Read this an tell me you still agree with VAT on school fees

[Sally20099]

DS is 3 years from finishing private school which includes 2 years in the sixth form. DD was due to start same senior school in Sept. Both went to private prep but due to talk of VAT on fees, and certainty of Labour govt for some time, we actually investigated sending DD to state secondary school. Only one in the entire city is rated outstanding but DD has got a place so we have decided to send her there. It’s very good academically but obviously hasn’t got the facilities of the private option. Currently school fees are £19,300 per year (before VAT) for DS so we have saved a reasonable sum by going to state school with DD. DS will finish at his school and we could afford DD fees (even with VAT) so we will instead put £12k a year extra in savings for DD and then spend the rest of the savings on an extra winter holiday. We would have never looked at state schools without the VAT policy and instead we have taken the place of someone at an outstanding rated school. Im not posting to annoy anyone, I wanted those who unequivocally support this to see some of the consequences. We also know a reasonable number of children in DS year who can’t afford fees with VAT and are taking their children out of private and going into state - and taking more places at the limited good schools. Its probably no surprise that most families in private schools happen to also live in good areas, meaning catchment areas tend to work out quite well when they go state.

I suppose it's a bit like the Labour party describing the VAT exemption on education as a 'loophole'?

Glad I'm not the only person thinking this. I've been wondering if everybody else just has loads of money and doesn't mind paying. The teachers' pension I thought something like 'well, that's not great value, but at least it's a good cause'. An extra tax that doesn't go to my child or my child's teacher? People say 'you're just complaining because you don't want to pay it'. Too right I don't want to pay it! My friends living in million pound houses and sending their child to state have the right idea!

OK, so basically not a stealth tax then.

FWIW, I never agreed with describing the exemption as a loophole either.

Yip. Until now, education was an exempt supply. The only 'stealthy; thing they've done is describe this as a 'loophole' as if it was odd or unintentional, rather than a perfectly normal exemption applied by almost every government in the world.

Extra winter holiday, 12K a year in a savings account, my heart bleeds for your DD. Seriously though, somebody this tone deaf and entitled expects us to believe that her opposition to VAT on school fees us driven by concern over taking a state school place from somebody else. 🙄

And good on your son and his mates for being more broad and open minded about education than you clearly are.

I went to a really rough state school in NW England, as did my DH and then Uni. My 2 DC went to a local school in Asia where they had lessons in English, then everything repeated in Mandarin by the 2nd teacher in the class. Then they went to an international school where they had 26 in the class, with 19 different nationalities. Then they moved back here and were put in a private school. Now one of them is going to state 6th.

What does your educational record and that of your DC look like? Do you have enough different experiences to make comparisons and an informed decision?

It doesn't matter what her motivation is. The place has been taken, and it's a state funded place.

Haha do you say the same about your rent? If your rent increased suddenly by 20% does that mean that you couldn't afford it in the first place?

I am not sure the outstanding state school the OP is describing is worse though? It sounds like a great school. And as long as she talks to her DCs clearly about this, she has an excuse. It is the Labour Government’s sudden punitive tax that has made her change course and if her DCs are intelligent they will understand. Lots of people had to change course after Brexit and Covid and for private school parents I think this tax is just the third example of this. If they handled Covid and Brexit, they can handle this too, one way or another.

Actually, yes. Though of course seems like rent situation is a catastrophe in the uk so sympathise with anyone in this situation. If rents are erratic it makes it impossible to plan. We’re becoming more like Zola’s France every day!

My friends living in million pound houses and sending their child to state have the right idea!

Exactly! Glad you're realising that. 😊

The government doesn't anticipate a problem here, but the idea that private school goers should be subsidised by the tax payer in order to prop up an unfair, underfunded, postcode lottery driven, hierarchical school admissions system is quite the stretch.

Everyone demonising our kids for getting a good education.

This is the point. All kids should be able to get a good education, not just those who go private.

She has changed course because she would rather spend her money on holidays than pay the extra now required for her DD to recieve the same educational advantage as her DS has recieved. Its entirely up to her to prioritise her wish to avoid paying more tax over treating her children fairly. She is privileged to have the choice and should own it rather than blaming the labour party for forcing it upon her.

@5128gap - it’s not what she said though is it? She says she never considered and looked at state schools previously. And she has now realised that the one in her town is really good? It cannot come as a surprise that from a sheer academic point of view many state schools are really good? I would say the state primary my DCs went to is much better than most of the local private schools. It’s a fact.

Yes agreed

Then far from seeing the policy as punitive and starting a thread where yet again all the complaints about it are aired, surely she should be appreciative that through the wisdom of the Labour party, she has been encouraged to educate herself? I'd have expected a very different tone. Instead it's just another tantrum. The "I wanted to go to bed really, it's not because you made me, it's because I love bed, so there" version.

But you’ve literally always had this choice. You’ve very welcome to your state school place. As is every child in the country. If you’re bothered by taking back some of the money youve paid into the system then fill your boots with state education and NHS care. It’s there for you.

Regarding 'taking away' a school place, this happens every year with children moving into the area, housing estates being built, high sibling/SEN year, lots of reasons that a child might have got a place the previous year but loses out the next.
Op, did you apply in October for your school place knowing that Labour would get in or were you going to apply any way?

Jesus is this a joke???

I think you are missing her point a bit. The introduction of vat to private schools has triggered her to move her child to a government school - meaning tax payers are now going to contribute £7k a year for her child, her child is taking a place at a good school that might have gone to a child whose parent's could not afford private school. She has saved money yes - but the main point is this change is now costing the community. She is not asking for sympathy for her child and her child seems happy enough with the decision.

My point is that I don't believe she cares less about state school children's places. In any event, this doesn't seem to be an issue, the government is not expecting to be oversubscribed as a result of this, and they are as entitled as anybody else to a state school place. I just simply do not buy the sudden outpouring of concern for the number of state school places by private school parents. The money saved from charging VAT will go towards increasing resources at state school so if that is genuinely their concern then they should be delighted to be facilitating that.

Some of you are just not getting the point! Entitled rich people demanding their state places and insisting on their NHS time as well is not going to be good for the rest of us. Until now many of this lot paid a ton of tax plus did not use those services much. Now the Government has gone for their children they are going to alter their behaviour and demand what was rightfully theirs all along. And as they are quite noisy and demanding, how is this a good thing? They will get the best state places and onto the waiting lists. We know that! Anyway, I think it’s too late now. I don’t think they will make more demands for everyone else, they will just demand for their lot. This is when we talk of don’t poke the bear. Sadly the incoming Government appear very inexperienced already.

I'm sorry but I'm actually lol at the thought of a fierce army of the disgruntled lower middle class marauding through the shires snapping up school places and hospital beds while the rest of the population stand by in slack jawed helplessness. Somebody stop them. They'll be raiding the food banks next.

Nobody has missed her point. She’s reiterated it ad nauseum. People just don’t agree with her or believe her fake concern