Private schools, times a changing?

Private schools, times a changing?

Author
Discussion

okgo

Original Poster:

39,109 posts

203 months

Sunday 28th April
quotequote all
7% rise in fees from our prospective school. Also mention of the Labour policy, didn’t sound like they’d be passing the 20% on as they’d look at other areas to reduce the hit. Time will tell.

TUS373

4,738 posts

286 months

Monday 29th April
quotequote all
Our school is reorganising and changing its branding. All the changes are very positive and well timed, but there are increases across the board. I also feel that there has been a gradual cost cutting/control exercise ongoing. Noticeably, the teaching staff have more younger teachers taking first or second job. What they lack in experience is made up with strong enthusiasm.

Saw over the weekend that Huddersfield University are shedding 200 jobs, many academic, and reducing courses. We may yet see changes affecting universities.

Cheib

23,599 posts

180 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
My “tactic” is going to be to pay my kids school fees for the whole of the academic year 24/25 in September of this year. The school will be invoicing for fees in the academic year for which they are due, I think it is going to be very hard for that to be caught by a change in legislation.

With regards to future years my understanding is that as long as the money is paid before the legislation is announced it is expected that any anti-forestalling legislation will only stop money being paid in the window between the announcement of VAT and the legislation becoming active. I am not a tax expert but it is apparently very difficult to try and catch payments made before that as it has implications in other sectors. Nothing is guaranteed though.

Louis Balfour

27,283 posts

227 months

Wednesday 1st May
quotequote all
Cheib said:
My “tactic” is going to be to pay my kids school fees for the whole of the academic year 24/25 in September of this year. The school will be invoicing for fees in the academic year for which they are due, I think it is going to be very hard for that to be caught by a change in legislation.

With regards to future years my understanding is that as long as the money is paid before the legislation is announced it is expected that any anti-forestalling legislation will only stop money being paid in the window between the announcement of VAT and the legislation becoming active. I am not a tax expert but it is apparently very difficult to try and catch payments made before that as it has implications in other sectors. Nothing is guaranteed though.
I've always been wary about paying in advance school fees, in case the school gets into trouble or pisses me off.

This thread makes the assumption that Labour will win the next election and then bring in the VAT immediately. It may yet be discovered that Kier has a computer hard disc of inappropriate images of zoo sex and scat porn or, more disturbingly, Angie and him in flagrante delicto. Or they may come across a legal challenge of some sort that delays matters.

I am personally not making any plans based upon something that an as yet unelected party might do.





beagrizzly

10,709 posts

236 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
more disturbingly, Angie
hehe

turbobloke

106,493 posts

265 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
beagrizzly said:
Louis Balfour said:
more disturbingly, Angie
hehe
hehe

EmBe

7,687 posts

274 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
Cheib said:
My “tactic” is going to be to pay my kids school fees for the whole of the academic year 24/25 in September of this year. The school will be invoicing for fees in the academic year for which they are due, I think it is going to be very hard for that to be caught by a change in legislation.

With regards to future years my understanding is that as long as the money is paid before the legislation is announced it is expected that any anti-forestalling legislation will only stop money being paid in the window between the announcement of VAT and the legislation becoming active. I am not a tax expert but it is apparently very difficult to try and catch payments made before that as it has implications in other sectors. Nothing is guaranteed though.
I've always been wary about paying in advance school fees, in case the school gets into trouble or pisses me off.

This thread makes the assumption that Labour will win the next election and then bring in the VAT immediately. It may yet be discovered that Kier has a computer hard disc of inappropriate images of zoo sex and scat porn or, more disturbingly, Angie and him in flagrante delicto. Or they may come across a legal challenge of some sort that delays matters.

I am personally not making any plans based upon something that an as yet unelected party might do.
I'm on the fence at the moment, the line from the school is that they've been 'taking advice' on how to minimise the impact to parents and as above there's no certainty in these things, but the odds are on for a Labour government and odds are that they'll bring in VAT because this kind of tax plays well to a lot of their supporters.

