Latest news with #EducationNotTaxation
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
How Labour's VAT raid made private school pupils fair game for hate
For months Ben* was heckled by local school children on his way home. A group of them targeted him on the bus, shouting 'posh boy' whenever they saw him. The taunting was so relentless that for a while last year the 15-year-old changed the time he left school to avoid running into his aggressors. He has asked that we don't use his real name so that he remains unidentifiable. His mother says that this happened in autumn last year, when Labour's anti-private school rhetoric was at its peak. In October, Bridget Phillipson, the Education Secretary, tweeted a viral post in which she caricatured private schools as out-of-touch institutions with embossed stationery and AstroTurf pitches. Our state schools need teachers more than private schools need embossed stationery. Our children need mental health support more than private schools need new pools. Our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches. — Bridget Phillipson (@bphillipsonMP) October 5, 2024 Ben is far from the only child who has faced abuse in the wake of Labour's VAT raid. The Education Not Taxation group, which includes more than 25,000 private school parents, said it is aware of dozens of examples of children who say they have been abused on their way to and from school. Private school children have often been a target of bullies in the past. But the group says the language and rhetoric used by Labour ministers in the past year to justify adding VAT to school fees has poured fuel on the flames, and created a reason to accept this behaviour. Phillipson's viral post on X, seen by more than six million people, is one of many examples of language some have deemed to be divisive and creating an 'us vs them' mentality. Conservative MP Luke Evans said her comments 'reeked of prejudice and propagates a class war', while shadow minister Nigel Huddleston said they were 'shockingly ill-judged'. Both called for her to apologise. In April, the Education Secretary accused private schools of 'crying wolf' over the impact of the 20pc levy, despite more than 75 institutions closing since October, according to the Independent Schools Council. Recent figures from the Department for Education also revealed four times as many pupils have left private schools in the past year than the Government's forecast. Mary*, from London, is both a private school parent and a state school governor. Her eldest child goes to an independent school while her youngest is at a state school. Mary, like Ben, does not want to use her real name because she is scared of experiencing further backlash. 'It can be confusing because it feels as if Labour cares about my daughter but not about my son,' she says. 'The language Labour has used is dangerous. It's given people ammunition to say things to your face.' In a recent meeting with other state school parents, Mary says she was heckled and told 'you are part of the problem' because one of her children attended a private school. She says: 'In my role as a governor, we had to explain the financial difficulties to parents. I was in a meeting and a mother stood up and said I was part of the problem because I had denied funding to the school by moving my child to an independent school. 'There were 30 people in that room and nobody said anything. Nobody stepped in, that was the shocking part. People afterwards messaged me to say she was out of line, but the fact nobody wanted to speak up… I felt publicly shamed.' 'Labour's derogatory rhetoric to blame' One private school family putting their heads above the parapet are Sarah Lambert, 59, and her 14-year-old daughter Ava. The Telegraph revealed in February that the local council is now spending more than £8,000 a year in taxi fares to take Ava to the nearest available state school 25 miles away, after the family were no longer able to afford her school fees. Lambert, a nurse practitioner, says the fallout from appearing in the media has been 'brutal'. While more juvenile comments focused on cliches about their supposed wealth, she says that at its most sinister, online trolls trawled through her social media accounts to find images of her daughter. 'They found a picture and said 'well she deserves it because she's so ugly'. Another one said 'who would want that child in their school?'. It's been horrendous. There have been things like 'oh dear so your poor child has to mix with normal people'. 'Don't talk to me about normal people. My sister works in retail. My mum is a retired social worker. I'm a nurse. How much more normal could you want?' She adds: 'I found myself thinking, how is this normal for people to be able to feel like they could attack a 13-year-old child? I truly believe it was the rhetoric that the Government gave at the time. They wanted people to think we all drive Chelsea tractors. 'This Sunday I'm working from eight in the morning until midnight as a nurse, but that is not what Bridget Phillipson wants to portray.' Alicia Kearns, the Conservative MP for Rutland and Stamford, who represents Lambert, says: 'Labour's rhetoric is laced with derogatory language and ridicule of families in independent schooling.' She adds: 'Whether ministers like it or not, their responsibilities extend to the education of all children. Yet the Secretary of State has made her priorities clear, having not visited a single independent school since taking office, while meeting with trade unions weekly. 'Education shouldn't be an experiment in class warfare, our children deserve better. Yet Labour's rhetoric lays bare their envy and blind pursuit of ideology irrespective of the consequences for all families and children.' The Department for Education was approached for comment.
