VAT on fees: 'I am worried about the loss of variety and diversity in education'
Speaking to ITV News, ISC chief executive Julie Robinson warned of the impact VAT on fees will have on faith schools and the communities they serve.
Ms Robinson said: "I am worried about the loss of variety and diversity in education that this could create. Parents deserve to be able to choose the kind of education they want for their families."
The ITV News segment also featured interviews with the leaders of two low-fee independent faith schools.
Mohammend Farid Chowdhury, chair of the board of governors at Darul Hadis Latifiah School, said: "I just cannot understand why they would treat schools like ours as if we're elite - we have so much to lose. Our parents are largely working class, scrimping and saving by whatever means necessary to send their boys here." Co-headteacher Maruf Ahmed added that the school, rated Outstanding by Ofsted on a number of metrics, is funded entirely by fees and community donations, and the imposition of VAT risks "crippling" it.
Zvi Sobel, chairman of Bnos Beis Yakov, a Jewish school in London, said he fears the school will collapse in March, adding: "It's heartbreaking, it breaks my heart, I cannot tell you how hard we've worked to get where we are."