Whitehall “braced for private schools collapse” 6

[ICouldBeVioletSky]

Continuation of previous threads to discuss VAT on independent school fees.

Those who are near the end of the race will grit their teeth and bear it. Those of us who have kids with 8-10 years to go will look elsewhere. It won't be for a couple of years that the reduced admissions and drop outs will bite properly, by which time politically they will be able to say that the policy hasn't significant affected numbers.

That's an article about the electricty grid being outdated. Did you link the wrong article? (interesting though!)

Lol... ooops... too many tabs

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/0c367c41208516ba

Thanks!

I do think Labour might end up wishing they had lost, so that they could blame class enemies private school parents for the net money this policy will cost.

They’ll just spin some lies. Their comms is madness atm

Agreed - I feel totally gaslit by my government atm!

I need to read the judgment to get my head around the arguments properly but I’m sad to see this result and very grateful to the parents who did their best to challenge this https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/ALR-and-others-v-Chancellor-of-the-Exchequer-private-schools-VAT-judgment.pdf

https://queenmargarets.com/

Another one closing. I think there will be loads now.

125 years of educating children. Apart from the devastating impact on everyone at the school it will leave a gaping hole in the community. I don’t know this school but had a look at the website, it is set in 75 acres so this being vacant leads it prime fodder to be bulldozed for housing or the like. How bloody depressing.

The things we do. Talk about an own goal.

I think the floodgates are truly open now.
The State has to find all these children a school place.

Reading that judgment concerns me. What if the State decides children on screen permanently and online schooling is sufficient? Or decides that those working from home - online schooling sufficient. It seems “any form” of education will do. Up to the State, a matter of public policy. There is basically no duty for the State to balance health and education in any sort of proportionate way and with an ageing population, it really is quite concerning.
Crux of the matter is, be careful who you vote for!

Maybe some will go to other private schools, helping them to be financially viable?

Ok, uninformed eejit here…. Does this not mean that the European Court of Human Rights no longer has place in British legislation?… awful in the grand scheme of things but if we’ve ditched that rather important piece of legislation can I now just assume that I can redevelop my outbuildings that house a couple of bats…. Coz if humans don’t count why would any other species?! Sorry, had a few and will no doubt have to name change tomorrow🙈

Oh - and far more importantly (on a properly serious note) doesn’t the Good Friday agreement not have specific relation and reliance on this? If we have breached this ‘coz Kier don’t like it’ are we not throwing hat under the bus too?

I think, but by no means sure! The ECHR has ruled against the challenge on human rights grounds.

The EU has legislation not based on human rights that would have prevented the imposition of VAT. But not on human rights grounds.

Thanks @Baital - I’ll look it all up and inform myself properly tomorrow!

Very disappointed in the court's decision. The court also concluded that the SEN children's rights have been interfered with. If lots of SEN children move back to state schools and have EHCPs, it will cost the government a fortune.
In September, I want to know the stats for movement to state schools from private. I am pretty sure very little money if any will be made by the VAT imposition.
Labour doesn't understand that their move just makes private education more elitist.
State school parents who choose the best state schools for their children but at the same time criticise private school parents for buying privilege are hypocritical.

State school parents who choose the best state schools for their children but at the same time criticise private school parents for buying privilege are hypocritical.

Should parents deliberately choose bad schools, then?

(I am a private school parent, but this statement is clear nonsense!)

How do you feel about the closures?

People keep assuming that anyone who doesn’t strongly oppose VAT on private schools is anti private schooling. It is a totally false equivalence.

Everyone should have the right to purchase any vatable goods, but that doesn’t make VAT wrong.

Fine to debate the difference, not fine to pretend that people who are indifferent to VAT are somehow rabid socialists or anti education.

Should parents deliberately choose bad schools, then?

Obviously not. What they should do is not criticise - or expect the state to penalise- private school parents for doing exactly what they themselves are - rightly - doing... and furthermore, doing themselves without facing any kind of penalty or 'making up for it', and costing the state £8k per child each year which the private school parents do not.

It means the gov has more to support which you identified in an earlier post.

It’s is fair to say that people who want to tax education are either stupid or spiteful, or both…mainly both. I think the discussion has run its course though, the damage is done. It’s going to be at least 4 years before this is reversed and by then it will have led to the closure of hundreds of schools at the tax payers expense. The country will have considerably less less education options and the state education budget will be lower per head. It’s madness people think closing schools is a good idea, evolution is a conspiracy theory and the earth is flat but unfortunately these people get a vote.

Equating VAT on private education to believing in a flat earth is such ridiculous hyperbole that you are doing your case no favours at all!

Schools are a really good idea. The earth is not flat. It’s madness people argue otherwise, I don’t know what else to say.