As long as there isn't a snap election in the meantime, we'll probably wait until September to decide.

NDA

22,133 posts

230 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
There are many parents choosing schools at the moment who are very worried about this punitive tax - I suspect many small private schools are already feeling the impact with lower applications.

The cost to taxpayers is going to be immense. It reminds me so much of monosyllabic union leaders closing factories down, grinning cheerfully that they've put hundreds out of work.

Swervin_Mervin

4,562 posts

243 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
Cheib said:
My “tactic” is going to be to pay my kids school fees for the whole of the academic year 24/25 in September of this year. The school will be invoicing for fees in the academic year for which they are due, I think it is going to be very hard for that to be caught by a change in legislation.

With regards to future years my understanding is that as long as the money is paid before the legislation is announced it is expected that any anti-forestalling legislation will only stop money being paid in the window between the announcement of VAT and the legislation becoming active. I am not a tax expert but it is apparently very difficult to try and catch payments made before that as it has implications in other sectors. Nothing is guaranteed though.
I've always been wary about paying in advance school fees, in case the school gets into trouble or pisses me off.

This thread makes the assumption that Labour will win the next election and then bring in the VAT immediately. It may yet be discovered that Kier has a computer hard disc of inappropriate images of zoo sex and scat porn or, more disturbingly, Angie and him in flagrante delicto. Or they may come across a legal challenge of some sort that delays matters.

I am personally not making any plans based upon something that an as yet unelected party might do.
AFPMSL! biglaugh

ntiz

2,392 posts

141 months

Thursday 2nd May
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
I've always been wary about paying in advance school fees, in case the school gets into trouble or pisses me off.
it is worth doing your homework on the school. My son was at a nursery attached to a pre school. I had done a deal that when he moved from the nursery to the school I would pay for all 3-4 years (can't remember how many) upfront for a discount.

My son ended up being quite disabled so didn't make it to the school in the end, but in the last year at the nursery all the parents where summoned to an evening meeting at the school. Where it was announced the school had gone bankrupt and they had no options but too close with immediate effect.

If my son hadn't had his issues I would have lost all of the money I put in. Whole thing ended up being a total disaster.

I have since found out through mutual friends that a fellow parent actually orchestrated the final death of the place with some pretty machiavellian techniques.

Although by the sounds of it the place deserved to die by how badly run it was.

Cheib

23,599 posts

180 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
Louis Balfour said:
Cheib said:
My “tactic” is going to be to pay my kids school fees for the whole of the academic year 24/25 in September of this year. The school will be invoicing for fees in the academic year for which they are due, I think it is going to be very hard for that to be caught by a change in legislation.

With regards to future years my understanding is that as long as the money is paid before the legislation is announced it is expected that any anti-forestalling legislation will only stop money being paid in the window between the announcement of VAT and the legislation becoming active. I am not a tax expert but it is apparently very difficult to try and catch payments made before that as it has implications in other sectors. Nothing is guaranteed though.
I've always been wary about paying in advance school fees, in case the school gets into trouble or pisses me off.

This thread makes the assumption that Labour will win the next election and then bring in the VAT immediately. It may yet be discovered that Kier has a computer hard disc of inappropriate images of zoo sex and scat porn or, more disturbingly, Angie and him in flagrante delicto. Or they may come across a legal challenge of some sort that delays matters.

I am personally not making any plans based upon something that an as yet unelected party might do.
If I pay 24/25 in full in September that takes my son to the end of his GCSE’s, so two years left. My daughter would have four years left. I think if I do pay fees beyond 24/25 I would only pay her’s until the end of GCSE’s, my son I think at this stage will stay where he is.

The school gives a “discount” based on current investment rates for pre payment so I’d imagine 2 to 4 percent….that is effectively a tax free return so to me that’s like getting a 4 or 5 percent return. IF Labour gets in and levies VAT I am assuming fees increase by 10 to 14%….again to me that is post tax….I don’t know anywhere else I am can get a minimum return of 4 or 5 % return with 15 to 20% “upside”.

