State school fees call for parents earning over £80,000

[Nofussplease]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-25798659

Is this for real? I know it's 'only' a think tank suggestion but is this likely to happen?

Apparently the Head of Wellington College came up with this idea. I think it would be disastrous and would pave the way for everyone paying for state education.

Let's see what the Government says...

I think this could have far-reaching consequences.

It may drive people from state education to private if the cost is the same. I imagine for dh and I, we'd have to pay so we may opt for private if it gave us more flexibility e.g. Holidays to visit our home country. It could really alter the demographics within schools. Where I am from, lots of rich kids go to private school, they go to the better unis and get the better jobs. I know this happens in the uk to a certain extent, but where I am from, it is endemic.

We live in the south east, pay off a high mortgage for a 'modest' 3-bed and are likely to earn 80k between us when I go back to full time work. 80k is unfortunately not much if you pay 1500 each month for the mortgage alone (what if interest goes up???) let alone all the other bloody bills as well as two student loans. It would be like paying full time private nursery, for years and years and years .

This proposition really really scares me.

oh, just saw that there already is a thread on this subject

In aibu.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1971544-High-earners-should-be-charged-for-state-schools

Of course it won't happen - it's totally nuts and clearly self-serving as suggests better off parents would go private.

It's bonkers. But Seldon is always coming out with bonkers ideas - I assume it must be in his job description.

The whole point of state education is that it's freely available to everyone. People on £80k a year (and how on earth could you tell what a couple is earning anyway? And what if their income fluctuates?) pay their taxes and are just as entitled to send their children to state schools as anyone else. If you start charging parents for state education, then they'll send their kids to private school, which I assume is what Seldon wants.

Couples earning £80,000 pounds are very rich compared to many in the UK. Whether they should make a contribution to their childs education is up for debate. Most schools in well-to-do areas get contributions in any case towards educational resources.