Guest Post: "Education is about partnership – and we owe it to all our children to work together in their best interests" - Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP's back to school message for parents

[SophiaCMumsnet]

I love back to school week. Sending my children off to school on their first day back, I’m always sad (and maybe a little relieved!) to see them go, but I think forward with such excitement to what the new school year will bring for them. New friends, new experiences, new opportunities.

You all know that familiar mix of feelings as they walk through the school gates once again – nervous, excited, hopeful. If you’re anything like me though, overall, you just want them to do well and be happy.

As parents, we all want the best for our children, both in school and beyond. We want them to grow up happy and healthy, to get a good job, and to be able to buy a nice house.

I understand those aspirations – I share them for my own children and, as Education Secretary, for yours. That’s why this job is the greatest privilege of my life. I want to make sure each and every child gets the best start in life, to ensure that where you’re from doesn’t determine where you end up. By breaking the link between background and future success, we can break down barriers to opportunity and give all children the skills they need to thrive.

Education lies at the heart of this change we all want to see. And education means more than maths or English or science, as important as they are. An excellent, whole-childhood education journey builds a lifelong love of learning, nurtures a sense of belonging, and creates connections that last for years to come. A good education gives our children strong foundations and sets them up for work and for life.

High and rising standards in all of our schools is at the heart of our plan. My offer to you is this: I’ll support your children taking their first steps into learning. I’ll put 6,500 new expert teachers in classrooms across the country. I’ll introduce free breakfast clubs in all primary schools. I’ll improve professional careers advice and work experience. I’ll expand support for families by rolling out funded childcare. I’ll review the curriculum, making it richer and broader, setting all children up to thrive now and in the future. I’ll boost mental health support across our schools and reform provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.

I’m ambitious for our children and for our country. But government can’t achieve all this in isolation. I want to work in partnership with you to deliver the very best life chances for our children. We all have responsibilities – you as parents, us as government, and schools do too. I want to reset these relationships, rebuild trust and work together for the benefit of all our children.

I need all parents to play their part too. Every child is different and you know your child best. I know that every child has different needs, but one thing that can have the biggest positive impact for children is making sure they go to school. When things are working well and children have the right support, ambition, opportunities, belonging, all come from being in school. However excellent our teachers, they can’t teach children who aren’t there. As I put in place measures to drive high and rising standards in schools, children who are absent won’t feel the benefit of them.

Attendance from day one really matters. Children who miss a day at the beginning of a new term are much more likely to be persistently absent for the rest of the school year. So my ask of you for this back to school week is simple, but crucial. If you make sure your children are where they belong - in school - schools are there by your side to support you in this, and so is government.

Education is about partnership – and we owe it to all our children to work together in their best interests. As a new September rolls round, let’s use this moment to fix our foundations, begin the work of rebuilding Britain. Happy back to school week!

Adding a tax to education is taxing and punishing working women and children. People with little voice who are easy collateral. No where else in the world does it.

Freedom of education is a human right recognised in international charters.

What makes you, Bridget, above international himan rights charters?

Your misguided ideology removes a persons freedom of education. It is antidemocratic, anti women and anti children.

Accurate analysis proves her plans will actually COST the taxpayer. No monies gained. Where are these unicorn 6500 experts coming from?

Parents chosimg independent schools SAVES the UK taxpayer around 150k PER CHILD.

This Is before you even begin to consider the mental health issues for the children, or all the families driven to look for opportunities abroad. In Germany independent fees can be reclaimed from the government, such good it does for society, such money it saves for the state.

you want to end this and cost us all

please, think of the children

That's exactly how I feel - never again will I vote Labour ( didn't this time around) and will ensure my daughter understands their attempt to ruin her education

Did you watch the House of Lords debate today Bridget?
I mean Starmer is a clever guy, after all he did go to Reigate Grammar (which became an independent school whilst he was there)!
Have you, Smith, Rayner and Reeves done some voodoo on him to become so obstinent that he just will not listen. I mean you are just memorising a script and showing absolutely no emotion or empathy in your interviews!
Does Smith understand fees have gone up 50% in 20 years, which is in line with annual inflation and pay rises, so obviously parents haven’t pulled out their children from independent schools. You are about to put up 20% in one year and your argument is that parents haven’t pulled out their children when fees have risen by 50%!
Do you and your peers even understand time value of money?
Stop being ignorant and obstinent and listen to working families who have chosen to sacrifice so many things in life to put their children first!
do the right thing and don’t rob Peter to pay Paul.