I guess what anyone does need to think about is what the likely implication is for their children’s particular schools. There are some schools that probably won’t survive.


Edited by Cheib on Sunday 5th May 07:58

Louis Balfour

27,283 posts

227 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
Cheib said:
Louis Balfour said:
Cheib said:
My “tactic” is going to be to pay my kids school fees for the whole of the academic year 24/25 in September of this year. The school will be invoicing for fees in the academic year for which they are due, I think it is going to be very hard for that to be caught by a change in legislation.

With regards to future years my understanding is that as long as the money is paid before the legislation is announced it is expected that any anti-forestalling legislation will only stop money being paid in the window between the announcement of VAT and the legislation becoming active. I am not a tax expert but it is apparently very difficult to try and catch payments made before that as it has implications in other sectors. Nothing is guaranteed though.
I've always been wary about paying in advance school fees, in case the school gets into trouble or pisses me off.

This thread makes the assumption that Labour will win the next election and then bring in the VAT immediately. It may yet be discovered that Kier has a computer hard disc of inappropriate images of zoo sex and scat porn or, more disturbingly, Angie and him in flagrante delicto. Or they may come across a legal challenge of some sort that delays matters.

I am personally not making any plans based upon something that an as yet unelected party might do.
If I pay 24/25 in full in September that takes my son to the end of his GCSE’s, so two years left. My daughter would have four years left. I think if I do pay fees beyond 24/25 I would only pay her’s until the end of GCSE’s, my son I think at this stage will stay where he is.

The school gives a “discount” based on current investment rates for pre payment so I’d imagine 2 to 4 percent….that is effectively a tax free return so to me that’s like getting a 4 or 5 percent return. IF Labour gets in and levies VAT I am assuming fees increase by 10 to 14%….again to me that is post tax….I don’t know anywhere else I am can get a minimum return of 4 or 5 % return with 15 to 20% “upside”.

I guess what anyone does need to think about is what the likely implication is for their children’s particular schools. There are some schools that probably won’t survive.


Edited by Cheib on Sunday 5th May 07:58
I go back to the point about the school pissing me off.

Our school's board of govs did some stupid stuff a couple of years ago which resulted in lost education time. They still wanted us to pay for that time, to which my reply was FRO. If they already had my money I could not have done that.

Also, as you say, what if a school folds?

I will also not be surprised to see the government implement some anti-avoidance stuff to prevent parents doing exactly what you suggests.





C4ME

1,402 posts

216 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
NDA said:
There are many parents choosing schools at the moment who are very worried about this punitive tax - I suspect many small private schools are already feeling the impact with lower applications.

The cost to taxpayers is going to be immense. It reminds me so much of monosyllabic union leaders closing factories down, grinning cheerfully that they've put hundreds out of work.
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.

borcy

4,562 posts

61 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
C4ME said:
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
I think your last paragraph is correct, but for many it's an emotive issue.
I've said on here loads of places won't even notice if every private went to the wall. Some will some won't.

Clearly if your one of the number who can't afford an extra 20% it's a big issue, but it really isn't to the vast majority in the country. Nor will they when if it's brought in.

But I don't think it will, its Labour's Rwanda policy.

Edited by borcy on Sunday 5th May 09:45


Edited by borcy on Sunday 5th May 09:46

ClaphamGT3

11,470 posts

248 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
C4ME said:
NDA said:
There are many parents choosing schools at the moment who are very worried about this punitive tax - I suspect many small private schools are already feeling the impact with lower applications.

The cost to taxpayers is going to be immense. It reminds me so much of monosyllabic union leaders closing factories down, grinning cheerfully that they've put hundreds out of work.
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
Whether it will be 'immense', 'catastrophic', 'significant' or material' is a matter of semantics but there will be a cost.

At the moment, LA funded schools receive their funding based on the number of children enrolled and registered in the school on a specific day each academic year. More pupils therefore - theoretically - means more income for the school. Given that, in many areas of the UK, we are in a demographic dip and school rolls are actually falling, so far so good.

