Whitehall “braced for private schools collapse” 5

[ICouldBeVioletSky]

Starting a continuation thread in anticipation of the fourth one filling up…

www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/5301690-whitehall-braced-for-private-schools-collapse-4?page=39

Who are the two supporters? Or is your arithmetic lacking too?

@KendricksGinI think she means me!

@twistyizzyit’s not really surprising there aren’t many Labour supporters on here. There aren’t many people at all-maybe 20 separate posters? For most people this whole issue is a matter of supreme indifference. If asked whether private school parents should pay VAT they’d probably briefly wonder why they aren’t already, then move on to other things. Mumsnet is heavily skewed towards private schools, so it’s a bigger deal than it is anywhere else.

Labour already have a shortfall in funding for SEN at £4.5b.

VAT is only going to raise £1.7b from VAT tax on school fees.

If more SEN kids move over to state, which they surely will, how is any of that diminishing £1.7b actually going to work to make any difference at all?

I don't think anyone has done the sums.

As more SEN kids move into state school, that £4.5b figure is going to increase.

And as more private schools close, the £1.7b is going to decrease.

This may well cost Labour more in the long-run. FAFO. What a bunch of losers.

In addition to which, the UK tax receipts didn't go well the first quarter of 2025.

Labour got trashed in the local elections. It's really sad to see us jump from one bunch of very poor leaders, to yet another bunch of very poor leaders.

When is this country going to get someone who can actually run the country well?

Some other poster has already brought it to your attention that their school is participating in Southwark partnership https://sslp.education It's been in existence for more than 20 years and it's not quite "teachers serving on boards".

Our former school shares a sports centre including swimming pool.
Our current school shares state of the art facilities and organises joint projects.

Why is it every single school I've seen shares something and there is Southwark info in public domain yet you keep dismissing facts? It doesn't reflect favourably on supporters of Labour policies.

@UbertomusicOf course some private schools
do a lot for “public good”. I’m just pointing out that it’s not always all it seems. Which I sure you would agree.

@UbertomusicFor example, one school near me holds auditions at the state schools for their choir, which is an amazing opportunity-the choir master is an incredible musician and a very charismatic leader. However another one sends a group of largely uninterested kids to a couple of primary schools to listen to reading- which they use for the volunteering section of their DofE Award! Like in all things,there is good and bad.The choir, incidentally, has been going much longer than the Charity Comission started encouraging private schools to demonstrate public good. The reading scheme hasn’t!

I agree but you'll be very hard pressed to get any policy supporters (or nominal non-supporters) to engage... perhaps if you cover yourself with strings of hazelnuts you might have better luck 🐿 🐿 🐿

We cannot quantify "always" unless we personally poll every single school, but there are some data available, and even "true leftie" activist "researchers" couldn't hide the fact that the main type of private-state partnership is "pupil event" (lecture, sport fixture etc) and the second most common one is "sharing facilities".

Yes, and it shows us that there are very different private schools.

On another hand, our prep had no green space or fields whatsoever, they are teaching in portacabins and are generally shabby so if anyone polled them they would count as "indie school not engaging in partnerships". At the same time, our local state primary had amazing facilities, new building, large manicured fields... if they partnered, it's the state school that would have to be a benefactor 😂

I think you maybe just need to just face up to the fact that these threads have run their course and very few people are really that interested. However your little squirrel emojis are much better than the tired moolah and breakfast cereal references.

I said “not always” which doesn’t need to be quantified. Did you see my other post where I gave good and bad examples? Some others- one school offers regular cricket coaching to a couple of state schools-another one invites another school to come and be thrashed at cricket-no coaching or anything. A massive defeat and tea. Until the school decided that the tea wasn’t worth the thrashing! The private school concerned appeared to believe it had done its bit….

I did, and replied with another example :)

Yes, I was thinking just that - it's difficult to organise academic/sport/music group partnerships as they are not on the same level. Our current school somehow manages to organise groups, the previous one mostly invited to expert lectures and Oxbridge interview coaching (shared facilities are a different story).

Your choir example is interesting - it's not a joint schools choir, more an individual talent selection, is it? Then many people would immediately dismiss it as "elitist" not a partnership :)

Yes it is an elite choir. I do think sometimes people think us lefties in particular and state schools in general are anti elite. We’re not. We’re anti elite that is completely inaccessible to anyone but a tiny group. Using the choir as an example- it should be about the ability to sing-elite talent if you like-not the ability to pay. Which this school gives. But it shouldn’t be grace abd favor and in the gift of one pretty extraordinary individual.

Ah, shit. The “it’s all spite and jealousy” brigade will be sweeping in on that last post, won’t they? <sigh>

You are clearly interested enough to keep coming back over and over, and not tired enough to deliver your esteemed judgement upon my posts 👀🤷🏻‍♀️

Yep. Plus enough happy to continue chatting about the topic.

I personally don't give a flying squirrel what you do for a hobby/school etc but then at least have the same respect and leave my choices alone!

Or would you think it's fair to make you pay 20% tax on your choir purely because not everyone has access to the same? No choir in our village therefore it's not fair that you have access to an elite choir so you must pay a 20% tax on it. Cos that would be fair then wouldn't it?

@twistyizzy Looks like "fair," like "interested" and "tired" are irregular adjectives?

Well. My council has been taken over by Reform. I can't say I'm hugely surprised and note the passage being quoted from Wiki on socials seems to be [207]

"Transgender ideology" would be banned, no gender questioning, social transitioning or pronoun swapping would be allowed in schools universities would have to offer two-year courses to reduce student debt. Scrap interest on student loans and extend the loan capital repayment periods to 45 years. Encouraging the use of private schools via a 20% tax relief on private schooling."

Yep so has my council. Proper Red Wall territory. Labour run council for over 100 years and now under Reform.
2 of the Reform councillors are vocal supporters of legal challenge against VAT and we've already connected!
Exciting times!

While I get that I feel Russia has heavily influenced the recent "trans debate" if that is what you can call it, the two main parties really did get sucked head first into it while completely ignoring science and 51%of the population. On here everyone on certain threads refused to admit it was a big issue people even cared about. Seems we've all had enough. I would like to add for clarity that I didn't vote for Reform.

Me either but I'm delighted Labour got a pasting and at least the Reform councillors answer emails and engage rather than ignoring, lying and obfuscating.

I just come in every so often to see if things have moved on at all. They haven't.

Most frequently because you are spotting squirrels

At least I don't find the prospect of Reform exciting. The very thought.