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 don't understand why OP thinks her situation would make anyone reconsider their position on VAT on private schools.
OP was spending a fortune on private school for 2 kids. DD is now going to an outstanding state school and OP is saving loads of money and going on extra holidays. Seems like everyone is a winner here.

Why not put your DS into state for 6th form, and give your DD the same schooling y7-11 that your DS had, and then switch her to date for 6th form too?

Did you give your DS the option of dtate+savings too?

thanks for the message - I’m not looking for sympathy I promise. I’m pointing out that this tax wont impact us at all - we have our daughter at an outstanding school and will save c£20k a year. The sad outcome is that another child (possibly less privileged) has now lost their place at an outstanding rated school and this will be replicated many times up and down the country. How is that sensible as a policy?

Still agree 🤷‍♀️

Enjoy the extra winter holiday. I have read this a few times but l don’t think you’re joking about the holiday

"we actually investigated sending DD to state secondary school" 😂

You know you could put part of the money you aren't spending on school fees on extra circular activities so your daughter has access to some of the extra facilities you funded for your son. However, you appear to have prioritised an "extra" winter holiday. Jolly good for you.....

Everyone apart from the kid who would have got a place at that school, had it not been for the VAT policy?

And the more people that do what OP has done, the closer the private school comes to closing - with very negative effects for the community. Job losses. New housing packed tightly onto the school premises. Everyone loses.

Correct - someone has lost out because of this policy but not the people who were targeted (ie private school child).

If you don't think private school is better than an outstanding state school then why have you spent all this money sending your DS to one?

Correct - except for the child who lost their place at the outstanding rated school to us. And this will happen all over the country many, many times.

Outstanding according to Ofsted...which doesn't mean a lot.

Nice. Your DD gets £100k handed to her and your DS gets told he went to a private school so suck it up?

Why would op be joking? Perhaps she currently goes on a summer holiday, but will now be taking an extra one in the winter as well?

Maybe your daughter will be able to teach you about paragraphs once she's been at the school for a while.

There's only thing that potentially tips the balance in favour of encouraging people like you to keep all of your children in the private sector - the prospect of our lovely staff having to deal with you over email for the next 5-7 years.

I wouldn’t care a jot if every private school kid transferred (albeit maybe not all at once). We could finally get a more level playing field.

Not all children from private schools will end up at the best state secondaries by the way. Many won't get a place just like other children.

I feel sorry for the dd who will forever understand that her education isn't as important as her brother's.

Yep. The casualty in this will be your relationship with your kids and their relationship with each other.

There's no way they're both going to be cool about this.

You sound insufferable.

State schools are closing because of drops in pupil numbers. They get more funding if more children are enrolled, ergo schools that otherwise would have closed stay open.

Your entire argument is composed of dross.

It's not really tone deaf. OP isn't claiming she isn't privileged. The point is, she was going to use her financial privilege to fund a school place for her child and now the state will be funding this at an oversubscribed state school. I fail to see how this is anything but a bad thing. The State is stuck funding a child to the tune of at least £50k through secondary school and another child has missed out in a place at an outstanding state school. If we had an infinite supply of public money or great schools then perhaps this wouldn't be so awful, but we all know that there are too many crap schools around and that going to these schools can have a terrible impact on a child's education.

In this context, you revelling in the introduction of the VAT on school fees shows you don't care about the child in the mould infested house. You are simply an idealist that doesn't care about the real life ramifications of a poorly thought out policy that could easily push deprived children into worse situations.

So you don’t need a place in state but you’re taking it anyway therefore depriving another child of a place which you don’t need ??

And that’s your argument ???

She’ll have over £100k in savings at 18 which we would have saved for her. Plus she’s in an outstanding school

Oh your children are going to resent each other massively once they're adults! Maybe your ds would rather have a chunk of cash instead?

Don’t take the place then. ??

The kind of amusing thing is that you think that an "ofsted outstanding" school is the only school that could possibly be acceptable.

Ofsted outstanding doesn't measure things like ethos, inclusivity, how children with SEN are supported.

Fwiw my kids attending an outstanding primary and two high schools, one "good" and one "requires improvement". The RI school was by far my favourite.

@Sally20099

This is utterly unhinged. Penalising your DS financially for a decision you made literally YEARS before any financial changes forced you to. Just bitchy crap.

I support the VAT change.

I sort of didn't before, but then I worked in the UK private sector and holy shit, it's really low quality education. I'd worked in British international schools and assumed UK private would be up to those standards... how wrong I was.

All the other teachers in the UK private system view me as a total anathema to their status quo because I want to do the best for the kids and work hard to improve their academic success as opposed to sit on my arse and say 'but we aren't STATE so we don't HAVE TO do that logically supportive thing'.

Have now visited multiple (30+) private schools and think they should all be shut ASAP. Absolute grade A scam, all shit but have 'lovely buildings' 'ooh a pool!' 'look at that big field'.

Fuck that shit, can't wait till they're all VAT'd out of existence.

🤣

Exactly, people really don't seem to understand what Ofsted actually is - a tick box game.