Will these 6,500 new "expert" teachers have QTS? Unlikely as now you can be a teacher in England without a qualification to your name. The money schools are saving this way is phenomenal slow hand clap

Be honest with people.

Where are you going to recruit these teachers from? How are you going to pay for it? You’re taxing independent schools- so where are those kids, whose parents can no longer afford it going to go?

Emily Thornbury at least told us the truth- those kids will go back into state school classrooms, making classes even bigger, making it EVEN HARDER for teachers, as many of those kids have SEN, so your VAT policy won’t raise the money- as you’ll have to pay to educate those kids back in the state sector! And parents will have to spend more time/ money chasing non existent ECHP’s for their kids so they can be properly supported. Talk about own goal!

This seems like another gigantic ‘black hole’ waiting to be ‘discovered’. Pay for education properly, be honest with people. What is this VAT money funding now, I’ve lost count… 6,500 teachers, breakfast clubs (even for millionaires who don’t need it), Ofsted reforms, mental health staff in schools… I’m sure there’s more but I can’t even remember - you probably can’t either. and you won’t even say that all this supposed money will go to schools!

Stop lying. Your policies will make education worse for everyone - and kids in independent and state will suffer at your hands. You delete posts on your own Facebook site but at least you can’t delete them here.

Work with the independent schools so everyone can share their expertise and facilities- they’re obviously doing something right or you wouldn’t be so jealous of them. Don’t level everything down so only the very rich get the benefits!

And pay for education in state schools with proper funding- not this VAT voodoo economics you seem to have dreamed up on the back of a fab packet!

What you say sounds like a great plan, but how are you going to make this work? What is your plan?

There needs to be years of research, observation and planning along with number-crunching, rather than scratching the surface with knee-jerk idea's in order to really improve education.

Kids don’t want to go to school. (Bullying from other kids, unhappy teachers, not enough time for the teacher to explain the basics, getting left behind others, stress over testing, and the list goes on).

Teachers don’t want to be in school. (Badly behaved kids, unable to adequately give realistic consequences for actions kids take, too much paperwork, not enough time to teach. Pressure!).

One teacher friend explained that she had less than 1 minute per lesson to spend with a child. How is that motivating for any teacher or child?

How to you intend to resolve this?

Throwing some cash at Breakfast clubs for already stretched teachers and longer days for kids is not going to help the desire or ability to learn/ teach.

This sector needs a serious overhaul but with care and realistic planning on what needs to be done, what costs will be and how it will be realised, no assumptions.

A fair, realistic and sustainable way to raise funds for the education sector needs would be means-testing all parents.

As you say, everyone wants the best for their kids and those that can, should contribute to making sure that schools can give their best.

More schools, smaller class sizes, less pressure for all is the way forward.

Your current ‘pie in the sky’ plan to tax independent school fees is only going to make problems worse. From speaking to people I know and reading comments on here, this tax will lead to many pupils in independent schools having to leave and flooding their local schools causing larger class sizes and overcrowded facilities at many schools.

The funds you intend to raise won’t be close to what you think they will be, when parents can no longer afford to keep their children in independent schools / move abroad / give up work or reduce hours in NHS or armed forces to be with kids = less tax accrued!

Means-testing was successfully and simply done when my peers were at university; those with parents who could afford it, did not get a student loan. Those that couldn’t afford it, did receive a loan.

in France, their medical system is successfully means-tested. Those that earn more, pay more for their medical care (or get insurance!).

This is a practical, income-sustainable and fair way to ensure the needed funds can be raised to raise the school experience ce and ensure everyone gets a chance at the best education.

Please make sure you have a solid plan in place and have carried out proper reset into facts and figures.

The knock on effects of private schools closing (that have been around for 100s years in some cases) will not only be detrimental to local school children having class sizes increase, but also in the wider community. Shops/ facilities/ service providers will all lose significant customers if those from out of town are not travelling to the schools, and leave already struggling small towns becoming even more ghost towns.

The UK that we know and love is crumbling before our eyes. Please don’t make this worse and plan carefully before carrying out knee-jerk politics which will have major lasting effects.

Bridget,

Such wonderful aspirations.

I fear you will stumble immediately if you and the Chancellor push ahead with the education tax.

It will have unintended consequences, it won’t raise the funds you think it will, state class sizes will rise, it will harm children (both state and independent), it will widen inequality, it will make independent schools for the wealthiest alone, it will limit parental choices, women will be more impacted than men, some high earners will choose to work less resulting in less income tax receipts. It may well end up costing the state.

