'Labour didn't plan for this', says ISC CEO amid falling independent school pupil numbers
Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), has highlighted growing concern over declining pupil numbers across all types of independent schools, warning that the impact will affect the wider education system.
Speaking to Vanessa Feltz on LBC yesterday evening, Ms Robinson said: "We’re really concerned about the number of pupils down. It’s not just girls’ schools, it’s also prep schools, junior phase schools, and intake years – so we know that these numbers are going to work through across the system. Overall, pupil numbers are down 16,696, which is 3.6 per cent compared with last September."
Highlighting the impact across the sector, which has already seen a number of schools forced to shut, she added: "We are seeing mergers and we’ve also seen 81 closures so far."
Ms Robinson said that for many families, if there were the right state school and a place available they would have taken that option. She added: "Our fear is that for a number of these children there won’t be a space in the right place at the right age range in the state system. Every parent has the right to find the best school for their children."
Commenting on some of the discourse around the VAT policy, Ms Robinson said: "It’s interesting that we’re hearing from the DfE that they’re thinking of the 94 per cent of children [in state schools], because the Secretary of State for Education, the government, they’re responsible for 100 per cent of children. We want every child to be able to choose the right kind of school for them."
She continued: "The problem with this situation is that Labour didn’t plan for this. They predicted that 3,000 pupils would move in the first year after VAT, and we’ve now found it’s more like 25,000 – and that suggests it’s not actually going to raise funds as promised."
Ms Robinson concluded with a call for ministers to collaborate with the independent sector, saying: "Our message would be please work with us, and work for 100 per cent of families and 100 per cent of pupils. Independent schools are a wonderful education resource, and we should be working together as part of the overall education ecosystem. It’s wrong, I think, to pitch parts of the education system against other parts – all types of schools deserve a good shout."