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Original poster

School fee VAT and the council, surely this can’t be happening?

176 replies

Sat100 · 01/04/2025 20:45

A close friend has told me that at their school, parents have had to move their child out due to being priced out and unfortunately there are no state school places available in the area. The council is now apparently paying the VAT on behalf of this family on account of the fact there is no space in the state sector within a certain mileage of their home. I am in disbelief…has anyone else heard of this happening?!

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GetMeOutOfMeta · 03/04/2025 17:47

FeelGettingPowerBack · 03/04/2025 15:04

We are just about to have no skin in the game as we are moving out DC to state 6th form and they want to move.

However, what a stupid bunch of idiots. Won’t this now be a precedent? Local state can’t accommodate another SEN and it’s cheaper and less hassle to pay the VAT.

I’d be banging this drum if I was struggling to pay the VAT and my DC would need SEN provision.

It’s a stupid tax. I thought it would’ve been easy to throw out not just for SEN reasons, but also due to EU rules against taxing education which we all seem to follow.

Out of interest, are state school teachers not asking how they are meant to support all of these SEN kids, particularly large 16+ boys who have had to change schools away from friends and routines and may be under increased pressure? If I were a state teacher I'd be worried about having the extra work and potential disruption for starters.

Labraradabrador · 03/04/2025 21:07

Focusevaporation · 03/04/2025 07:30

Do you fund the one to one for your DC?

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Not all send children require 1:1? What even is your point?

Heronwatcher · 03/04/2025 21:14

Snugglemonkey · 02/04/2025 21:50

The case has not been brought by private schools. It has been crowd funded and relates to test cases.

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One of the three claimants in the judicial review is the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

dottiehens · 03/04/2025 22:52

jellyfishperiwinkle · 01/04/2025 21:30

There is no money to do much at the moment. It will take a decade to repair the damage done by the last government.

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Still banging on this. Do not you see how fuck up their policies are? This is much worse.

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 05:21

Heronwatcher · 03/04/2025 21:14

One of the three claimants in the judicial review is the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

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just as a point of information, the ISC represents less than half the private schools in the UK. That still a lot, of course!

Neemie · 04/04/2025 06:25

Shetlands · 02/04/2025 00:02

Here's just some of what Labour has done after less than a year in government:

Freezing thousands of government credit cards to cut wasteful spending and ensure that every pound of taxpayer money is spent on improving the lives of working people.

Increased support for victims and survivors of terrorism.

Labour's Great British Energy is installing solar panels on around 200 schools and 200 NHS sites, cutting bills by thousands and reinvesting savings back into our public services.

Investing over £600m to train up to 60,000 more engineers & construction workers. Homegrown skills to deliver the plan to build 1.5 million homes for families across the country.

Investing £1.6bn to fix broken roads.

House building and infrastructure unblocked.

Rolling out free breakfast clubs.

Increased defence spending.

Launched 'Homes fit for Heroes' to secure better housing for military families.

Major investment in transport in the north of England.

Ended 18 months of junior doctors' strikes. NHS waiting lists down for 5 months in a row. Delivered over 2 million extra appointments 7 months earlier than promised.

Labour is tackling illegal migration. Since the general election, they’ve returned 24,000 people with no right to be here - including 3,500 criminals. Removing illegal migrants at the highest rate in eight years, seizing hundreds of boats and engines, taking down 18,000 social media accounts, ramping up illegal working raids.

From today, the National Living Wage and the National Minimum Wage are rising, giving millions of people a pay boost across the UK.

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What are they doing to improve education though? The breakfast clubs, which are not free as they have to be paid for by the taxpayer, are nothing to do with education. Apart from cutting funding for certain subjects such as latin and advanced maths schemes, they don’t seem to be doing much.

SheilaFentiman · 04/04/2025 06:34

The breakfast clubs, which are not free as they have to be paid for by the taxpayer, are nothing to do with education.

isnt the idea to improve both attendance and nutrition, both important for education?

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 06:45

@Neemie of course breakfast clubs are to do with education!

Neemie · 04/04/2025 07:03

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 06:45

@Neemie of course breakfast clubs are to do with education!

It is the education budget being used for social work. Of course children should be fed but that is a welfare issue. Education is not valued enough by many people in this country and that will have a lasting negative effect. The government is being cheered on for penalising people who want to invest in education whilst dumbing down state schools.

