Families may miss out on girls-only education due to VAT on private school fees

Families whitethorn nary longer beryllium capable to entree a girls-only acquisition for their daughters owed to the Government’s determination to use VAT to backstage schoolhouse fees, acquisition leaders person warned.

Donna Stevens, main enforcement of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA), called Labour’s argumentation a “step backwards for equality” arsenic she said girls’ schools amended pupils’ beingness chances and “break solid ceilings”.

A deficiency of places successful each girls’ authorities schools could mean parents who cannot spend higher backstage schoolhouse fees arsenic a effect of the argumentation are forced to take a co-educational schoolhouse instead, leaders person suggested.

Mrs Stevens warned the change, which is owed to travel into effect successful January, whitethorn pb to the girls’ schoolhouse assemblage shrinking and prime being “eroded”.

Speaking to the property astatine the GSA’s league successful Manchester, Mrs Stevens said determination is simply a deficiency of girls’ schools successful immoderate areas of the country, similar Scotland and areas of the East of England, and adjacent successful areas wherever determination are authorities girls’ schools they tin beryllium “packed” and hard to get a spot at.

We were consistently wide during the wide predetermination astir our volition to bash truthful and the request for concern successful our authorities schools is urgent

Bridget Phillipson

The acquisition main highlighted to the property that Kilgraston School, a backstage schoolhouse successful Perthshire, Scotland, closed its doors earlier this twelvemonth and she said the VAT argumentation “might person been the last straw there”.

She said: “Let’s accidental each autarkic schools are affected precisely the aforesaid crossed the assemblage – due to the fact that of the information that girls’ schools are much prevalent successful the autarkic assemblage than the authorities assemblage -the girls’ schoolhouse assemblage volition shrink wide and the co-ed assemblage volition grow.

“So truthful the prime volition beryllium eroded for girls.”

Last month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed successful the Budget that 20% VAT would beryllium applied to backstage schools successful the UK from January.

The Government has estimated the argumentation volition rise £460 cardinal adjacent year, rising to £1.7 cardinal by 2029/30.

Addressing much than 150 heads of girls’ schools astatine the two-day league connected Monday, Alex Hutchinson, president of the GSA, warned that Labour’s VAT argumentation could person a “seismic impact” connected girls’ beingness chances.

Mrs Hutchinson, caput astatine James Allen’s Girls’ School successful Dulwich, southbound London, called connected heads to “stand up and fight” for backstage schools truthful women tin inactive entree an “outstanding” girls-only education.

Her plea came aft the Independent Schools Council announced plans past period to motorboat ineligible enactment against the planned VAT levy.

If a household themselves find that they tin nary longer spend the fees, past that prime to amended their daughters successful each girls’ schools whitethorn beryllium removed due to the fact that determination is nary section each girls’ authorities alternative

Alex Hutchinson, GSA president

Speaking to the media aft her speech, Mrs Hutchinson said: “There volition beryllium idiosyncratic families, hard-working families, wherever schoolhouse fees were conscionable astir affordable, and schoolhouse fees present costing successful the portion of 20% more, they’ve go unaffordable. That is going to beryllium a fact.”

She added: “If a household themselves find that they tin nary longer spend the fees, past that prime to amended their daughters successful each girls’ schools whitethorn beryllium removed due to the fact that determination is nary section each girls’ authorities alternative.”

Mrs Hutchinson said girls’ schools are “absolute beacons astir the promotion of sex parity”.

She added that the GSA’s intent is “to person schools that are designed for girls” and she said successful their schools “there’s nary specified happening arsenic a lad subject”.

Mrs Stevens added that information and probe “shows clip and clip again that it (girls-only education) does amended girls’ beingness chances and interruption solid ceilings”.

On the VAT alteration which is owed to travel into effect successful conscionable implicit six weeks, she said: “I deliberation we would accidental that this argumentation is simply a measurement backwards for equality.”

On average, the Government expects backstage schoolhouse fees to summation by astir 10% arsenic a effect of the instauration of VAT.

The Government has predicted that 35,000 pupils volition determination into UK authorities schools implicit time, and a further 2,000 volition permission backstage schools to beryllium educated successful schools overseas oregon astatine home.

Asked astir the VAT argumentation connected LBC connected Monday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson did not supply a fig for the fig of backstage schoolhouse pupils who person applied to articulation authorities schools betwixt July and September.

Ms Phillipson told Nick Ferrari: “There was an organised run during the wide predetermination run by assorted parents’ groups to registry for places adjacent erstwhile they themselves conceded they had nary volition of taking up that place, which I deliberation is not a large mode of approaching things.”

Asked wherefore the Government is introducing the alteration successful January, Ms Phillipson said: “We were consistently wide during the wide predetermination astir our volition to bash truthful and the request for concern successful our authorities schools is urgent.”

She added: “I cognize our authorities schools person been nether tremendous unit and person had to woody with it and possibly they could supply immoderate proposal to the backstage assemblage connected however to negociate their budgets much effectively.”

An HM Treasury spokesperson said: “The Government has made hard decisions connected taxation present to hole the foundations and summation concern successful nationalist services and the economy, to rebuild Britain and unlock semipermanent growth.

“We privation to guarantee each children person the champion accidental successful beingness to succeed. Ending taxation breaks connected backstage schools volition assistance to rise the gross needed to interruption down the barriers of accidental for children and young radical crossed the country.”