Whitehall “braced for private schools collapse”

[ICouldBeVioletSky]

Whitehall ‘braced for private schools collapse’ due to fee rises

Worth reading the whole article, it’s not quite as alarmist as the headline suggests. But as you’d expect, gov sources are talking it all down while the ISC is ringing the alarm bell.

https://www.thetimes.com/article/e6465c9e-d462-48cb-a73e-74480059a1f3?shareToken=05bf599cd4a2376fe3ce83cdce607100

I’d be quite surprised if some of the schools near us don't fold tbh. There will definitely be a contraction in the sector, I just hope those that hold on can remain a viable concern.

"......Will be hard on kids. Its their school. Their stability. Their friends.

Will be hard on staff. Its their job.
Will be awful.
For society?
Will be a good thing. Over time and if it happens. For the mega £££ schools, parents won't even blink at the rise......"

Not a blink.......Transfer the 'dear ones' education to Switzerland.

Why do you think OFSTED would lead to improved schools? Everyone knows that OFSTED isn't fit for purpose for the schools it already 'inspects' let alone adding more.
I think you are putting way too much trust in OFSTED1

DD’s amazing little prep school has had to close. Numbers had been dwindling even before Labour put the nail in the coffin. Such a shame - it was the most wonderful environment for the children to grow up in. All aspects were simply outstanding. To be blunt, no state primary could ever compare. Very sad indeed.

yeah me too. I work as peripatetic staff in an Indy and we will be inspected next year. To say the staff are under pressure is to understate it.

Wr are a small school and the school waived the term's notice. 10% have gone already. The school also spent about 5 million recently on capital works which our finance department are now putting in VAT refund applications for.

Let me count the ways.

Are you seriously asking this question? Are you honestly unaware of the disparity in outcome for those who purchase an education privately over those who go state? Are you genuinely unaware of the private school domination of certain societal positions and career paths?

I somehow doubt it.

Level the playing field. Bring on equality and diversity. Let's have a meritocracy not an old boys club.

(And no I'm not naive enough to think the state will provide this. Or that all state schools are equal. But to call a private school a charity, when actual charities are struggling, disgusts me).

My comment above was in response to this poster

Agreed. The poor quality of some private schools is something noone seems to want to talk about

And you completely missed the point of the article. Nice bit chip there on your shoulder - does it weigh you down, or generally impede your ability to comprehend things?

Hurrah.

Our local comprehensive is in dire need of good teachers. There are plenty of vacancies for secondary schools. They really won't be desolate!

I agree and think they have the opposite effect - schools spend so much time (in stress and fear) doing things to please OFSTED vs what makes sense for the good of the students.

You seem very naive about Ofsted!

I agree that those schools who use the independent schools inspectorate have been known to only reveal the good bits to parents. I knew someone who was brought in to sort out the safeguarding at a local independent school. I also knew parents at the school around the same time. I'm sure they didn't know that the inspection was the reason for the new member of staff and the gates no longer just being open etc.

That whole article takes its "facts" from an independent school lobby group.

The reality is that independent schools were already closing due to the staggering increases in fees which have outstripped both general inflation and education inflation substantially over the past two decades - they have priced themselves out of their traditional market.

The big name schools will be fine, their audience is largely impervious to the price rises and they attract the overseas students. The middle ranking private schools who traditionally relied on local doctors, solicitors and business owners have priced themselves out of the market. The notion that these closures are down to VAT is nonsense.

I currently teach in an independent school. There's is precisely 0.0% chance that I would consider teaching in the state sector again.

My school will certainly contract, but I'm desperately hoping it won't go under altogether. If it does, and if I can't find a comparable job locally, then I'll be leaving teaching (which would probably be better in all ways for my family. I'm just holding out because I do really love my job).

Yes this. It's a step in the right direction.

Just for information - these fee increases aren't through greed. Teachers are often earning less than state sector, and we don't have shareholders or CEOs etc (like most businesses do).

Most fee increases are down to increased necessity for compliance (so whole teams for HR, Finance, Exams etc) increased insurance as we become a more litigious society, energy bills, and appropriate SEN provision.

Private school has become less affordable because of stagnant wages in many traditional professional sectors (eg NHS doctors), increasing mortgage costs, and the general rising cost of living.

And the gap between state and private spending per child is largely due to decreases in govt spending, not just increases in the independent sector.

If the schools closures were evenly distributed across the country then there would be enough spaces, but they aren’t. Surrey has a very high proportion of children in private school and no spaces in state. So if a couple of schools close there, there are no available spaces for them.

@DancefloorAcrobatics not all staff are teachers. there are cooks, cleaners, clerical, and other associated staff like maintenance employees (even if contracted out) or a crossing guard and bus drivers.
there's a whole team of non teaching staff that makes a school run.

I’m a state school teacher and can’t see how an influx of ex private school pupils will help my school. One of my children is now at a private school because the available secondary state school near us wasn’t a good fit, despite being absolutely amazing for their siblings. I have mostly worked in areas with high deprivation but have always thought that private schools were a good thing for providing a model of education without constant changes of direction from the government of the day.
I would agree that Ofsted is much more rigorous than ISI.
My child in private school will leave in the next 18 months as it’s too expensive with additional VAT. We always expected to pay more tax under a Labour government, but an additional £6000 a year because we decided to to send a child that wasn’t able to thrive in the available state setting into the independent sector seems a lot less fair than if the tax had been applied directly to our earnings. I weirdly feel guilty that families with more than one child at private school are now paying so much tax when we were lucky to have a fantastic state school offering for all at primary age and for all but one at secondary.

it's fairly clear that pupil numbers are dropping and schools are closing. See eg.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy5y0w6xg43o
The numbers are likely to go off a cliff in 2025, leading to a large number of prep schools closing.
Unfortunately it looks like Labour will only realise what a mess they've made when most of the damage has been done..

I don't understand the celebratory attitude to the small struggling schools closing. They're the ones educating dc who can't cope in the state sector.

Selfishly I don't want to live in a society where there is a gaping chasm between Eton and State, my kids are in a class of 40 and anyone with mild SEN basically doesn't get an education at all.

Oh the damage is the whole point of this Labour policy - it’s not accident but design.

Labour wants to shut down the independent sector entirely.

Once they have priced out and driven away the middle classes they will then be able to argue that independent schools really are the bastion of the elite, the ultra wealthy.

Then they will be able to justify abolishing it their supporters seal clapping them all the way as they are distracted from the lack of any meaningful improvements to state schools.

Most of our staff have already left the state sector, and won't go back.

It's always good to aim low.