Whitehall “braced for private schools collapse” 2

[ICouldBeVioletSky]

Starting a second thread as the first one is still very busy, albeit it's veered off in a few directions...

Original article

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

Those benefits won’t transpire just exacerbation of pressure on state schools. And pressure on parents and kids who have to move schools or their schools are closing because of the new obligations in the last budget. Thanks Labour

18th school since 1st Jan announced its closure. 18 schools in 6 weeks.
But no, there will be no impact, no parents will withdraw their kids cos we are all incredibly wealthy and schools will be able to absorb the cost of VAT + business rate rise + NI rise 😡😡

Where the list from?

All the schools which have publicly announced their closure

Ok thx. I've not heard of any in our area so wondered where data from. Maybe it's a more london thing

No across the country. The main victims so far are the small, local indy prep schools but have heard few potential larger secondary indys are in trouble too

Also a further 6 on watchlist inc a couple of bigger names

Actually @twistyizzy I may have seen something now you mention it, about a very small Indy about an hour from me closing. But it sounded tiny in the first place (40-50 kids) I'd never heard of the school

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5276252-council-spends-ps8000pa-on-a-taxi-due-to-vat-on-private-schools

how can the data the government collected be obligated to include (arguably) complete fails of pupil transfer from private to state schools, where child suffers and state pays much more to educate them?

A example here- nearest state school with a place to take a formerly privately educated DC is 25 miles away from home. So (irrelevant of state/private debate) LA private transport is provided due to distance. Meaning DC now requires 40K of LA money to complete their education none of which would need to be spent had they not slapped +20% VAT on fees.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/state-school-oversubscribed-vat-private-fees-b2697702.html

That has to be a spoof piece, surely?

Nobody would read this and think it was serious, surely?!

I know it's pretty funny though

I really think so yes

Funnily enough, my kids (now teens) really DO love sushi. It’s costing me an arm and a leg unless I can get to Tesco for their reduced/use today selection!

It plays to the stereotypes against which many on here have been railing and also the divisions between state and private. Is that funny?

I don't think it is a satire. It's consistent with other things she's written (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/single-parent-ivf-school-placement-christianity-private-school-a9104681.html).

I think both sides of this debate on here can come together to agree that it's an absolutely ridiculous piece of writing, at least.

I think we can all agree it is a pretty ridiculous piece of writing, whatever side of the argument you are on

We make sushi at home really cheaply - just buy the sushi rice and seaweed and put in avocado/cucumber/salmon - it is cheap and easy!

So all our children like sushi. Finally, some common ground 🤩

The article may be an attempt at spoof. However, there are kids in my DCs London state primary who do catch an Uber to school and who do have sushi in their lunch box, perfectly standard here it seems, to do this kind of thing. Not posh, more middle class standard professional these days. A parent in a morning rush getting an Uber where there is no parking and there are parking charges really is not that unusual.

What is ridiculous is that the split between, for example, the sushi-haves and the sushi-have-nots is by the type of school the DC attend.

My DC 1 are at big city comp.
Getting an uber to these kids isn't unusual. DC1 sometimes stops at local Tesco to grab £3 sushi for her lunch.

That article is utterly ridiculous. I can only assume she's joking. Perhaps it's different in London, but it's not the situation everywhere else! Kids at the private schools I know are mostly wearing H&M/Primark, getting dropped off in muddy older cars and are buying bags of crisps at the local Tesco for snacks, or perhaps a bacon sandwich as a once a week treat! Most of them aren't going on holiday this half term. There are no designer clothes or sushi!

I don't think London comps reflect the rest of the country with their sushi and ubers! 😂Disruption in lessons is common place in most comprehensives. The reason I moved my son from state to private in Year 9 was because of disruption in lessons. I hope to move him back to state for sixth form if we can get a grammar place because the rules in terms of distance are different for sixth form. What state schools really need to sort out is children's behaviour and the top-down management from academy trusts, which is causing so.many teachers to leave.