The issues that will come are;
- Financially hollowed-out LAs struggling to find the money for these additional pupils. Given that education is a statutory provision, they will have to but what will they have to turn off to afford it?
- It is unlikely that these pupils will attract additional income for the school (pupil premium, FSM, Statemented special needs etc)
- The pupils will not arrive in one 'clean' intake in, say, reception/year 7/year 12 but will be pepperpotted through schools, causing significant resourcing challenges. Obviously, LAs will look to allocate additional pupils to schools that are under-roll but those schools will probably be under-roll for a reason, which won't sit well with parents
- Although demographics are entering a dip, year 8 and up are still very much the end of the demographic 'bulge' that came through at the end of the 00s and early 10s and, as such, finding places for children coming out of independent schools for A Levels or the beginning of the GCSE syllabus is going to be problematic

turbobloke

106,493 posts

265 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
borcy said:
C4ME said:
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
I think your last paragraph is correct, but for many it's an emotive issue.
I've said on here loads of places won't even notice if every private went to the wall. Some will some won't.

Clearly I've your one of the number who can't afford an extra 20% it's a big issue, but it really isn't to the vast majority in the country. Nor will they when if it's brought in.

But I don't think it will, its Labour's Rwanda policy.
Cost to parents is one thing, and affects some hardworking class families who take extra jobs and lodgers to pay fees. Cost to the country is another. Labour's Rwanda Policy may raise nothing at all onbe a net cost. VAT may not raise enough to pay for all the envy. Equality in mediocrity matters.

PDF https://www.adamsmith.org/news/applying-vat-to-ind...

borcy

4,562 posts

61 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
turbobloke said:
borcy said:
C4ME said:
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
I think your last paragraph is correct, but for many it's an emotive issue.
I've said on here loads of places won't even notice if every private went to the wall. Some will some won't.

Clearly I've your one of the number who can't afford an extra 20% it's a big issue, but it really isn't to the vast majority in the country. Nor will they when if it's brought in.

But I don't think it will, its Labour's Rwanda policy.
Cost to parents is one thing, and affects some hardworking class families who take extra jobs and lodgers to pay fees. Cost to the country is another. Labour's Rwanda Policy may raise nothing at all onbe a net cost. VAT may not raise enough to pay for all the envy. Equality in mediocrity matters.

PDF https://www.adamsmith.org/news/applying-vat-to-ind...
I don't think it's envy based, no more than any other ideological position.

Maybe it's a net cost. It's not stopped govs before.

turbobloke

106,493 posts

265 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
borcy said:
turbobloke said:
borcy said:
C4ME said:
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
I think your last paragraph is correct, but for many it's an emotive issue.
I've said on here loads of places won't even notice if every private went to the wall. Some will some won't.

Clearly I've your one of the number who can't afford an extra 20% it's a big issue, but it really isn't to the vast majority in the country. Nor will they when if it's brought in.

But I don't think it will, its Labour's Rwanda policy.
Cost to parents is one thing, and affects some hardworking class families who take extra jobs and lodgers to pay fees. Cost to the country is another. Labour's Rwanda Policy may raise nothing at all onbe a net cost. VAT may not raise enough to pay for all the envy. Equality in mediocrity matters.

PDF https://www.adamsmith.org/news/applying-vat-to-ind...
I don't think it's envy based, no more than any other ideological position.
Labour like their rump vote to think 'the rich man over there' (a tory) is to blame for bad things, so now and then they offer a token policy to 'stick it to the rich man' (tory toff, tory scum etc). The Labour rump won't actually be helped much by Labour, who being politicians will as usual help themselves and their millionaire ex PMs / donors, so the envy blame game helps to keep bulk rumpies on the voting leash. I appreciate you and others may still disagree.

borcy said:
Maybe it's a net cost. It's not stopped govs before.
Too true.

frown

borcy

4,562 posts

61 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
turbobloke said:
borcy said:
turbobloke said:
borcy said:
C4ME said:
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
I think your last paragraph is correct, but for many it's an emotive issue.
I've said on here loads of places won't even notice if every private went to the wall. Some will some won't.

