VAT on school fees (you have to read this!)

[EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime]

Government’s private schools VAT raid ‘could cost taxpayer £1.8bn’

Parents who are forced out of sector are likely to work less or even quit jobs, according to think tank research.

Adam Smith Institute.

@pintofsnakebite I don't judge parents for their choices. I believe that their first responsibility is to their children and that the vast majority of parents do what they believe to be in their children's best interests.

I do, however, judge if parents preach and then don't practice what they preach.

That would be, for example, Diane Abbott. I'm respect that she made what she thought was the best decision for her son. But I resent that she spent years railing against private schools and minimizing the benefits that they offer to "special cases".

the local private schools make you pay a hefty deposit before the 11+ results come out to secure the place.

Wow. Around London, all the schools I looked into belong to the HMC and they have explicit guidance that parents should not be forced to commit before 1st March. Their member schools don't always respect this, but most do.

I've just seem someone in the "education not taxation" group post a copy of a letter from Buckinghamshire Council asking for evidence that they cannot afford the school fees before they will allow them to make an application for a state school place. Unbelievable.

Genuine?

Looks genuine to me.

This must be illegal, surely. People need to start complaining to their MOs as these situations arise.

Absolutely. But also demonstrative of the attitude and response by many in general unfortunately.

It certainly looks genuine.

I don’t feel sorry for Bucks Council, if this is genuine. They should take a long view. If more and more rich people move into the area and take the grammar places, they should raise council tax on the top band properties and just put grammar streams into all the secondary moderns. An affluent society then spends more locally and it is a win win.
All they need to do is work on demanding emergency funding from Central Government.
It was kind of obvious that this policy would do that to grammar areas.

The additional point of course is that any council worth its salt will make sure kids are given places before the autumn census so the schools actually get the funding! If not, they are screwing the schools over. So some overtime working in the council may be required. Post September is usually a quiet period in Admissions, sadly not this year. Hire some more people!
And for Bucks grammars, increase the PAN.

YOU ARE JOKING?

If accurate, this is incidendiary.

Can someone please post a copy.

I will then get it into the MSM.

Thanks

That is absolutely outrageous but at least they are getting a response from their LEA she says clutching at straws. Chez-Popcorn we are screaming into the abyss for DC1, no responses to emails to the Admissions team, no response to letters to our MP, none picking up phones. Multiple rejections from the schools though. If we are asked for proof of lack of affordability we will get nowhere as we earn more than enough to cover fees just not all the other things we want to do!

I now have it, and it has gone to the Telegraph news desk.

Outrageous.

It is classic Council trying to buy time then, but at their own expense if they miss the autumn census.

Plus affordability has nothing to do with state schooling, plenty of millionaires in state schools! Especially those currently in charge.

If Bucks think this is bad now, they have no idea surely what is coming their way when people move in locally straight after the grammar tests? Kent has a date in December some time if you pass the Kent test, I do not think you can vary it this late in the day legally either. What a mess!

And these morons in government think they are going to recruit 6,500 new state school teachers (ignoring retention for the moment).

Meanwhile, our DP - Rayner - lacks a formal education.

It would be amusing, were it not so tragic.

Appalling snobbery @EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime

Yes it's really creating division and will inevitably cause resentment when people are treated like this. If this is true, then I hope whoever sent it at the council is pulled up for such discrimination.

Sorry, @Araminta1003 - could you possibly explain what you mean?

I don't know those rules. What's the December deadline for?

I much prefer Angela Rayner over Rachel Reeves.

State education is not means tested. You should absolutely refuse to provide any such proof.

How long has your DC had no school? Could you request they apply the Fair Access Protocol, which applies to "children who have been out of education for four or more weeks where it can be demonstrated that there are no places available at any school within a reasonable distance of their home."

Once that's been agreed, they must allocate a school within 20 days.

No?! How can that possibly be legal?

@strawberrybubblegum - some Kent Grammars offer out of county places so people apply from all over. Over 6000 this year. Some, once they then have a pass, move into Kent to become an “in county” applicant. The deadline for moving in is some time in December this year.
To qualify out of county, it is super superselective. Only a very small number of places. Once you are in county, many grammars catchment to your then living address, a few are still superselective but you have one score of in county and one score for out of county (school dependent). They can also vary admissions year on year.
If you want the detail you need to go through the Kent Admissions booklet - the date is always quite specific.

“Families who move into Buckinghamshire by 20 June 2025 will be offered late testing for their child, as long as they can provide evidence that they have moved.”
This one is from the Bucks website

Why? PP's stating the fact that our Deputy PM does not have formal education.

Labour seem to be very pro-education - multiple children uprooted and now public is being prepped for uni fees hike.

It’s merely a statement of fact.

Bear in mind, she’s PM if Starmer were unable to act.

Think about that, please.

@EverythingAllatOnceAllTheTime and this is really scary