SheilaFentiman · 04/04/2025 07:09

Neemie · 04/04/2025 07:03

It is the education budget being used for social work. Of course children should be fed but that is a welfare issue. Education is not valued enough by many people in this country and that will have a lasting negative effect. The government is being cheered on for penalising people who want to invest in education whilst dumbing down state schools.

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There’s a crossover, just as there’s a crossover between health and work, education and work, pensions and health, etc etc.

If nourishment and attendance amongst children goes up, educational outcomes improve.

You can reasonably argue that the funding is insufficient, but the argument that it’s nothing to do with education is an odd one.

Parsley1234 · 04/04/2025 07:20

The reason the government are funding 60p breakfasts is to get more people into work it has nothing to do with attendance and nutrition. most schools are saying they can’t make it work because guess what the figures don’t add up once again Reeves and her trusty abacus have fucked up. Thus government are absolutely dreadful they are making life harder and harder for people look at Question Time last night 26 years of a labour government and their education is in the gutter and that is what’s coming to a school near you soon

Neemie · 04/04/2025 07:20

SheilaFentiman · 04/04/2025 07:09

There’s a crossover, just as there’s a crossover between health and work, education and work, pensions and health, etc etc.

If nourishment and attendance amongst children goes up, educational outcomes improve.

You can reasonably argue that the funding is insufficient, but the argument that it’s nothing to do with education is an odd one.

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My point is that It is masquerading as an education policy but it isn’t an education policy any more than social housing or health care is. They could just as easily call it an investment in the nhs. It is a way of hiding the fact that they are not investing in education.

SheilaFentiman · 04/04/2025 07:21

@Neemie I understand your point, I just disagree with it.

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 08:09

To be honest,@Neemie, I’d rather my tax dollar went on breakfast than Latin. I realize that marks me down in your world as an anti-intellectual philestine.

Neemie · 04/04/2025 08:23

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 08:09

To be honest,@Neemie, I’d rather my tax dollar went on breakfast than Latin. I realize that marks me down in your world as an anti-intellectual philestine.

So long as you aren’t pretending it is being spent on education then that is fine by me.

Araminta1003 · 04/04/2025 08:25

Why did you pick Latin out? Is that because you associate it with Boris Johnson?

What about Maths, Computer Science? The stuff which will actually make this country grow in the future and educate children and generations to not be a burden on the state?

Araminta1003 · 04/04/2025 08:31

I agree with the concept that as many primary schools as possible should offer wrap around care so parents can work and the State should facilitate this. But rich people should feed their own DCs and most people in paid employment can afford to do just that, and far more nutritionally responsibly than a state primary will be able to provide at 60p. It would be better to exercise this generation before school and fund that properly. If the motivation is health and work, then make it health and work.

HazeyjaneIII · 04/04/2025 08:37

The government is being cheered on for penalising people who want to invest in education whilst dumbing down state schools.
How are the government dumbing down state schools?

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 08:40

@Araminta1003If that was to me, I picked out Latin because @Neemiedid.

Neemie · 04/04/2025 08:49

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 08:40

@Araminta1003If that was to me, I picked out Latin because @Neemiedid.

I did mention advanced maths as well. I have also read that there will be funding cuts in computing, MFL and science but I didn’t use those examples because I’m not sure what they involve.

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 09:31

@neemieI know. I used Latin because if subject cuts have to be made it’s the one I would least regret.

Araminta1003 · 04/04/2025 09:33

The reality is that most privileged Labour Party members are using the best state schools (via catchment) and are top up tutoring. That is certainly the case in London and there has been a huge boom in tutoring since the start of Covid. It is pretty much the established norm for many now.

CurlewKate · 04/04/2025 09:38

@Araminta1003where have you found that data?

Araminta1003 · 04/04/2025 09:47

@CurlewKate - it’s hardly new news! Sutton Trust, for example. https://www.suttontrust.com/our-research/tutoring-2023-the-new-landscape/

They also highlight the inequalities in the state system.

46 per cent in London previously. It will be higher now. Moreover, it’s moved from 11 plus to GCSE and A levels too now including actual prep for elite universities. Anyone with kids in London state schools has day to day experience of this.