Sir Keir Starmer, MP
Leader of the Opposition

Rachel Reeves, MP
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

Bridget Phillipson, MP
Shadow Education Secretary

Dear Mr Starmer, Ms Reeves and Ms Phillipson,

We write as parents concerned about Labour’s plans to add VAT onto independent school fees.  Over 131,000 parents and others signed a change.org petition, urging Labour to consider the human costs this policy will have from taking children out of their schools.  We already see the price children are paying, before any election or change of Government.

Louie Gray, a student at Tring Park School of the Performing Arts, writes:

"Due to recent talks on the 20% VAT increase for private schools, I have become very worried about my education. I am already on a scholarship and a bursary at Tring [Park School for the Performing Arts], which is just about bearable for my family. If the VAT increase went ahead, I would have no other option but to leave Tring. The bonds that I have made at Tring cannot be compared to the bonds I could make anywhere else."

Louie is one of many children who face being uprooted from the world they know because their parents can’t afford such a steep hike in school fees, or because their schools close when other parents can’t afford such high fees. 

Other parents also shared their concerns through our petition about their children’s future.  Below are just a selection of their comments:

•  “This hurts the less wealthy students in private schools. Truly wealthy children will still go, but ordinary children will not.”
• “This is disgusting. A friend's child has dyslexia and they've sacrificed so much to place him in a private specialist school.”
• “I have two high functioning ASD children currently in private school. Coping without EHCPs but with VAT I'm going to have to withdraw at least 1 as no provision in my london borough. How do you chose which to help?”

Their concerns are not unique.  We heard countless worries about children with special education needs, students in A-levels or GCSEs whose education will be disrupted, as well as children whose parents serve in the military.  These are not oligarchs.  They are normal, people who chose independent schools, paid from after-tax income, in the same way that others move house to be near a popular state school or tutor their children for grammar school entrance exams.  Yet this policy sets out to treat these children differently. 

Local authorities are already strained by parents seeking in-year transfers.  Oxfordshire County Council warn parents that there are few to no places in Oxford secondary schools.  They warn that transferring schools, especially in Year 10 or 11, as this could “be detrimental to children's education and the efficient use of resources at the school.”  Moreover, they add that many schools could refuse this request. We also know that many authorities have zero vacancies in various year groups.  If and when a child is unable to access a local school place, it will be no comfort that central planners expect vacancies nationally in future.

We all want great schools, but we won’t get there by pitting schools against each other as this policy is already doing.  Paul Johnson, Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, warned:  “Don’t be fooled into thinking [school fee VAT] is going to make any real difference to the amount of money available for public services.”  

This policy will be a significant distraction from efforts to make state schools better (which we all strongly support), and as others are showing, runs the risk of generating negligible or negative tax revenue.  Whatever is the best way to improve education for all, it should be funded in the least harmful way, and this isn’t it.

We request a face-to-face meeting as soon as possible, and we strongly urge that this policy not proceed, at least not without a balanced appraisal of the evidence and the harms it can cause via a public consultation under expert, apolitical leadership. 

With thanks and best regards,

Loveena Tandon

Spokesperson

Education Not Taxation