Daily Mail
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Fresh bias row as private pupils are charged more than state schools to see Shakespeare plays
The Royal Shakespeare Company has been accused of discrimination and 'feeding into a national class war' by charging private school pupils more than state schoolchildren for theatre visits. Groups of state schoolchildren watching performances by the globally famous company are charged £10 a head, while their private school counterparts are charged a staggering £16.50. The National Theatre in London also charges private schoolchildren more than state pupils – £12 a head compared to £10. Last night, campaigners from the Education not Taxation (ENT) pressure group, which represents private school parents nationwide, said the 'two-tier pricing blatantly discriminates against independent school children'. Urging the Charity Commission to investigate, an ENT spokesman said: 'Raising the prices for independent school children feeds into a national class war and can deny children access to rites of passage we should all encourage, such as watching Shakespeare plays. 'Their apparent attempts at social justice show no understanding of the nuanced education landscape, which includes wealthy state schools and poor independent schools.' A Mail on Sunday investigation has also discovered that a prestigious national engineering competition for schools barred private schools from taking part just two years ago. The Big Bang Programme, run by Engineering UK, ruled private schoolchildren as ineligible from taking part in its nationwide competition. More than half a million schoolchildren from over 1,000 schools attend Royal Shakespeare Company performances every year. And yet it is believed the company quietly shelved its one price for all under-18 schoolchildren of £12.50, lowering prices for state schools and dramatically increasing them for private schools. Richard Jones, head of Dorset's Bryanston School, which is famous for performing arts, said: 'The theatres' premium for independent school children isn't inclusion, it's discrimination. 'The arts are meant to unite audiences, not divide children through where they go to school.' The RSC said 'prices for private schools are at a slightly higher rate due to the differences in budgets that are available between state-maintained schools and schools in the independent sector'. The National Theatre said its prices were set on 'a long-standing pricing structure which has been in place for many years'. And Engineering UK said it did not consider private schoolchildren to be among the 'under-represented groups in engineering' it aimed to inspire.
Telegraph
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour MP accuses families hit by private school tax raid of ‘crying to the courts'
A Labour MP has accused families hit by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts'. Jonathan Hinder, the MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, criticised families who were hit by Labour's 20 per cent VAT levy on private school fees after they lost their challenge at the High Court on Friday. He said taking the case to the High Court was 'crazy', before adding in the post to X: 'A tax commitment included in an election-winning manifesto, duly delivered. That's democracy. Campaign to reverse it if you like. Fine. 'But this habit of going crying to the courts all the time is silly. Obviously the right decision, but crazy that it got to the High Court.' Three separate challenges were heard together in a judicial review between April 1 and 3, using more than a dozen families as case studies. In a single written judgment issued on Friday, the three judges presiding over the case said they 'dismiss the claims'. Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Newey and Mr Justice Chamberlain said the VAT policy was 'proportionate' in its aim to raise extra revenue for state schools. A spokesman for the lobby group Education not Taxation told The Telegraph that 'crying to the courts' was 'entirely justified'. He said: 'The court's ruling that the taxation of independent schooling is discriminatory and will have a disproportionate, prejudicial effect on children with special educational needs (SEN) clearly demonstrates that any 'crying to the courts' was entirely justified. 'Without the action taken by the claimants, the government's prejudicial behaviour would have gone unchecked, obscured by the false narratives and political spin used to justify this attack on educational choice. 'While it is disappointing that the court ruled the action is not illegal, it nevertheless makes a powerful statement: the policy is discriminatory.' Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said that schools were 'right' to have escalated the challenge to the High Court. The ISC was part of the legal challenge and represents more than 1,400 private schools. 'This is an unprecedented tax on education and it is right that its compatibility with human rights law was tested,' she said. 