The Good Test

7 March 2007

RE: "The Good Test, 7 March 2007, pg.16, Times"

Sir,

May I correct some serious errors in yesterday's second Leader. The OFT investigation into exchange of fee information by 50 independent schools ended last year with nominal penalties for the schools, taking into account their agreement  to pay £3m into a charitable fund. The OFT specifically made no finding that fees had risen as a result of the exchange of information, which had been an entirely legal practice for many decades until the law silently changed. The OFT has never said that fees were "fixed". The large increase in school fees in 2003-4 was, as matter of record, triggered by the 6.25% hike in Teacher's Pension Contributions, which fed directly into fees.

Jonathan Shephard

General Secretary

Independent Schools Council