Clearly I've your one of the number who can't afford an extra 20% it's a big issue, but it really isn't to the vast majority in the country. Nor will they when if it's brought in.

But I don't think it will, its Labour's Rwanda policy.
Cost to parents is one thing, and affects some hardworking class families who take extra jobs and lodgers to pay fees. Cost to the country is another. Labour's Rwanda Policy may raise nothing at all onbe a net cost. VAT may not raise enough to pay for all the envy. Equality in mediocrity matters.

PDF https://www.adamsmith.org/news/applying-vat-to-ind...
I don't think it's envy based, no more than any other ideological position.
Labour like their rump vote to think 'the rich man over there' (a tory) is to blame for bad things, so now and then they offer a token policy to 'stick it to the rich man' (tory toff, tory scum etc). The Labour rump won't actually be helped much by Labour, who being politicians will as usual help themselves and their millionaire ex PMs / donors, so the envy blame game helps to keep bulk rumpies on the voting leash. I appreciate you and others may still disagree.

borcy said:
Maybe it's a net cost. It's not stopped govs before.
Too true.

frown
Although it's a bit off topic, yes i think it's a bit one dimensional to say it's envy no more than you could say every/rump voter of the Conservative party is a gorden gecko wannabe. I think both views show a lack of imagination. That's not meant to be clever or offensive, it shows how binary these things can become.

Voters are often a blend of parties views, parties themselves are broad churches.

turbobloke

106,493 posts

265 months

Sunday 5th May
quotequote all
borcy said:
turbobloke said:
borcy said:
turbobloke said:
borcy said:
C4ME said:
I keep seeing this posted, most recently on the Kier Starmer thread, but there is nothing to support the assertion. The costs are really not going to be immense but rather barely noticeable.

Hating the policy because it hits you directly in the pocket is valid. Dressing it up as some pending catastrophe for the state sector is not.
I think your last paragraph is correct, but for many it's an emotive issue.
I've said on here loads of places won't even notice if every private went to the wall. Some will some won't.

Clearly I've your one of the number who can't afford an extra 20% it's a big issue, but it really isn't to the vast majority in the country. Nor will they when if it's brought in.

But I don't think it will, its Labour's Rwanda policy.
Cost to parents is one thing, and affects some hardworking class families who take extra jobs and lodgers to pay fees. Cost to the country is another. Labour's Rwanda Policy may raise nothing at all onbe a net cost. VAT may not raise enough to pay for all the envy. Equality in mediocrity matters.

PDF https://www.adamsmith.org/news/applying-vat-to-ind...
I don't think it's envy based, no more than any other ideological position.
Labour like their rump vote to think 'the rich man over there' (a tory) is to blame for bad things, so now and then they offer a token policy to 'stick it to the rich man' (tory toff, tory scum etc). The Labour rump won't actually be helped much by Labour, who being politicians will as usual help themselves and their millionaire ex PMs / donors, so the envy blame game helps to keep bulk rumpies on the voting leash. I appreciate you and others may still disagree.

borcy said:
Maybe it's a net cost. It's not stopped govs before.
Too true.

frown
Although it's a bit off topic, yes i think it's a bit one dimensional to say it's envy no more than you could say every/rump voter of the Conservative party is a gorden gecko wannabe. I think both views show a lack of imagination. That's not meant to be clever or offensive, it shows how binary these things can become.

Voters are often a blend of parties views, parties themselves are broad churches.
Indeed, it's nuanced, though there's plenty of evidence that Labour play the toff envy card on their rump as much as the Tories may well be aiming stuff at geckos...though there aren't many Tory geckos compared to Labour rumpies so it's not that viable as a vote winner.

It has backfired on Labour before and it may yet do so with this VAT ruse.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/may/24/c...