School closures: 'There's so much that is lost when an independent school disappears from the landscape'

Ms Cunnane said: "Many of the schools that have closed have been incredibly small, with student numbers in the single figures, or they were delivering an incredibly niche type of education. The sorts of schools that we’ve seen announce their closure since the arrival of VAT have been very different to that – so it’s not just about the raw numbers, it’s about the type of schools that are disappearing and what that means for families, children and local communities. 

"Independent education remains a choice for many parents, and there are many schools that will weather the storm of VAT and other taxes on education that the government have put on. However, it is also true to say that VAT has proved a bridge too far for many schools, and it’s those schools that people need to worry about. We’re not just talking about children’s education, we’re talking about local jobs, we’re talking about community working – there’s so much that is lost when an independent school disappears from the landscape. 

"Within the independent sector there’s a higher rate of children being supported with SEND; about one in five children within ISC schools has some sort of SEND need that is being met. The majority of those children in ISC schools do not have an EHCP, so their fees are charged VAT.

"It’s those families that we’re really worried about because as anyone who has had any experience with the SEND system will know, getting things like an EHCP is a very time-intensive, labour-intensive, emotional process. Many families are looking at that and they’re choosing instead to invest in an independent education, freeing up state provision for SEND but also making sure that their child can get the right provision right away. 

"The government estimated that 3,000 children would leave independent education this academic year. We know from DfE data that in England alone, the drop is much higher; we’re talking about over 11,000 children who have been displaced from their schools, which broadly matches what we found in our annual census. That fall in independent school numbers is much higher than the demographic shift, so it cannot be explained by, say, a slowing in the birth rate.

"Before the election, Labour did promise that the money [raised by the VAT on fees policy] would go towards state schools, but we’ve seen this promise watered down over the months since VAT was introduced, saying that it would be spent on public services including schools, and the prime minister tweeting that the money would instead be going towards housing. So there’s a real concern that deep damage is being done within independent education without any real benefit for our colleagues in the state, who are still facing budget cuts. 

"There’s a huge amount of diversity within independent education. The typical independent school has a couple of hundred pupils and serves a primary age. The smallest school within ISC is a seven-pupil PRU (pupil referral unit). The fees at an ISC school can be as low as £75 a week. So the idea that the more expensive schools that are always cited in these sorts of arguments are the norm is very much not the case. They are the exception rather than the rule. 

"As well as educating their own children, a lot of our schools do an amazing amount of good within their local community. Many of our schools are their areas’ largest employers. There’s vital and valued partnership work with neighbouring state schools and community groups and bursary provision to widen access as far as is possible. These are just some of the good things that independent schools are doing in their local community that maybe don’t get spoken about as much as their fee level. 

"Many of our schools charge less than you would find per pupil in state funding. Those are the schools who have already cut back over the past few years and there is nothing left to cut, especially when you consider that the majority of any school’s budget – usually between two thirds and three quarters – is spent on staff."