To think a lot of people who agree with VAT on school fees…

[geeenuoe]

Actually don’t truly understand that to most sending their kids to these schools, it is a massive, massive struggle already.

There seems to be a mentality that if you can afford 20k a year then you’re already comfortable so sod it, you should find more cash now for vat … but do people in general not understand that some families re mortgage their homes to pay these fees? Yes there’s mega wealthy people but there’s many, many more who are not.

On the one hand we hear a good education is a luxury so VAT must be applied, then on the other we are told a good education is a right for all. So… why are we taking away that good education from those who already have it? Why is the focus not on sorting out the state sector properly? We all know the vat won’t fix the state sector. It may help in a tiny way in ad hoc circumstances but there’s so so so much more that needs to be done to state schools to make them ever match what the private sector offers.

I simply don’t get this mentality that those making sacrifices must make more when it comes to bloody education. I say this as someone who can’t afford the fees but if I could I absolutely would… and I also acknowledge that I am unwilling to go to some lengths that others will to pay it. I respect the choice of others to make such sacrifices and have no desire to make it harder and more inaccessible for the masses to access it. Similarly, I know plenty of people driving fancy cars and spending loads on holidays… they’ve chosen that over school fees. And those who have spend loads getting into a postcode of a decent state school… should they be paying enhanced tax on their house purchase?

Why do most people think those who pay schools fees are doing so with great ease? Is it basically because they don’t personally know people paying this so accept the media narrative that it’s the mega rich only?

So what about catchment areas then? The state system is deeply unfair and favours those that can afford bigger mortgages or have inherited.

@MillyMollyMandHey care work is demanding and vital activity and care workers thus contribute hugely to our society so yes actually, if some more people took on that work that would be a good thing.

Fab. We need far more people to enter the caring profession than we have.

We all want a great education. Every child should be able to access a good education. State schools are seriously underfunded. If you can afford a private school then do it. If you can’t go state. The problem is not the adding of 20 percent to school fees now it is the fact it was never added on in the first place. It isn’t a charity and should never had been allowed to be a charity. To all the parents saying they will have to now leave that is because like the rest of us you cannot now afford it.

I hope the money raised will go to the schools but sadly think it will go elsewhere

But you know exactly what she meant - otherwise you wouldn't have pointed out the error. So her communication was absolutely clear. You're just being a snob and trying to portray yourself as superior

It's the grammar school aspiring parents who are going to feel the impact more. We're going to have hundreds of threads of "It's not fair! My middle-class children can't get into grammar schools now because richer parents hire better tutors 😭"

most people who pay these fees don’t own yachts and fleets of cars. They have a couple of holidays a year and watch their spending.

Oh no! Only a couple of holidays? Those poor wretched people 🥺

How come it's fine when private education is only accessible to those who can afford £30k pa, but soooo unfair when it's only accessible to those who can afford £30k + VAT?

Lots of people can't afford luxuries, it's very common, believe it or not.

There are loads of secondary places in Hertfordshire, people are just shitting themselves because they are at the shite schools.

I have no idea if she is what she says she is. This is mumsnet. I would hope a school governor would be able to write properly though and therefore did not immediately, looking at her post, think that was a post from a governor in education. I thought the aim was to raise school standards and so governors need to know what those standards are.

Why have you mentioned private school manners in your post?

Enquires yes but actually children moving to the schools is a lot less.

Of the people I know who privately educate, they will just cut back on other things. I’m sure there will be some people who can no longer afford it, but they’ll have to just do what those of us who want well educated children in the state sector do and put in a bit of extra effort at home rather than paying to offload that duty.

Well i would abolish that I live in an area where some primary schools have alot of Asians in and others where it's white majority same town. I have always said like in America they bussed in kids to mix it up at schools this would stop this happening and schools could then take a mix of richer people working classes religions etc

Christmas is not for two months yet, Scrooge.

If she wasn't holding herself out as a school governor I would agree. I make lots of spelling mistakes. But I'm not involved in raising education standards.

Fuck you, @MillyMollyMandHey
I was a teacher for 15 years. I gave. It up to support our elderly in residential care. How fucking DARE you ridicule care workers in that way. Did you not live through the pandemic like the rest of us?! Your comment is absolutely piggish, and I pray one day you end up on the receiving end of us care workers. Then you'll swallow your vile rhetoric.

No, we understand. It's a lot like telling us what a struggle it is to buy a new Rolex every year.

If you don't want to spend the money, don't. If you prioritise the Rolex/school above other things, give up the "couple of holidays". This is how household budgets work.

I actually don't much care about the affordability issue - there will always be a cut off point.

What I do care about is whether it'll raise funds.

And I care even more that everyone contributes more for education they're using rather than relying on 7% of the population to prop up the state sector. Come on wealthy state school parents - stop sponging off someone else!

Whatever the politics, the outcome is an overall lower quality education for everyone. We should be levelling up, not levelling down.

It’s ironic that people who are rich enough to send their kids to private school are complaining that the VAT will make private schools accessible only to the rich - that’s already the case!
Private schools have always been only accessible to the rich, it’s just that the cut off is now slightly different so some are now lumped in with the rest of us having to go to state schools.
I have little sympathy about what level of richness is needed to attend private school. Not one of those private school parents cared that I couldn’t afford to send my kids to private, so I don’t see why I should care that some others now can’t afford to send their kids. They can join us in state school.

Maybe they should move some of the existing pupils out of their excellent state schools and make them travel further to the “shite” schools to ensure that the allocation of places is fairer for those leaving the private sector.

I assume you’d be supportive of that.

Do the people who keep posting about this not understand that some families have not been able to afford food and heating for their kids???!!!!!
Parents working multiple jobs and still not affording basic necessities?
Yes I get it private school is expensive, fees have gone up so sad but moaning about how unfair it is and how you're going to "struggle" is incredibly self absorbed

Where do you propose the money comes from then OP? If the funds are going to be used to specifically increase the standard of state education, surely this is a sensible way to raise them? By taxing those who arguably can afford it? That’s how tax works, the more you earn, the more you are taxed.

Once again, you think that no-one can raise educational standards unless they are grammatically literate? Have you ever corresponded with an engineer? A scientist? You think only educated people realise the importance of education and raising standards? You think people can't aspire to better education for their children than they themselves received?

I think you know that you're better than this, really

Or just abolish catchment areas. Then you couldn't buy your way into a 'better' school.

YABU - I am directly affected by the changes. I am also not rich. I don't think it is particularly unfair.

What I see is privileged people, whether relatively or otherwise who are now angry that they are being targeted instead of the poor and disabled. Get over it frankly.