You claim that the LibDems were not in power.

“ The Liberal Democrats were in government from May 11, 2010, to May 8, 2015, as part of the coalition with the Conservative Party.”

Five years in government. Don’t you remember them saying “We will never increase university tuition fees” and then doing it as soon as in power?

If you believe the education given to children in the best public schools like Eton College, Harrow School, Westminster School, Stowe School, Winchester College, St Paul's School, Rugby School, Tonbridge School, Charterhouse School, Cheltenham Ladies' College is anything like the education that you get at your local comp I can only say you have never been anywhere near them.
Furthermore, there is not a lot of movement between the two systems by teachers.
Finally, if you think the wealthy are paying out £50,000 a year for what you can get at your local comp, you have no idea.

Now Labour have just said they will implement this policy from next calendar year, I am looking forward to private schools now becoming the preserve of the very rich.

As private schools will then not be charities, there is no reason parents should be subsidising scholarships and bursaries. This will save about half of this VAT increase that schools think will add 16% to fees.

Schools should also now stop paying the ludicrous 28% TPS pension contributions, yes teachers get 28% pension contributions (and massive holidays)  - that can stop immediately. 10% contribution sounds reasonable, like most of us get.

Private schools can also now stop sharing their facilities with local state schools and reduce the other costs associated with this.

So there, the Labour policy hits the poor and the teachers. And what for ?
6700 teachers spread over about 24000 state schools - 1 teacher per 3 schools, well that's going to make a bike difference.

 

Maybe charge 20% on all eduction, including the 'cost' (c.£7k p.a.) of state education - but do it means tested? That way it's fair for everyone and will raise more money for education overall ?

Posts like this one by Knightsambl make it clear to me that the rationale for applying VAT is NOT truly about raising funds for state schools. In reality, this will not significantly impact state school funding and will cause a great deal of hardship for families already struggling to prioritize their children's education.
 
Some people seem to wish that independent schools didn't exist at all. It's about removing people's choice. While I can understand and respect the philosophical ideal on why they think that state schooling is better, it's important to acknowledge that people have different opinions. There are many excellent state schools in the UK, but there are also some bad ones, and no amount of money can fix some of these issues. VAT is not applied to many things, and education should definitely be one of them. Most countries do not tax education at all. In many, private schooling is not only untaxed but also tax-deductible. By paying for your children's education, you're actually doing the country a favor. It's not like you're buying a car or an iPhone. It's EDUCATION!
 
For me and my family, independent schools are about choice - choosing what fits best for the kids. We are not wealthy. We're not originally from the Nappy Valley. We're not even from the UK. The reason we decided to move here was the potential education we'd have here for our kids and then the social issues we had in country. We tried state schooling, but we had issues and unfortunately we have no say in which school best fits our children, as they are mostly overcrowded and the schools are assigned based on location. So we decided to make sacrifices and prioritize education over other things, that was the whole point of the moving after all, and we had sacrificed a lot already. We choose a good school at walk distance that we could afford and that suited our kids well. I don't think we will be able to afford that anymore. So yes, I am extremely mad about this. I find it absurdly unfair to be penalized when we are already alleviating the burden on state schools expenditure while paying a huge amount in taxes. And I’m also absurdly tired of people who want me to feel like an outlaw or an egotistical maniac simply for wanting to pay for my kids education and not agreeing to the VAT.
 

where did you get that private schools are single sex and all state schools are coed ????

what makes you say that private school parents are not engaged versus all state schools parents being engaged ??

seriously ???

Your experience and statements certainly do not reflect today's world !

What these statistics show is that wealthier areas achieve better outcomes in state schools. That is because wealthier, middle class parents who value education but either don’t want to (like me) or cannot (because they have better priorities for their money) don’t pay to remove their children from normal society, and cloister them away in private schools.

Parent power creates better outcomes. Schools get better when parents are engaged, which is a healthier choice than simply paying each term on the assumption that a nice theatre and some verdant playing fields makes for a better life. I loved both those things at my private school, but I’d never subject my own kids to the single-sex weirdness of it, and I can certainly think of far better things to spend my money on - particularly when it’s incredibly clear that a paid-for education is a hindrance not only socially, but also for university entrance, grad schemes etc.

