ISC Daily News Summary

ISC chief executive Julie Robinson writes for Independent Schools Magazine about the potential impact VAT on fees would have on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). She warns: “Unfortunately, it would make independent education unaffordable for many parents of children with SEND… SEND provision in the state system is already in crisis so these schools would likely lack the capacity and resource needed to support any influx of additional pupils.” Ms Robinson concludes the article by calling for "an exemption for all pupils with SEND from the VAT proposals, as well as a full impact assessment of the policy on state SEND provision and local authority budgets". Independent Schools Magazine features several articles exploring the tax policy as part of its 'VAT special', along with a summary of this year's ISC Census findings. 

Holly Pope (alias), the mother of an autistic child, speaks to The Telegraph about the impact Labour's tax policy could have on her ability to send her daughter to an independent boarding school. Her husband, Mike, is a soldier in the British Army, and their daughter attends school with support from the Continuity of Education Allowance. Holly says: "We are not an affluent family. Keir Starmer said something recently about how if you work hard enough you can afford it. Actually, my husband and I work really hard to pay for what we have." By Lucy Denyer.

John McLellan, director of the Scottish Newspaper Society, writes in The Scotsman warning that imposing VAT on fees would "result in the state sector having to fund the education of large numbers of children whose parents can no longer afford the fees". He considers how potential independent school closures, class sizes increasing for state schools and Edinburgh’s development plans could contribute to the disruption of children’s education in Scotland.

Richard Cairns, headmaster of Brighton College, writes to The Times saying: “Independent schools’ concerns about the impact of VAT on fees have led to Labour politicians suggesting that just as state schools and state school teachers have had to accept cuts, so independent schools must learn to do the same. This levelling down narrative is a betrayal of our education system.” Mr Cairns argues Labour should instead outline a "long-term and properly funded plan" for improving state education. The letter appears near the top of the page.

In a letter to The Telegraph, Gillian Kilpatrick from Gloucester writes: “Those who send their children to independent schools are saving the Government money as they, and not the state, are paying for their children’s education. Many neurodivergent children attend small independent schools and flourish. These children would find large comprehensive schools very difficult and would need extra, costly support.” The letter can be found at the bottom of the page.

Martin Allen, bursar at Christ College, Brecon, writes a blog for ISC discussing the challenges facing his school amid Labour's plans to impose VAT on fees. In the article, he also outlines how staff are preparing for the tax should the party come to power. 

During a school visit in Kettering on Monday, Sir Keir Starmer said he is "not in favour of ideology being taught in our schools on gender". When asked by The Telegraph whether he would uphold the Conservatives' proposal on a classroom ban, which states that teachers must explain the idea that people can be born the wrong sex is contested, the Labour leader suggested he would wait for a consultation on the plans to report its findings. By Poppy Wood and Daniel Martin. 

Over the past 14 years, an additional 1,350 children a week in households with at least one working parent have entered into poverty, according to research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The TUC found that wage stagnation, insecure work and cuts to social security had a considerable impact on household budgets, increasing the number of children in poverty with at least one parent in work by 900,000 between 2010 and 2023. By Hazel Sheffield and Larry Elliott, The Guardian.