Latest news with #independentSchools
Telegraph
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Private education is one of Britain's best exports – now it's being destroyed
'It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies,' wrote CS Lewis. 'The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.' It is hard to think of a more fitting description of our government. With the parliamentary omnipotence of a huge majority, the moral busybodies wasted no time in attacking the one British institution which can quite legitimately claim to be the envy of the world: our independent schools. An impressive 35 British public schools were featured in Spear's Schools Index of the top 100 institutions in the world this year. The list, which was overwhelmingly dominated by the United Kingdom, far ahead of rivals such as the United States and Switzerland, is compiled on the basis of the institutions' 'academic prowess, their range of social, cultural, and pastoral offerings and their international reputation'.
Daily Mail
21-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Top headteacher's fury at politicians who 'delight in the demise of independent schools'
The head of one of the largest private schools in the UK has hit out at politicians who 'delight in the demise of independent schools' and says her school makes £45m a year for the Scottish economy. Lisa Kerr, who formerly led King Charles 's old school Gordonstoun, said those driven by their 'ideological beliefs' failed to recognise the massive economic benefits of private schools. Now Principal at prestigious George Watson's College in Edinburgh, where 1 in 4 pupils attend private schools, one of the highest numbers in the UK, said: 'Our school alone contributed £34.8 million in GVA (gross added value) to the Edinburgh economy, supporting 580 jobs in the city. 'Across Scotland, our impact rose to £44.7 million GVA and 680 jobs.' And Ms Kerr, who has previously slammed the government's VAT on fees tax raid as an 'existential threat' for private schools, said: 'The impact on Treasury coffers and state school places is only half the story. 'Those whose motivations are ideological and who delight in the demise of independent schools miss the significant economic impact we have on our communities and the benefits that are at stake as the sector shrinks.' Pointing out the huge savings City of Edinburgh Council had made because of children being educated outside the state sector, she explained: 'By educating nearly 2500 pupils, our school saved the public purse a staggering £18.9m with £15.7m of this directly relating to savings made by City of Edinburgh Council from us educating pupils in this area. 'In addition to the staff we employ directly, the school has a valuable and long term supply chain including catering, construction, engineering and cleaning, some for as long as 25 years.' The Labour-run council has been in the firing line since The Mail on Sunday first revealed its hardline anti private school policies such as charging sick kids on cancer wards at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh £115 an hour for tuition if they went to private schools while state school children received it free. Ms Kerr also warned the huge numbers quitting the independent sector – 'four times the government estimate at 13,000' – would have a devastating impact on the state sector. She said: 'Once numbers are in for the rest of the year, the Treasury sums will be further adrift. The numbers for this flawed policy just don't add up; not only will the government fail to raise the promised income but it will put serious strain on the public purse as more pupils are forced to move to already stretched state schools.' Ms Kerr has previously revealed admissions numbers are dropping at the historic college, originally founded in the 18th century, where fees have risen by up to £19,991 a year because of VAT on school fees. And she warned local partnerships which had delivered 'significant positive social impact' including work with the Edinburgh Food Project, an HIV education project and work with local primary schools were now under threat. 'As admissions and pupil numbers fall due to the introduction of the politically driven education tax, these benefits are at significant risk. This will not only damage Edinburgh's economy but will also increase the taxpayer burden. 'It is time for the government to go back to the calculator, be honest about the actual benefits that any school will ever see and to rethink this policy.' The UK Government has repeatedly defended its stance, stating that ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8billion a year by 2029/30, to be spent 'supporting the 94 per cent of children in state schools'.
BBC News
05-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Over 11,000 fewer pupils at private school this year
There were 11,000 fewer pupils at private schools in England this January compared to the same time last year, according to the latest school census figures, released on Thursday, come after the government removed a VAT exemption for private schools on 1 January.A government spokesman said the drop in pupils "remains firmly within historical patterns" and "shatters the myth" of a private school exodus. But private schools disagreed and said more pupils than expected were leaving the independent sector due to higher fees putting more pressure on parents. The figures from the census of all schools in England provide the first complete picture of what is happening in the independent sector after the new 20% VAT on fees was introduced at the beginning of the 582,477 pupils in England attended private schools when the census data was collected in January this year, down from 593,486 the year before - a drop of 1.9% (or 11,009 pupils). Overall pupil numbers in England have fallen slightly to just over nine million. There was a smaller drop (0.6%) in the number of pupils not at private school pupils now make up 6.4% of the total school population, a slightly lower proportion than last year, when it was 6.5%. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that independent school pupil numbers have fallen. The government had previously predicted that around 3,000 private school pupils would need to be absorbed into the state system this academic year, with state school places needed for around 37,000 private school pupils over the coming was an estimate of those who would be motivated to take their children out of private school as a direct result of its decision to remove the VAT exemption from private school fees, not taking into account any demographic changes. The census data does not give clear reasons as to why pupils have left private could include a shift in international students or a move to home-schooling which would not be reflected in the state school Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), a body which represents most of the private schools in the UK, suggested that VAT on fees was putting pressure on parents and was the reason behind the drop. She said: "More pupils have left than the government's own estimates. This outsized exodus should concern anyone who is interested in this tax on education as a revenue raiser."The ISC, which represents more than 1,400 private schools, previously said its annual census showed average school fees were 22.6% higher in January 2025 than they had been in January 2024. The government said the nearly 2% drop in private school pupils reflected "the broader demographic trends and changes in the state sector".A spokesman added: "Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30 to help fund public services, including supporting the 94% of children in state schools, to help ensure excellence everywhere for every child."The Education Policy Institute, an independent education think tank, said it was "too early to see the full effects of adding VAT to private school fees" in this year's census data, given the policy was introduced in the middle of this academic year. They said it was also important to consider broader demographic trends in education. "As expected, today's statistics show an ongoing decline in primary school pupil numbers and the number of pupils in secondary schools is expected to peak over the course of this parliament," the institute the moment a population bulge in England is moving from primary schools into secondary schools, with a bigger drop off in primary age students compared to secondary. Overall student numbers are set to fall by 700,000 in England by reporting by Wesley Stephenson and Miguel Roca-Terry
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Sask. auditor says more oversight required for province's independent schools
WATCH: As Wayne Mantyka explains, Saskatchewan's auditor's says more oversight is needed for the province's independent schools.
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Labour should reverse VAT raid on private schools — not scoff at parents
Since acquiring power, Labour has extracted much rhetorical mileage out of its professed commitment to be levying no further taxes on 'working people'. But its 20 per cent VAT tax raid on independent schools amounts to just that. The disingenuous manner in which the government defended its attack on private education traded heavily on the stereotype that fee-paying families would effortlessly absorb the hit to their finances. The full cost of which, they argued, would anyway be internalised by the schools themselves, which could simply cut back on non-vital expenditure or dip into their financial reserves. Predictably enough, a mere six months after first coming into force mid-way through the financial year, the policy has proved far more damaging than Labour's optimistic projections suggested. Though
