The Edinburgh Question: Labour's tax on private schools

[Eastcoastie]

A group has popped up on FB aimed at parents in Edinburgh who are against Labour's policy of charging VAT on private school fees if they get elected in July. 25-30% of children in Edinburgh are privately educated so the policy is very likely to require big changes to education providers in Edinburgh and some areas of the Lothians.

George Watson's has announced a 9% fee increase for the coming year and according to members of the group, if the VAT policy goes through, they have been told that this will have to be passed on too, so next years fees would likely see a 20% rise plus inflation. Staff at the school are already on a pay freeze and the accounts show an operating loss.

Members of the group have also said that GWC are planning for a loss of 350 students if the policy is enacted.

Heriots parents have been told of a 6% fee increase for the coming year and the school are also likely to pass on the VAT bill next year if enacted too. Parents are being told, if they are unhappy, to leave.

Prior to the policy being announced, Edinburgh's projections for school capacity flagged 9/23 secondary schools as being at or exceeding capacity in 2023, rising to 18/23 in 2027.

How will Edinburgh/Lothians manage even minimal fall out from the private sector?

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/22448/secondary-school-roll-projections

I support selective education for children and therefore of course id like to see children benefitting, who achieve a school place based on merit rather than just what their parents can afford. Obviously if an area is over subscribed with suitable children and not enough places then that is a great shame for those who don't make the cut. Just like I think its a great shame for the child who lives close to Boroughmuir but can't get a place. Sadly, education is not equal and very regrettably, i don't see this changing any time soon - so where kids do show promise, i would encourage any child to jump at any opportunity offered to them and which may help them to excel.

That, I’m afraid is the root of your argument regarding this, it’s a completely emotive one.

It’s not to say that the emotive argument is without merit, but financially and logically the data shows the benefits of this decision.

I also did not ever claim that all private schools in the Glasgow area only had kids from Glasgow there, that’s as ridiculous as believing all Edinburgh schools only have Edinburgh kids.

Edinburgh is likely to have more, no one is disputing that, but the 1 in 4 figure is absurd.

Look at the figures for boarding pupils for a start.

This thread was titled ‘The Edinburgh Question’, my points, which are backed up by facts shows that this isn’t solely an Edinburgh question.

It’s a question for every county in the central belt, who are more than able to absorb the relatively small number of pupils they will receive.

My DC have been at one of the less favoured Edinburgh state school. I don’t think DC1 would have passed an 11+ exam, not exceptional in any way aged 11. However, they left school with grades better than those of peers they knew who were going on to study medicine, vet med, dentistry (not career paths my DC wanted to take). Incidentally, the only non-A grade DC1ever got was for a course studied at one of the “good” Edinburgh state schools which wasn’t available at their own school.

Friends who live in grammar school areas in Kent hate the system - the local prep schools promote themselves on the level of grammar school placement so how this works in terms of meritocracy I have no idea.

@Coughsweet I agree with you here, don’t have much experience with the English system but in Belfast many of the grammars have their own prep school where practically all of their pupils get in.

Plus the demographics of pupils that go show that it isn’t quite the leveller people make it out to be.

Its another arguement but i do think if you are going to tax primaries and secondary then university and night schools and private tutoring should all get taxed. That being said, you are right, my arguements against it probably are only emotive. My family don't need to withdraw our kids but I really feel for those who do.

Talking to parents at our independent school, I haven't met anyone who is planning on removing their children. I think it'll make more parents delay private school e.g. enter in S1 rather than P6 but I think parents will absorb the increase as far as possible. I think there's much more money around than people think, especially generational wealth and grandparents paying fees or gifting homes to their children.

If the grammar system was introduced, it would be subject to the same abuse, tutors would become essential so again, parents that can afford it would be able to ensure their children benefit the most.

I think private education should be subject to VAT, I just wish they'd have communicated the implementation more clearly so we could plan.

an argument can be made that ‘free’ university isn’t quite the leveller it’s supposed to be based on who goes too - it is a massive benefit to winners.

But I’m against this policy for many reasons, it forced-reduces parent choice for some parents, pricing them out of being able to choose private education. I’d have liked to have seen much more school diversity being encouraged - my children did not fit the standard model, and many don’t. This is likely to reduce school diversity - the smallest schools will be hardest hit by number drops.

Similarly, the non-core teachers will be hardest hit - it will lead to more music, arts, drama and other teachers losing their jobs, or getting hours cuts as schools try and find savings.

We’ll have to wait 3-5 years though to understand the impacts. In financial terms, it is small beer according to the IFS in what it raises - precisely because it’s targeting 7 percent of parents.

that’s this labour govt all over - very few good ideas on education. I voted for them as well, look at the alternative but….over and above VAT, we need new ideas in education and not ideas from the 70s.

ESMS announced yesterday they will be changing to co-ed all the way through to save themselves the duplication of costs - https://www.removepaywall.com/search?url=www.thetimes.com/uk/scotland/article/two-single-sex-private-schools-merge-to-limit-impact-of-vat-on-fees-l8k9m5gr9#googlevignette

With the new, co-ed, junior forrest school, I can see Merchiston going the same way.

I don't have a strong view of single sex education but it is certainly a choice that is being eroded from families who want it.