextual offers though! Although of course maybe the huge cash injection from the VAT will make our local state half decent.

This is good news as well.

It would've be better for those clever children who would have been at private to be in the state system rather than be at a private school that goes down the tubes. Terribly disruptive.

Great to have such a positive thread.

My son is starting private in September in yr 7 and we have had confirmation that they will be offsetting the full VAT increase for 24-25 at least.

Extra curricular can be easily sourced outside of school by motivated parents. I don't agree that there are kids who are "too clever" to be stretched in state schools.

Contextual offers? Well, maybe. Simply going to state school isn't usually enough to be eligible for these though.

I mean, the state school is depressing with no extra curricular, but yes academically they will do fine as long as they aren't too clever, in which case they won't be stretched. Contextual offers though!

That will be the same for everyone though. The lack of stretching if they are 'too clever' so it won't be an issue.

My dd got a full house of A* for GCSE at a school that is RI. No doubt she can be stretched at university.

Well regarded prep here, known as a specialist school for a certain subject. Still waiting but expect a large increase due to other financial pressures the school is facing that are totally outside its control. No big endowments and many bursaries .

Only 13 children in each class in Kindergarten this year and a couple teachers have already not been replaced when they’ve left (low turnover admittedly). I’d imagine a sharp drop in nurseries for anyone new as they try to help existing parents (they’ve already said to come to them if anyone is struggling)

We are hoping that it stays open long enough to get our kids through to 13. They’re then heading to big name schools that I’m not worried about, their financials are rock solid. And the privilege gap will increase as a result.

@strawberrybubblegum the chat from local FB groups is that they've bulged classes. No extra teachers, no building works. The schools here are already teaching kids in porta-cabins and the like. It's a real issue in Edinburgh as there are a lot of independent schools in the city and there has always been a large cohort of children educated outwith the state. Fees are lower than south of the border so it can be an affordable option for middle income families. The same families who will be priced out. We have one in private and one in state so are managing but probably can't move them both private now.

Very unlikely that our local private will close, its already full, but yes, I'm sure taking that option away will make someone somewhere feel good about it. Probably not those kids and their parents, but who cares about them eh?

They might feel good about it in a few years time when they realise that their kids have done brilliantly in state and they realise how much money they have saved!

Yes there's always a few - they get mentioned on the Facebook page. 20 with 3 x As or equivalent in Btecs this year (a levels). That's out of 300 pupils. I don't think that's good enough, but perhaps it sounds brilliant to some.

Yes there's always a few - they get mentioned on the Facebook page. 20 with 3 x As or equivalent in Btecs this year (a levels). That's out of 300 pupils. I don't think that's good enough, but perhaps it sounds brilliant to some.

Those are the 'too clever' kids that you were worried about. It must be quite a relief to you that they do so well, when you read about on Facebook.

My sister works at a private all through school and they are passing on 10%.

Absorbing the rest through economies and a greater effort on income generation (e.g. renting out their swimming pool on the weekend)

I have to say, if I was a parent at that school, I would be querying why they hadn't done these things previously to keep fees down... But TBH one of the things that puts me off private school is a sense that a lot of them have been run poorly financially because unlike state schools, they have had the option to raise fees rather than run to a strict budget

Perhaps the results will improve now that the private schools are going to stop creaming off some of the clever kids?

The issue I’m most concerned about is withdrawing from the TPS as will this make some privates less attractive to good teachers or increase the annual increase. This is why I’m undecided yet re secondary.

@nearlylovemyusername

"Significant number of kids moving to grammar"

Really? So there are "significant" numbers of grammar places available and these kids have done the entry exams, passed them and are taking up those places? How did that work?

On bursary students it likely depends on schools and environment

There seems to be a disconnect between threads eg a PTSD thread where it’s shown how difficult the learning environment can be

We did use state for dc and lucky enough he did do well but reading other people’s experiences state is variable

It’s not that binary, sadly.

Many children receiving bursaries have SEN - private schools with smaller classes and better pastoral care are arguably much better for them.

Hence bursary applications are massively oversubscribed.

😂

Many in our school will apply and accept Grammar and Top State school places as back up. I'm not sure how many will make the choice to leave / stay.

I'm just accepting it. The divide will become wider as people drift away from an increase in fees.

It is what it is.... I will find the money.

SW pre-prep through to sixth form here (normally accepting lots of kids in years 7 and 12). We had a letter a couple of weeks ago, saying that the government still hasn't published the guidance.

We've been told to expect about 18% on fees from January, nil on lunches, full 20% on music/LAMDA lessons and learning support. They don't know what/if they will need to charge on school trips etc.

About 1/3 of kids get some form of bursary and I believe they will be expected to pay the vat.

Catchments for state schools will get "interesting" if a handful of children in each year switch to local state schools; the good ones are oversubscribed.

Ours is 13%.