By being born to a Nappy Valley family, your kids have already won the lottery in life. You don’t need to buy what you probably think are even more tickets.

Well done Labour.

Some posts here are really shocking. I also saw this post on another, almost identical thread here + VAT a big mistake or something similar. Some people really think we all go skiing twice a year and drive 4x4 so it's ok for us. And noone here is affected by the rising cost of living. LOL. flash news - not all of us are like you Terrier_London! (who posted the message below). For some of us private education for our children is the biggest sacrifice and sacrifice we consider essential. Both my children have mild SEN - not big enough for the state sector to give a s*** but big enough to impact their education if they don't get adequate support. I guess your skiing 4x4 driven children go to private schools because you can not because you have little choice. Flash news #2 - my shoulders are not very broad...

Post requoted below...

"It's not a big mistake.

We should help narrow the gap between public and private schools. We here can afford to.

Just take a step back and consider the rest of the country. We live in our little bubble in Nappy Valley, and the cost of living crisis has barely been noticed here. We still ski once or twice a year. Most of us have one or two kids at private school. We drive 4x4s. We have it really good. But that shouldn't come increasingly at the expense of those less fortunate.

I think we need to recognise we have broader shoulders and could pay more tax. I support paying more taxes to improve social services and national infrastructure. Labour are going to win in my constituency anyway, as they have done for the last few elections, so doesn't matter too much what I do.

The answer certainly is to vote Reform or any of the other fascist dog whistle parties. Give your heard a wobble if you think that's a sensible vote."

One solution to any potential overcrowding would be to set up nightingale schools in sports stadiums etc.
If this country can set up nightingale hospitals then nightingale schools should be a doddle

This will then allow parents to cancel their sky subscriptions & their avocado orders whilst finding directions to Morrisons instead of going to Waitrose

readysteadycook wrote: ↑Tue Jun 18, 2024 6:50 pm I think it shows how poor the state school education must be if people are willing to pay £25k - £50k a year to educate their child. Not all state schools of course, but most.

Like the NHS, you can pour infinite amounts of money into State Education, and it will still never be close to their private equivalents.

Maybe it’s time people saw the fact that each private school child saves the taxpayer over £7k for them to not have to educate their child -  that’s about the same as the tax break. 

It will also be poor children that lose out with this policy, as the private schools will stop/massively scale back on scholarships. Class sizes in the State sector will be bigger.

 It will make the private education sector even more Elite - thanks Labour.

Then you know very little about the state sector, both of my children have been educated in the state sector and have had a fantastic education, support and opportunities. I personally don't think there should be any private schools and there should be Finnish model that provides excellent education for all and is free.

I don’t have a dog in this particular fight but that left wing socialist rag the Financial Times has an article explaining that in most parts of the country there are plenty of places in state schools - and you would have to think that Labour are as stupid as the Tories for you to think that they would not have looked at something so obvious.

I think it shows how poor the state school education must be if people are willing to pay £25k - £50k a year to educate their child. Not all state schools of course, but most.

Like the NHS, you can pour infinite amounts of money into State Education, and it will still never be close to their private equivalents.

Maybe it’s time people saw the fact that each private school child saves the taxpayer over £7k for them to not have to educate their child -  that’s about the same as the tax break. 

It will also be poor children that lose out with this policy, as the private schools will stop/massively scale back on scholarships. Class sizes in the State sector will be bigger.

 It will make the private education sector even more Elite - thanks Labour.

I literally cannot believe what I’m reading here. Do you have any idea of the work that schools do behind the scenes? And then to find out that Minty and Hugo are only there because your stance against VAT. I have little skin in the game but if this is the outcome you deserve to be bankrupted by your school fees. Disgusting behaviour.

Brilliant idea to post this. It's been picked up by Twitter and is now getting loads of profile on LBC (James O'Brien). The whole country now knows what kind of people you are, and to what depths you will stoop to protect your privilege.

Well done!:)

I lived on the Winstanley Estate for part of my life. I also went to a private secondary school in Croydon while living there, on a bursary.

Just jumping in to say that whoever is suggesting this course of action is a complete POS, typical of the gimme gimmes that have flooded Northcote Road area. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Private schools have their role, and will continue to exist and the policy is a sensible one.