Urge the UK Government to remove VAT from private school fees
The Issue
EDUCATION SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL — DO NOT TAX IT
Education is not a luxury. It is not a status symbol. It is an investment in our children, our communities and the future of our country.
Every child deserves access to an education that enables them to thrive, regardless of the route their family chooses or needs to take. Whether that education is provided through a state school, an independent school, a faith school, specialist provision or another recognised pathway, government policy should make education more accessible—not place additional financial barriers in the way.
Yet since 1 January 2025, education and boarding services supplied by private schools have been subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%.
For families who are not wealthy but work hard and make significant sacrifices to educate their children independently, this is not simply a tax on privilege. It is a tax on aspiration, parental choice and education itself.
Many parents rely on bursaries, scholarships, payment plans and extended family support to keep their children in school. They give up holidays, reduce household spending, work additional hours and make difficult financial choices because they believe a particular school is the right environment for their child.
These families already pay income tax, National Insurance, council tax and other taxes while also funding their children’s education. They should not be treated as though they all have unlimited financial resources simply because they have chosen an independent school.
The consequences are now being felt.
Pupil numbers in independent schools in England reportedly fell by more than 20,000 during the first full year of the VAT policy, with the decline substantially greater than that experienced in the state sector.
Schools are also facing serious financial pressure. Official figures recorded 60 private-school closures in England between 1 January and 15 October 2025, compared with 58 during the whole of 2024. Some schools have directly identified VAT, alongside rising employment costs, the loss of business-rates relief and declining enrolment, as contributing to their decisions to close.
These are not all wealthy institutions with enormous reserves. Many are small, community-based schools operating on narrow margins. Some have served generations of children for decades—and, in certain cases, for more than a century.
When one of these schools closes, it is not merely a business shutting its doors.
Children lose their familiar learning environment, friendships, teachers and pastoral support. Those approaching GCSEs or A levels may have to change curriculum, examination board or subject options at a critical stage. Staff lose their jobs, local communities lose valued institutions, and parents are left urgently searching for alternatives. Recent closures have demonstrated the severe disruption that can follow, particularly for bursary-supported pupils and families who have prepaid fees.
The strongest and wealthiest schools may be able to absorb these pressures. Smaller schools and ordinary families are far more exposed. That risks creating the very outcome the policy claims to oppose: an independent sector increasingly accessible only to the extremely wealthy.
This is why the issue is bigger than private education.
It is about whether we believe education should be taxed.
It is about whether parental choice should be reserved for only the richest families.
It is about whether children should have their education disrupted because their parents can no longer meet rapidly increasing costs.
It is about whether closing schools and reducing educational options genuinely creates greater equality—or merely removes opportunities from families who were already stretching themselves to afford them.
A fair education system should raise standards and widen access across every part of education. Supporting state schools and opposing VAT on education are not contradictory positions. We can demand excellent, properly funded state education while also recognising that families who choose or require another route should not be financially penalised.
The government should reconsider VAT on private-school fees and examine its real impact on ordinary families, bursary-supported pupils, smaller schools, children with particular educational needs, local employment and demand for state-school places.
At the very least, meaningful protections and exemptions should be considered for smaller schools, specialist provision, children receiving bursaries and families below defined income thresholds.
Education should unite us.
It should create opportunities.
It should help every child fulfil their potential, regardless of their background or the educational avenue through which they pursue it.
Education is a right, not a luxury.
Do not tax education.
Please sign and share this petition. Help us call for a fairer system that puts children, families and educational access before taxation.
13
The Issue
EDUCATION SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL — DO NOT TAX IT
Education is not a luxury. It is not a status symbol. It is an investment in our children, our communities and the future of our country.
Every child deserves access to an education that enables them to thrive, regardless of the route their family chooses or needs to take. Whether that education is provided through a state school, an independent school, a faith school, specialist provision or another recognised pathway, government policy should make education more accessible—not place additional financial barriers in the way.
Yet since 1 January 2025, education and boarding services supplied by private schools have been subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20%.
For families who are not wealthy but work hard and make significant sacrifices to educate their children independently, this is not simply a tax on privilege. It is a tax on aspiration, parental choice and education itself.
Many parents rely on bursaries, scholarships, payment plans and extended family support to keep their children in school. They give up holidays, reduce household spending, work additional hours and make difficult financial choices because they believe a particular school is the right environment for their child.
These families already pay income tax, National Insurance, council tax and other taxes while also funding their children’s education. They should not be treated as though they all have unlimited financial resources simply because they have chosen an independent school.
The consequences are now being felt.
Pupil numbers in independent schools in England reportedly fell by more than 20,000 during the first full year of the VAT policy, with the decline substantially greater than that experienced in the state sector.
Schools are also facing serious financial pressure. Official figures recorded 60 private-school closures in England between 1 January and 15 October 2025, compared with 58 during the whole of 2024. Some schools have directly identified VAT, alongside rising employment costs, the loss of business-rates relief and declining enrolment, as contributing to their decisions to close.
These are not all wealthy institutions with enormous reserves. Many are small, community-based schools operating on narrow margins. Some have served generations of children for decades—and, in certain cases, for more than a century.
When one of these schools closes, it is not merely a business shutting its doors.
Children lose their familiar learning environment, friendships, teachers and pastoral support. Those approaching GCSEs or A levels may have to change curriculum, examination board or subject options at a critical stage. Staff lose their jobs, local communities lose valued institutions, and parents are left urgently searching for alternatives. Recent closures have demonstrated the severe disruption that can follow, particularly for bursary-supported pupils and families who have prepaid fees.
The strongest and wealthiest schools may be able to absorb these pressures. Smaller schools and ordinary families are far more exposed. That risks creating the very outcome the policy claims to oppose: an independent sector increasingly accessible only to the extremely wealthy.
This is why the issue is bigger than private education.
It is about whether we believe education should be taxed.
It is about whether parental choice should be reserved for only the richest families.
It is about whether children should have their education disrupted because their parents can no longer meet rapidly increasing costs.
It is about whether closing schools and reducing educational options genuinely creates greater equality—or merely removes opportunities from families who were already stretching themselves to afford them.
A fair education system should raise standards and widen access across every part of education. Supporting state schools and opposing VAT on education are not contradictory positions. We can demand excellent, properly funded state education while also recognising that families who choose or require another route should not be financially penalised.
The government should reconsider VAT on private-school fees and examine its real impact on ordinary families, bursary-supported pupils, smaller schools, children with particular educational needs, local employment and demand for state-school places.
At the very least, meaningful protections and exemptions should be considered for smaller schools, specialist provision, children receiving bursaries and families below defined income thresholds.
Education should unite us.
It should create opportunities.
It should help every child fulfil their potential, regardless of their background or the educational avenue through which they pursue it.
Education is a right, not a luxury.
Do not tax education.
Please sign and share this petition. Help us call for a fairer system that puts children, families and educational access before taxation.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 21 July 2026