Latest news with #privateSchool
Bloomberg
10-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Private School Tax Breaks Aren't a Human Right
OK class, today's topic is elasticity of demand. Raising the price of a popular service is estimated to cause 3,000 people to stop buying it. After the change, the drop in customers is observed to be 11,000. Was the elasticity: A) lower than initially estimated; B) about the same; C) deliberately understated as part of an ideological plot to punish aspiration and destroy everything that is pure and noble in Britain? Demand for UK private-school places has proved less inelastic than the experts thought. Pupil numbers are falling more than three times as fast as the Treasury estimated they would in the 2024-25 school year. Figures released last month by the Department for Education offer the first official reading on the impact of Labour's decision to impose a 20% value-added tax on private school fees. The department's data cover the year through January, the month the tax change took effect.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Revealed: The Telegraph's best value private school
When King Edward VI High School for Girls (KEHS) opened in 1883 on New Street in Birmingham, it didn't even have a proper door. With only a handful of pupils, it was tucked away behind a curtain in a corridor used by the boys' school of the same name. Today, the school is in leafy Edgbaston, and attracts girls from across the West Midlands, with some travelling as far as 100 miles each day. The school has been named The Telegraph's best value private school for 2025, charging below-average school fees (£7,145 per term), while achieving some of the best exam results in the country (80.3pc of A-levels last year scored either A or A*). This year, the tool – which gives hundreds of private schools a 'value for money' score based on fees and academic results – has been upgraded to take into account schools' facilities. As a result, KEHS jumped up the list, due to the fact it has an indoor swimming pool, seven tennis courts and two AstroTurf pitches. It also shares an international athletics track with the University of Birmingham, which Jamacia trained on during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. In the past year, the school has reached national finals in netball, tennis, fencing, chess and badminton. Away from the sports field, the school excels in music. It hosts 40 major concerts each year in conjunction with King Edward's School, its twin boys school on the same site. In 2018, its Year 11 pupil, Lauren Zhang, was crowned BBC Young Musician. But, like all private schools, it is up against a hostile Labour government. The school has passed on the VAT raid in full, with fees rising in September by 20pc compared to a year ago. Kirsty von Malaisé, the principal, says between the girls' and boys' school, the increase in employers' National Insurance and rise in minimum wage has added £1m to its wage bill. In response to these changes, rather than merging with the boys' school, the school is in fact increasing the number of girls it accepts. Year groups will expand from 96 girls to 120 from September. It is hoped by adding an extra form to its new intake of girls, the school can take advantage of economies of scale. Mrs von Malaisé says the move will make the school more financially resilient in the long term. 'Who knows what else the Labour government is going to throw at us, because a lot has hit us this year. 'To be the only country in Europe which is taxing education feels wholly regressive. It is clearly a socialist agenda to the detriment of pupils. 'Even though it's 7pc of pupils [who are educated at private schools] in the country, that's still a lot of young people being educated.' On paper, KEHS is exactly the sort of school to be most severely impacted by Labour's VAT levy. Of the more than 50 school closures since Labour came into power, a disproportionate number have been girls' schools. Department for Education data also showed that the most affordable private schools were losing more pupils than wealthier institutions. The school does not depend on fees to support its bursaries, relying instead on donations and a grant from its foundation. Unlike the majority of schools which are having to cut back on scholarships and bursaries as a result of the VAT raid, KEHS is planning to expand its financial aid. Of its 660 pupils, almost 100 are on transformational bursaries – financial aid that covers between 90pc and 100pc of all fees. The school hopes to increase this figure further to 16pc of all pupils, double the national average. High achieving exam results does not mean strict discipline. There are no school rules and sixth formers wear their own clothes. Freya, 17, a lower sixth pupil, who hopes to study history of art at St Andrew's, says: 'The main thing I've taken away from why we do so well is because the teachers don't treat us like children. 'They treat us as if we are on the same level as them. We've always had discussions with them rather than feeling like we are being spoken to.' It's something Ines, 12, agrees with. She says: 'The way they talk to you makes you feel like they are actually interested in your answer.' For others, it's the camaraderie of a girls-only education that makes KEHS stand out. Ffion, 14, remembers being in awe at the size of the school on her first day. 'I had just arrived, and I had been home educated in Year 6. I was five minutes late to a lesson because I was lost and wandering around the science corridor. 'This random sixth former stopped me and asked if I was alright. I told her I was really lost. She was so kind and informative. She stopped me from panicking, and that's something you don't forget.' Britain's second best value private school is Queen Elthelburga's College in North Yorkshire, a mixed day school that charges £7,595 per term and scores A or A* in 84.4pc of A-levels. Its facilities include an indoor swimming pool, a theatre, a recording studio and a Combined Cadet Force. Close behind is Withington Girls' School in Manchester, with termly fees of £5,964, a 75.5pc A or A* exam achievement rate and its own gym, tennis court and theatre. Rounding out the top five are St Michael's School in Carmarthenshire – last year's winner, with termly fees of £5,482 – and King's College School in Wimbledon, which is London's best value private school, charging £10,482 a term and offering its boys a climbing wall, rowing facilities, a pool, a theatre, a recording studio and Combined Cadet Force. How does your school compare? Try our tool to find out.
