ISC CEO: Fall in independent sector pupil numbers undermines VAT policy revenue claims
Posted on: 06 Jun 2025
Posted by: ISC Press Office
Julie Robinson, CEO of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), has said the latest DfE census findings, which show independent school pupil numbers have fallen by more than 11,000 in England, cannot be explained by overall pupil demographics alone.
Ms Robinson said: "These new Department for Education statistics show that the drop in independent school numbers cannot be explained by the fall in overall pupil numbers.
"The government’s own figures now show that, in England alone, 8,000 more students have left independent education than politicians had estimated. This outsized exodus should concern anyone who is interested in this tax on education as a revenue raiser."