VAT on fees will be a 'huge, huge blow to parents', warns ISC CEO
In an interview with Rosie Wright on Times Radio, ISC chief executive Julie Robinson warned of the impact VAT will have on parents' ability to find the right school to suit their children's needs.
Ms Robinson said: "Most schools aren't what you think they are; they're just a few hundred pupils, they're not-for-profits, they've got very tights margins - so we know that they're not all going to be able to make the kinds of efficiencies that will protect parents from this additional cost of VAT.
"It's really hard to predict how many will close, but a recent survey by the Independent Schools' Bursars Association suggested that VAT would cause about a tenth of independent schools to close, which would be a huge blow to the diversity of education across our country.
"This is going to be an enormous problem for thousands of parents and children who rely on independent schools for education. Are there spaces in the right places in state schools across the country? We simply don't know. For instance, recently, Surrey declared that there are no places in certain year groups in their state schools - and there are more independent schools in Surrey than in any other county in the country. So it is a real concern for local authorities.
"It's for local authorities to ensure that they have got suitable provision in their schools in the area, and if not in the area then they have to transport children further away - so it's going to be a real problem for some local authorities because it is so unpredictable.
"We're really concerned about the children who will be settled in state schools, which their parents have chosen. All parents want to find the right school to suit the needs of their child, and there are great state schools out there, but we know that state schools are under huge financial pressure - especially for special needs provision.
"It's going to be a huge, huge blow to parents who have found the right school and are now having to put to their children that they might have to move. And it's such a shame that the government has chosen to bring this policy in straight away in January, in the middle of the year, causing huge damage to those educational chances."