'Thousands of families have already been negatively affected by the policy, with more than 11,000 children leaving independent education since last year – far more than had been anticipated by the government. 'As the court noted, there was interference with human rights and this policy is likely to have an outsized impact on families of faith and children with SEND but without an EHCP.' In the wake of the VAT hike, private schools across the country have been forced to close. Queen Margaret's School for Girls in York said it had been forced to make the 'deeply distressing' decision to close following Labour's VAT raid. The £43,000-a-year boarding school said it was 'unable to withstand mounting financial pressures' after the introduction of the tax in January led to student enquiries 'declining sharply'. According to the school's website, the enrolment numbers for the coming academic year were below the level needed to keep the school open. The 'heart-wrenching' decision was taken after failing to secure fresh investment. The school also blamed 'increased national insurance and pension contributions, the removal of charitable-status business rates relief, and rising costs for the upkeep and operation of our estate'. Queen Margaret's alumni include the socialite Manners sisters – Lady Violet, Lady Alice, and Lady Eliza – daughters of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Rutland. The independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 was due to celebrate its 125th anniversary next year. It will close at the end of their summer term on July 5. Alicia Kearns, the shadow minister for home affairs, described the tweets as 'class warfare'. She said: 'Parents in my communities have been put through enormous stress and their children's education disrupted. 'They do not deserve the ridicule of Labour MPs indulging in class warfare and crowing about manifesto promises whilst glaringly silent on the extra money promised for state schools. 'No sign of keeping that promise, quite the opposite as state schools struggle and Labour Ministers this week admit their funding is insufficient to cover staff pay rises next year, and the NEU calling it a 'crisis in funding'. 'I wouldn't be quite so glib if my ideological experiment had left our state schools worse off.'
Daily Mail
03-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Special-needs crisis for 98 per cent of primary schools - as Heads warn Labour VAT raid on private school fees could make it worse
Almost every primary school head has said they cannot cater to all their special needs pupils, amid warnings over Labour 's VAT raid on schools. A snap poll of 750 heads in the mainstream primary state sector found 98 per cent do not have the resources to meet the needs of all their special needs pupils. In addition, four in five - 82 per cent - said they have such pupils in mainstream classes because there is no room in specialist provision. The survey, by the NAHT union, comes amid warnings Labour's VAT on private school fees may force pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) into the state sector. Many SEND families say they moved their child to private because of poor provision, but are not rich enough to cover the new 20 per cent tax. A spokesman for parent group Education Not Taxation said: 'Concerns raised by the NAHT reflects what parents across the country have seen. 'One in five children in independent schools have one or more special education needs, and many of these moved to independent schools because state schools could not meet their needs. 'Labour's education tax is forcing SEND children out of independent schools into already strained stated schools, lowering education outcomes for all.' A snap poll of 750 heads in the mainstream primary state sector found 98 per cent do not have the resources to meet the needs of all their special needs pupils (stock image) The survey, released at the NAHT's annual conference in Harrogate, found that 94 per cent of heads said meeting the needs of SEND pupils was harder than this time last year. One respondent said SEND funding in the state sector was 'diabolical' while another said the lack of provision is 'detrimental' to all pupils' education. A third said: 'Staff have to manage extremely difficult and stressful situations in class without enough support or specialist help and resources while trying to meet the needs of all the other children too.' Many of the children placed in mainstream settings have an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) specifying specialist provision but no such places are available to them. Paul Whiteman, general secretary, said: 'Too many schools have children who should be getting specialist support. 'School leaders are frustrated that they can't fully meet the needs of the pupils in their care, and we know many parents are frustrated too.' It comes after a High Court case last month revealed Labour considered exempting the 100,000 SEND pupils in private schools from its tax raid but concluded this would cost the Treasury too much. Pupils with EHCP plans are exempted, but these make up only a small proportion of the total number of those with SEND.
