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

Virtue signalling of the highest order.

What baffles me is those who say they would never send their DC private even if it was the best option for that child. That beggars belief that someone would put their principles above the well being of their child.......or they are lying!

I understand the first one - DC1 went to a comp in a leafy area, 80-90% of families were champaign socialists and "bright kids will do fine anywhere" etc, the usual spin. They have been privileged of course generation after generation, they didn't have to 'buy" anything (even their 1M+ houses in some cases were just inherited). I had a good laugh at their hypocrisy.

I cannot understand the second one though.

Grammars will get even more elitist as well as Private schools and I doubt the additional money will actualy go to helping kids who need it
This whole policy is ridiculous and designed to win votes and send a message rather than to actually help give resources to State schools.
That is my issue with it

So you are happy to use your wealth to give your children the privilege of extra curricular activities, enriching activities like holidays, their own books, and nutritious meals.

And you are happy to use your personal strengths to give them the privilege of a stable family home with interested parents, support with their education, advising them on personal development and career options, and a well supported childhood where they have access to public services like medical care?

None of which are available to all children. Neither the family strengths nor the paid-for privileges.

But somehow you think that's different from the privilege of education. Which I absolutely consider to be part of fulfilling our duty as parents.

Actually, supporting homework and providing books passes your test, but not paid-for academic teaching. Or paid-for sports teaching... when it's in the same building. But it's OK if the paid-for sports teaching is provided by different teachers. And it's maybe OK to have some paid for academic teaching, so long as it's outside school hours and there isn't too much of it (tutoring).

I don't see that as a consistent position on your part.

@nearlylovemyusername "I opened this thread for PS parents to share info about VAT related increases and really wanted to spare it from another fight with PS haters.

I cannot comprehend what people whose kids don't attend PS are doing here but this forum is free forum of course."

I'm not a PS hater-disagreeing with private education on principle is not "hate". The problem is that the level of misinformation about state schools on threads like this is so huge that it's important for non PS parents to post to correct the record.

let's hope they are lying, because if it's true, then it's North Korea or USSR

My kids 'hobbies'?

You mean when the Council decided it would no longer run a particular sport so several of us got together to take it on instead? To provide the service that the Council wouldn't? That provided free or subsidised places to many children?

Yep, that's my 'privilege' showing.

Well yes because you had the capacity to do so ie time/money resources. YOU don't see that as privilege but other might.
You really do highlight my point of what happens when you start throwing the word privilege around. Your definition means anyone who has more than you, well guess what, you have more than other people have so yes in 1 sense you are privileged. That's why the use of the word just drags everyone down because how dare anyone complain about anything when they should count themselves lucky that they aren't living in a box on the street!

Nobody asked here about state schools.
You could open another thread if you wanted to.
This thread was to discuss the fees specifically.
PS parents can post what they want and what they feel about state schools.
There is a huge level of misinformation about private schools - PS parents post to correct it but people like you refuse to listen.
And shock horror - a lot of PS parents have vast experience of both sectors.

Now I'm still very interested to hear about numbers.
And about legal challenge if anyone has the latest updates

There is a legal challenge but being kept on the quiet for now.
Have you signed petition, written to your MP + Phillpson etc?

Just to be clear - any parents of children currently in PS who are contemplating state school - you are not permitted to pay for extra tuition or extracurricular activities that would disadvantage existing children at the school.

Please check any remaining privilege you may have!

@AboveBeyond3 "Just to be clear - any parents of children currently in PS who are contemplating state school - you are not permitted to pay for extra tuition or extracurricular activities that would disadvantage existing children at the school."

Shouldn't be a problem-apparantly, private school kids are two years ahead anyway.....

In fairness, OP, a lot of the state school comments are because you mentioned state (grammar) schools in your opening post.

If you'd just wanted to discuss fees, then there was no need to include that.

@nearlylovemyusername "PS parents can post what they want and what they feel about state schools" Of course they can. And anyone can also post to correct misinformation. Such as the misinformation you posted within the first 5 minutes!

No love, we all did it in our spare time, around work and childcare, and for free, and it involved a shit ton of work getting local councillors on board to make it happen.

But you were educated and resourceful enough to communicate with local council and make it happen. See? That's privilege.
Or, maybe stop throwing the word around just because someone has more money than you because I guarantee that you will always be in a more privileged position than others in this country.

and I did correct it and apologised within 19 minutes. The first two pages were relevant until the same anti-PS brigade came here

Your children really are very privileged to have such committed, high-energy parents!

We all do what we can for our children, in accordance with what we have: financial and/or personal strengths.

It's inconsistent to consider some resources and privileges as being different from others.

That is actually a priviledge beccause your DC had parents who were willing and able to do this

So, let me see:

Getting off my arse with a group of others to do something for the community which costs me time and effort = privilege.

Outsourcing this to private educators by paying for it = not privilege.

Now I get it.

I know, right?

I stopped buying books for mine (they cost fortune, not everyone has the money), don't take them to library anymore (not everyone lives near one or has time to go to), donated theater tickets (a lot of parents can't afford to), don't discuss anything of significance with them, don't cook them healthy meals (many parents can't), don't help them with homework

They are now ready to join the real world

We're saying that it's all privilege.

You're judging it illogically: any privilege you have is absolutely fine, but any privilege someone else has (and you don't) is immoral.

This has already been answered further up the thread. The OP was referring to a transition year which is when most private school pupils will leave the system. As a parent who has had DC at private school for the last 10 years, I can confirm that more year 6’s have left for grammar (and the local high performing comp) this year than previous years. This really isn’t unexpected. It’s also likely to be one of the reasons for Labour introducing the VAT policy mid school year as it allows them to massage the figures and say “look not many pupils left so we are making all this money…”.

Just to be clear, I think it's brilliant that you're giving your children these fantastic privileges: committed parents, access to the sport they love etc. I don't see it as zero-sum. You giving your DC opportunities doesn't take away from anyone else.

I do also volunteer for DD's activities, but don't have the capacity/energy to set up a sport for her. That's OK. I'm still glad you do.

Likewise, me paying for DD to get the best education that I can doesn't take away from anyone else.

No, what we are saying is that you can't pick and choose what is privilege. You can't say "what I do isn't privilege but what you do IS privilege". It's all privilege