ISC CEO: 'The court judgment recognises the very damaging effect VAT will have on many children'

In an interview with Aasmah Mir on LBC, Ms Robinson reflected on the recent High Court ruling, saying the ISC will be "carefully considering" the next steps and that the "focus remains on supporting schools, families and children".

She emphasised that many families turn to the independent sector not out of luxury but necessity, particularly when local state schools cannot meet their child's specific educational requirements. "The court judgment actually confirms the government was warned that these groups, such as special needs children and those at religious schools, would be disproportionately affected [by the VAT policy]," she added. 

Referring to the more than 110,000 pupils with SEND currently educated in ISC schools, Ms Robinson explained how families often face a lengthy and difficult process to secure an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) – and many choose to pay for their child’s education rather than wait years for appropriate support.

During the interview, Ms Robinson addressed broader concerns over misconceptions surrounding the policy. "A proportion of parents – something like 25 per cent of the families affected by this VAT – are not in high-income brackets. There's a whole range of fee levels, especially at small faith schools; their fees are sometimes lower than the amount the government would pay per year for a state school place. So it's wrong to assume it's tens of thousands of pounds a year per child." 

She continued: "If you outprice these parents and their children from independent schools and into an already stretched state system, what that will create is more competition for the best state schools. Sutton Trust research has shown us that it's the children facing disadvantage who in the end lose out, and we want to give them more chances to be in really great schools." 

Ms Robinson warned that the exodus of pupils from the independent sector "is just the beginning". Referencing the 13,000 pupils who have already left independent schools in the UK, she said: "The government predicted that only 3,000 children would move this year and it’s already over four times that. It’s looking doubtful that any meaningful net fund will be raised by this policy given that evidence."