The Independent
01-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Parents of SEND children fight private school VAT hike in court: ‘We're working seven days a week to pay fees'
Parents have said they are working seven day weeks to pay for private schools that support their children's special educational needs as they challenge the government's tax on fees. Families gathered at the Royal Courts of Justice ahead of a High Court hearing on Tuesday to challenge the government's decisions to impose 20 per cent VAT on private school costs. Nearly 20 families and several faith schools were part of the effort to bring legal action against the Treasury, as they claimed the new VAT on fees is discriminatory and a breach of human rights law. The Education Not Taxation campaign argues that Special educational needs and disability (SEND) children have been disproportionately affected by this tax hike. One mother, Leanne Gunn, said she'll be forced to work all her life in order to afford her son Charlie's fees, adding: 'there is no other option for him.' The self-employed accountant's son was diagnosed at age two with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition caused by inflammation to the spinal cord, which means he uses a wheelchair and experiences sensory problems such as hearing loss. Ms Gunn has said her son couldn't access education in a larger class size and is 'flourishing' at his school. Already, she starts work at 5am and doesn't finish until just before midnight in order to pay the fees. She said the education tax 'just means that I'm gonna be working seven days a week until forever. 'I work really long hours as it is and for Charlie, there is no other option for him. We don't have another state option', she continued. Ms Gunn's working hours have already taken a toll on their relationship. 'I spend very little time with him. I'm always working and he's always complaining to me about how much I work, but I have no choice. That is just the position we're in.' Education Not Taxation's spokesperson Loveena Tandon said: 'We are deeply grateful to the many families who stood with us today, showing their unwavering support as the High Court hears the case against Labour's Education Tax. 'It is a shame that parents, schools, and children have had to turn to the courts to address the harms this policy is causing. Parents are making difficult choices to pay Labour's tax and keep their children in their schools.' The High Court heard on Tuesday that at least 35,000 children with SEN could be displaced from private schools and into state institutions because of increased costs. Jeremy Hyam KC, representing two children with SEN in private schools, said in written submissions: 'That displacement will have a particularly prejudicial impact for displaced SEN children compared with those entering the state sector who do not have SEN.' He said that provision for SEN pupils in the state system 'is in crisis' and those displaced 'will be going into a system which either will not meet, or is highly unlikely to meet, their needs, as compared to the needs of those without SEN in the same situation.' Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Treasury, HMRC and the DfE, responded that abolishing the VAT exemption for private school fees was expected to yield between £1.5 and £1.7 billion per year. He continued in written submissions that while parents were welcome to opt out of the 'universally accessible' state education system, the measures that affect the cost of providing private education services, and therefore its purchase price, don't make the measures an interference with freedom to offer or receive private education. Mother-of-two Dagmara told The Independent that her husband works seven days a week in order to pay for their son's private school, after they moved him out of their local state primary school last year. 'He works on Saturdays and Sundays', she said. 'It's just very frustrating, really heartbreaking because we as a family do everything we can to keep him happy. We've tried everything.' Dagmara found that she was having to take her eight-year-old son out of state school most days around 11:30 am, meaning he wasn't getting a whole day at school. She said the school repeated on a daily basis 'they don't have the resources' to take care of his needs. Since moving schools, she said her son is 'very happy.' 'His academics definitely improved, but it's all about pastoral care and he seems to be very happy.' A survey conducted by Education Not Taxation of 2,279 parents with SEND children found that 46 per cent were now 'likely' or 'very likely' to take their children out of the independent sector in the coming years. More than 98 per cent of those likely to leave said they did not believe the state school local to them would meet their children's needs properly. Labour promised to 'end the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools to invest in our state schools' in its 2024 general election manifesto. A government spokesperson said: 'We do not comment on ongoing litigation matters.'