I implore you to wake up to the reality that the independent sector plays a vital role in our education system by relieving pressure on the state system.

Find a better way.

Don’t do what the Greek did in 2015. Learn from them. If you don’t then I fear you will regret the legacy you leave behind you.

Absolutely agree with you. This Education tax is populist nonsense- which will ultimately impact kids in state schools the most with increased class sizes and even more burnt out teachers dealing with the fallout from this Marxist experiment.

Phillipson is totally hoodwinking people. She is making promises that she cannot possibly keep. She’s playing on the heart strings of all parents but all the while stabbing children and their families in the back. We all want our state schools to be better. We all want children to have opportunities from an early age, but robbing children of their beloved schools, children that often are not suited to state school or have been cruelly let down by the state, is not the way. Labour are a disgrace and I have never been so disillusioned by this country until now. The VAT on schools is a BAD idea. It’s ill thought through and has the member of the HofL said today, it’s a policy with unintended consequences. Phillipson, back down or stand down for everyone’s sake.

I wait to watch you fail and fall - nasty in every way.

Yesterday's House of Lords debate on VAT for independent fees saw opposition Lords & Ladies presenting strong arguments about its impact. Lord Hacking, formerly Labour, along with others, shared insights from ordinary working parents, teachers, schools, and groups like the Independent Schools Commission, Good Schools Guide, SEND community, and the Military. They urged the government not to rush the decision, advocating for a full impact study and financial review. Please collaborate with the independent sector not against it....
Transcript is here
Debate 05.09.24 Starts 14:58 hrs

Other useful references are:
Adams Institute impact on the Treasury 31 Aug'24 & reality of the figures
Risk & Advisory to DofE Koll
Military Families

Condescending empty words.

Why not start by looking at WHY there is an attendance crisis and WHY so many teachers are leaving?!?!

Mine don’t go to school but even I am insulted by this statement.

You odious, envious, clueless idiot.

You actually don't care about any children - you just want to eradicate aspirations.

You are going to ruin many lives and I hope you are going to deal with the mental health impacts your politics of envy will have.

You should be absolutely ashamed of yourself and the legacy that will be in your name.

My asd child has been out of education for over a year. I'd love to be doing the school run but unfortunately the local authority and school have put up barriers to prevent that. On paper I've won tribunals but even that hasn't made them implement the ehcp. I'm now heading for another but I don't see the point as no one is policing their unlawful behaviour. The system is about protecting budgets and partnerships have broken down because no one is protecting children.

You love back to school? I wish my son could say the same as he no school to go to due to your VAT policy. You are a liar! You do not care about “ every single child”
where are the state places for children who cannot afford your extra tax?

Labour must stop this spiteful, hateful policy

I’m enraged by your ignorance, Bridget Philipson, toward the 500,000+ SEN kids currently in the private school sector. Not there because Daddy was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but there because the state system had failed them and their parents are working really hard to put their child through private school. My autistic son is amongst this cohort you have decided to penalise with an ill thought out vat on education policy that will cost the uk taxpayers millions. Yesterday three children in my son’s year alone didn’t return to school as parents are now being forced into state schools. I learned today that 2 of the 3 haven’t been able to secure local places and as it stands don’t have a school to join! You simply can’t spout rubbish about caring for all children whilst allowing this to happen. I will not forgive the Labour Party for this. Oh and by the way, your removal and deletion of any valid concerns regarding this spite tax on your social media pages smacks of censorship and dictatorship. What happened to freedom of speech? If you aren’t able to provide a robust defence of this policy that should surely tell you it’s built on shaky ground. You will not silence us Bridget, we will have our say.

Is it a spoof post? You don't honestly believe that people are falling for this despicable, divisive and dishonest narrative? This blinkered refusal to listen to reason would be laughable if it weren't so cruel.

We're alone in Europe in taxing education (ask the Greeks how it went for them) and alone in many other global jurisdictions. Many countries subsidise independent school-use, so as to free up resources for others.

"....but one thing that can have the biggest positive impact for children is making sure they go to school."

This HAS to be a joke. Where will children displaced from independent schools go, when the LA has confirmed already that there aren't any spaces within a 34-mile round trip? What happens when classes of 32 children have to be expanded even further, to accommodate ever more children? Many of those children joining the state sector in the middle of the year have additional learning needs. Where's that funding coming from? How will you choose whose existing state school children will be disadvantaged when their already megre support is shared with several others?

