Private schools, times a changing?

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It’ll just make the problem worse. More kids to find space for and an even more elite system than the one that existed already.

It’s just going to become even more ‘pay to play’ - the school my son is heading to gives out £5m a year to help with fees for smart children that can’t afford it, and pays for the entirety of over 100 kids fees - it would be fairly unlikely that will continue at the same scale.

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p1stonhead said:

Surely anyone who can afford it now, can afford it with an increase, and if they can’t, they’ll be just like the rest of the country?

I fail to see the issue. Anyone who can’t afford it, can’t go. It’s how everything works.

Who wouldn’t love to buy a 911 without VAT on it?

You’ve ruled yourself out of being listened to with that post tbh.

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p1stonhead said:

This must be some of the ‘we’re altruistic/doing the state a favour with private schools’ type of point of view we keep hearing about

Apart from proving you could have done with some extra schooling, why are you suddenly in this thread?

You also would do well to look at how schooling prices have outstripped wage growth.

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p1stonhead said:

“Hur dur dur anyone who doesn’t agree rich people getting private business VAT discounts is stupid”

Classic.

Your arguments have been remarkably short sighted and without any real critical thought. That’s why I was puzzled.

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p1stonhead said:

Unless I’m mistaken, there is no proposal for schools to lose their charitable status and therefore pay VAT on what they buy. It’s just for their customers.

Why is this controversial? The schools won’t be affected. Those paying will be.

And I’m sure most will afford it just fine. If they can’t well that’s just how capitalism works isn’t it? Nearly everyone already can’t afford it.

There’s pages and pages of why it’s probably not a great idea.

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TownIdiot said:

Well it will either raise some tax or lead to some highly motivated families joining the state sector.

They won’t be joining the state sector that ‘needs’ it. They’ll be heading to the great state schools out of reach of people who can’t buy the houses near it. Or to the big grammars. I think someone said it up the page, but if we couldn’t afford the 20% the thought I’d be sending my son to the state we saw is a non starter given how poor it seemed.

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TownIdiot said:

Some serious costs in moving, but at least the people affected will have a choice to make.

Not really compared to years of school, I think if you had kids younger than early teens it would make sense in most cases.

Yes but I thought you wanted it to help the state system? It won’t, people like that aren’t going to suddenly give up on their kids schooling and send them to a crap state.

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borcy said:

I would have thought the same, public sector grammar schools must be very rare now. A couple of counties still have the grammar system and NI, plus a few others dotted about the place.

It’s a quick move to Tunbridge Wells. It isn’t difficult. What it’s not is sending kids to the local ‘needs improvement” - that will never happen.

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borcy said:

I'm sure it is. What I'm saying is that aren't that many state grammar schools to start with.

163 apparently.

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TownIdiot said:

Yes I know.
I was responding to the poster who suggested moving to Tunbridge Wells in order to access grammar schools.

Kent has around 40 grammar schools. The most in any county in England and getting on for a third of the total number. Over half of said schools nationally are in the South East.

My point was simply that I wouldn’t just ‘accept’ the local school, and I’m sure many other parents wouldn’t either. Depending on age of children.

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Wombat3 said:

Likewise, (though I stopped paying fees nearly 10 years ago)

So unless the schools you used were in the very top echelon (Eton etc) you would know that there are a wide cross-section of people who use them & that they are not all "minted" by any means.

The impacts of this stupidity are already being felt (as the fellow described last week where his kids school has already elected to close) because people are now making decisions about not even starting the journey (or indeed stopping it part way through). So applications are down and withdrawals are up already.

The top echelon I'd hazard a guess put more kids through on bursary than any other. So even they do have a useful role to play for people beyond 'the rich'.

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The distraction thing is a total reality. I know as I’m a state school kid who suffered from it. Zero chance I’m taking that gamble now I can afford not to.

Obviously I’d love for it not to be the case but save for a grammar (I don’t want to move), I don’t see this as a realistic reality from a state school.

Edited by okgo on Sunday 26th May 16:32

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You have zero idea what anyone’s kids would be like anywhere until it’s a reality. It is one of my biggest reasons for sending my own kid as my own school experience was shaped by distraction so drastically.

And 75% of your little world isn’t a representative or statistically useful group. As I’m sure you know.

Edited by okgo on Sunday 26th May 17:55

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Angry man.

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Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

Cleared I’ve touched a nerve of yours.

Not at all, I just think it’s amusing how worked up you’ve got about this and how you’ve had to call the blokes life embarrassing to get your message over. Bizarre.

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Dynion Araf Uchaf said:

I’d suggest that there’s some recognition there are to your situation.

So tell me, are your kids in private school and are you funding that entirely by yourself using only net income?

They have been in private nursery and will be entering private school this year at reception. And yes.

So no, no nerve hit, just think it’s a bizarre way to try and make your point.

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Telegraph reporting on the school mentioned by a poster in this thread

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/labour-vat-r...

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Apparently the shock withdrawal of places has resulted in the quick nature of it though. My mum says it’s been sold already for housing, and we know someone who is trying to sue them for the notice or lack of!

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Ken_Code said:

And yet despite absolutely everyone claiming until they are blue in the face that the school name and connections are definitely never leveraged we bizarrely have a cabinet dominated by those who attended a handful of private schools.

I wonder what could be behind it.

The world has changed fairly drastically since most of those men attended school. Johnson was born in the 60’s - it’s a long time ago.

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Well he’s already given away his surname and the fact he lives in Clapham

I’d be wary of any more personally!