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Stay-at-Home Mom Refuses to Homeschool Her Husband's Kids Due to 'Bumpy' Relationship
A married woman shared that she told her husband she doesn't want to homeschool his kids They have two teenagers, a 10-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy Her husband recently told her that he wants her to homeschool his three children from a previous marriageA woman is putting her foot down. The married woman shared on Reddit's 'Am I the A------' forum that she told her husband she doesn't want to homeschool his kids, despite his wishes. She explained that they have four kids: two teenagers, a 10-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy. The three oldest children are from her husband's previous marriage. Her husband recently told her that he wants her to homeschool the three older siblings, even though his 10-year-old "is a handful." The poster said that she has a "mostly good relationship" with the preteen but their first few years were "bumpy." She wrote that the 10-year-old "still has problems following rules and instructions, so I can imagine teaching her anything would put a serious wedge between us." The woman added that his teenage son "doesn't listen to me at all, he's very disobedient." As for the kids' current school situation, she wrote that they attend a "very nice private school," while she is a stay-at-home mother who helps with her husband's business. "I think I would lose my mind If I had to add homeschooling to my plate. Am I wrong for telling him I need that break each day away from the kids?" the concerned mother said. In an update to the post, she explained that her husband wants her to homeschool the children "to avoid bad influence." "I am 100% not qualified to teach, nor do I have the patience," the mom wrote, adding that she once struggled to help his daughter with her math homework. "I can imagine teaching her would be a nightmare for both of us." The woman shared that her husband gives her an "allowance each month," in addition to paying their bills and giving her access to his bank card and account. She added that her husband is "great," but she is upset that he does not value her perspective on the homeschool conversation. "I don't want to be selfish, I would do anything for my kids and my family, but that also means putting my foot down on something that I know could be detrimental to them even if he doesn't see it," the poster said. The comments section was quick to side with the mother. "I agree that homeschooling would be too much on your plate, especially since there isn't a clear reason why homeschooling is superior in this case," one person wrote. Another suggested that the husband can homeschool his kids after his work day if he's adamant. "You won't be available during the day, so he'll also need to organize a sitter for them from 9-3," one wrote. is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! A third told the poster that it's "unfair for him to place the responsibility of homeschooling his kids on your already full plate." "It also doesn't make sense given the challenges you had with his kids from the beginning. I guarantee if he did your job for a week, he would never dare to ask you to take on more," they added. Read the original article on People
Daily Mail
04-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Aussie parents lose it over who the neighbours are next to Sydney Grammar's new $39million building
Parents of students at a prestigious private school in Sydney are grumbling over the institution's new land grab after learning it borders one of the city's oldest brothels. Sydney Grammar, which was officially opened in 1857, announced in October last year that it had purchased 1-19 Hargrave Street in Darlinghurst. The large office block, which was purchased for $39million, is due to be transformed into a sports and recreation centre for the students. In a letter to parents, seen by The Sydney Morning Herald, headmaster Richard Malpass - who is leaving for Singapore to run a senior school - told parents the site had 'extraordinary potential value and historical significance'. But, the 'historic' importance of the building has since been turned on its head as it was pointed out the building next door is a brothel. A street view of the property, which was formerly Sony Australia's headquarters, reveals an old building with the sign: 'Sydney Baby Massage'. Its website advertises an hour-long 'remedial and body nude massage' for $140 or $270 for an hour-long 'double body nude massage'. Open seven days a week, the business also lists it 'masseuses' aged between 19 and 23-years-old dressed in lingerie, with descriptions listing their height and bra size. The website regularly uses 'super young sweet uni girl' and 'innocent uni girl but really professional massage skill' to describe the women. The private school, which costs $45,000-a-year, prides itself on its heritage. 'Since its foundation, the School and its Old Boys (called 'Old Sydneians') have played an important part in the history of this country,' its website states. Sydney Grammar has also started construction of its $54million Weigall Sports Complex, which will be based in Rushcutters Bay. The worksite, which can be seen from the T4 train line, was approved in 2021 despite opposition from residents.
Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Glenalmond College head resigns after Qatari investment deal
The headmaster of one of Scotland's most prestigious private schools has unexpectedly quit in the wake of an influx of Qatari money. Mark Mortimer announced his departure from Glenalmond College, near Perth, sometimes known as the Eton of the North, as pupils broke up for the summer. As he resigned the outgoing head praised the deal between Glenalmond Group and a newly formed London company, 35 Education, led by a Turkish academic and Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah, a former politician with links to the Qatari royal family. Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah is a former deputy prime minister of Qatar and is president of the schools group OLIVIER DOULIERY/POOL/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Mortimer, a former infantry officer who has twice rowed across the Atlantic, wrote in an open letter to parents that the partnership was a 'collaboration which blends tradition with innovation, united by common values and a shared ethos and purpose — to develop young people of courage and character, committed to making the world a better place'.