You must think we're stupid if you believe we don't remember Emily Thornberry's honest comments about increasing class sizes, and the way you all rushed to shut her up.

How are you going to fund the teaching, SEND support and transport costs of those children moving to the state sector, who you've not had to fund before? Taxis to drive my three children to school will be required to cover a 35-mile round trip. What's that? £20k for just one family? If 10% of children UK-wide leave independent schools, you'll make no money at all from this unpalatable scheme, but you will have damaged the mental health of countless children, forced other families to move abroad, reduce their hours, or give up work entirely, impacting tax revenue, increasing demand for mental health services and generating an enormous demand for SEND support in already overstretched state schools.

"....to ensure that where you’re from doesn’t determine where you end up."

What drivel. My family is the living embodiment of social mobility. I'm the only one in my group of university friends who went to non selective state schools. I was the first in my family to go to university. And you're doing your utmost to ensure I'm punished for my achievements and life choices, made to protect my children.

Our son was coming out of school by the age of 6, saying "I'm rubbish at maths." He was picked on by another child and the teachers told them to "sort it out yourselves." When he had something stolen from a communal area where they had to keep things, he was told, "you should have looked after it better." Victim-blaming started young at his village "outstanding" primary school.

We moved him, taking help from family and cutting out anything we could. He's been there one year and one term and has worked his socks off to catch up with his peers. He's not yet caught up.

You're punishing families paying school fees whilst turning a very blind eye to those families paying millions of pounds to live in the most exclusive state catchment areas, so as to access the best state schools. They're pushing out vulnerable children whose parents can't afford to live there, thus using their wealth to buy a better education. But not only are they effectively paying for a great education, they're taking state funding, pushing others into poorer schools, and using their wealth to pay for sports clubs, music lessons, private tutors (including to get an advantage in grammar school admissions), holidays to the Maldives, the Burma, to Australia... they're highly likely to be on very high salaries, with more valuable properties and are able to fund all sorts of "privileges" many can't afford. The 93% is not, as you'd have us believe, a universally impoverished demographic. Plenty of state schools are truly excellent and house prices in their miniscule cstchments means only the wealthiest may attend.

In your view, parents like Keir Starmer, (who was "lucky" enough to take up a free place at Eleanor Palmer, when so many other local children couldn't live close enough) aren't the issue. It's parents like me who you say have the broadest shoulders and whose children you don't care about. You care about the privileged few at schools like Eleanor Palmer, simply because they're in the 93%.

You don't care that my 6 year old started to suffer with migraines, sound sensitivity, difficulty processing information. You don't care that we're at the start of a SEND investigation journey. The school supports him brilliantly without a diagnosis but we sure will pursue one now, given the risk that we'll have to require the state sector to pay for his ongoing support.

The problem isn't those using wealth to hog the best state school places, preventing others from doing so; it's those parents who are paying for state education through their taxes, but who aren't taking funding out of that system and are paying again for their own children. We're being told to pay a third time. We're working class parents, who have worked and progressed from their modest roots, who struggle to afford school fees, who cut out holidays, drive older used cars, and are having to sell our home in order to help pay fees, due to this spiteful tax.

State sold should absolutely have the funding they need. But it should come from general taxation, it should not be causing distress to thousands of children. Tax the cost of putting a bet on a horse if we're so desperate for cash.

how about ensuring every child with suspected sen's is assessed by educational psychologists and has access to a psychiatrist within 2 months maximum time not 2 years?

I am not sure how the government wants to create 6500 new space for teachers. Yes I get we need teachers but there are already so many current teachers wanted to leave or left already. Please do some research about it!
Labour government ideology is almost like a communist ideology. Everyone will be equal and everyone will get the same! I know what is ir like I grown up in communist country. one thing about living in communist country the education is free and very good standards unfortunately we are living in democratic country and the education in this country is in such a bad state of affairs.

I do believe under Labour Party this will go from bad to worse in matter of 5 years. You are going to destroy something which works which is private education.
I do not believe in your manifesto that charging VAT on private school will help you to get that. Believe or not it will only widen the gap between poor and rich and it will only be for elite group of people who will be able to send the kids to private school while pushing the rest hard working families like mine to mainstream education which is already over subscribed in my areas.
So do not believe you will get extra 1.6 billions which is your fairytale and propaganda.

if you read numerous studies produced and if scenario only 10 percent will leave private education this will cost government money so in reality what you proposing will cost us all more money not make money for all what you are promising people.
There was only one country previously who has done this which is Greece it absolutely backfired at them and them have to scrap it.i absolutely hate what you and your communist ideologist Labour Party proposing shame on you! I am lucky I have European Union passport so If I decide we will be leaving this country and I am sure there are lot of people who will be doing it as well taking all hard money with us.

#educationnottaxation
how can you say it’s about partnership when you have sold the voters a lie about how much this spite tax on the discriminatory and damaging VAT policy against independent schools sector is actually going to generate in income. Regardless of the ill timing and disruption to 1000s children who will be changing schools because you are putting their hard earnt life choice way out of reach of anyone other than the super wealthy. People putting children back into state at such short notice will add already strain to a broken system and will take up another place that didn’t need to be taken up if the status quo had been left in place. You are taking opportunities away from our children and next generation with this unfair and in Europe's eyes still illegal policy. The state system will not benefit from damaging and trying to dismantle children in alternative provisions. Thai is not about the Eton’s of the country, this is about the small geographically, different approach to education, special skills, special requirements schools and school provision that 1000s of parents make difficult work and life choices to afford their children to be in an environment where they may thrive rather than just survive and takes burden away from the over stretched under provisioned and under funded state sector. All this policy is doing is adding to the chaos and our children in both sectors are collateral damage in your policy making and blind bullheadedness in this policy.

Your clearly insincere words are an insult to many parents on this forum. As a mother you should clearly understand the impact of the ill conceived ideology you intend to impose mid term on thousands of children within the UK. The impact of mid school year moves for children with SEND and those in year groups in exam years is nothing short of barbaric. This move will provide no additional funding for state sector and will probably cost the state far more in reclaimed VAT and the additional burden of the many SEND children returning to the state system. The large schools within the private sector will commence to build and develop large projects to further move them ahead of state schools and off set VAT on these projects so while the super rich can afford these hikes in fees the normal working parents and their children, trying the find the best solution for their children will be punished forcing them out of the labour market as they have to move to home education, costing the government more in taxes, whilst ensuring the divide in education gets wider for even more children in the UK.

I have already had to move my children because of your VAT policy. They have gone from 3 happy children who didn’t cost the tax payer a thing to 3 very sad children who I’m having to get extra counselling for. My six year old has talked of preferring to die than go to school bc he’s had to leave everything he knows.
You are simply creating a more elitist few and then adding to tax payers cost with all these extra children that are also dealing with massive change. I hold you responsible for the unhappiness of my children, they cry themselves to sleep each night because of you! You should feel ashamed of yourself.

Twaddlle. You don’t really mean all children. This divisive VAT policy won’t bring equality, it will do the opposite. My kids were at one of the top boarding schools. 90% of the parents there will not even notice the VAT. They are now at a smaller cheaper school where 90% of the parents would notice. They are the ones who are doctors doing weekend bank shifts to pay the fees, many grandparents still working to help the family. It will divide society more, not less. And frankly, the ones who do have to leave private school will mostly just buy their way into good catchment areas just furthering the inequality that exists in our state system.

Why are the education department sorting out breakfast clubs? It’s a parents job to feed kids, not a schools. Sort out the reasons parents aren’t doing their job properly, have targeted intervention for those who don’t and spend the money on actually teaching.

Will you also be paying for unicorns in each classroom? Maybe that will give comfort to the many displaced children whose hardworking tax paying parents can no longer pay for private schools after the VAT? This government has clearly said they have abandoned those who will fall into this gap. You bite the very hand that feeds you !
Children who require SEN support will be hardest hit : their needs may be best met in a private setting ( now with added VAT) but let's not forget all the 'extras' that come with raising a SEN child - the extra tuition, the coaching, the counselling.
Hard grafting parents who have spent their entire adult life trying to support their families are those who will suffer the most.
But let's not forget those able children in state school who will now not be able to see the front of the classroom. Those children previously able to walk to school who now need to catch a bus hours away to attend school. No local support network or friendship group.
Labour's move will go down in history as the biggest tax on the livelihood of children in generations - you are sucking the lifeblood out of decent fee paying, tax paying, law abiding families and in return you expect absent, overstretched state school teachers to mop up your mess ! Is this before or after they have served cornflakes to every child coming in the front door ?
How YOU sleep in your bed with this cancer to society on its way is beyond me - maybe you need to go back to school?