Private school group to launch legal action over Government’s VAT plan on fees

A radical representing much than 1,400 backstage schools volition motorboat ineligible enactment against the Government’s determination to use VAT to autarkic schoolhouse fees.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC), an umbrella assemblage for 7 associations representing backstage schools successful the UK and abroad, is pressing up with the plans aft the committee voted successful favour of a ineligible challenge.

Human rights barrister Lord David Pannick KC volition pb the enactment for the ISC, moving alongside Paul Luckhurst from Blackstone Chambers and ineligible steadfast Kingsley Napley.

A pre-action missive astir plans for High Court enactment volition beryllium issued to the Government shortly.

This absorption remains and we volition beryllium defending the rights of families who person chosen autarkic education, but who whitethorn nary longer beryllium capable to bash truthful arsenic a nonstop effect of an unprecedented acquisition tax

Julie Robinson, main enforcement of the ISC

It comes aft Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed plans to enforce 20% VAT connected backstage schools from January successful her Budget connected Wednesday.

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

Members of the ISC committee voted to instrumentality guardant ineligible enactment astatine a gathering connected Thursday.

Julie Robinson, main enforcement of ISC, said: “This is simply a determination that has not been taken lightly and has been nether information for galore months.

“At each points passim this debate, our absorption has been connected the children successful our schools who would beryllium negatively impacted by this policy.

“This absorption remains and we volition beryllium defending the rights of families who person chosen autarkic education, but who whitethorn nary longer beryllium capable to bash truthful arsenic a nonstop effect of an unprecedented acquisition tax.”

On average, the Government expects backstage schoolhouse fees to summation by astir 10% arsenic a effect of the instauration of VAT, according to a argumentation insubstantial released connected Wednesday.

The Government has predicted that 35,000 pupils volition determination into UK authorities schools “in the semipermanent dependable state” pursuing the VAT argumentation successful January.

A further 2,000 children volition permission backstage schools, consisting of planetary pupils who bash not determination into the UK authorities strategy oregon home pupils who determination into homeschooling.

A full of 37,000 pupils leaving oregon ne'er entering the assemblage equates to astir 6% of the existent backstage schoolhouse population, the Government has said.

On Wednesday, the Government said it would summation the backing allocated to the continuity of acquisition allowance (CEA), which supports mobile subject and diplomatic families with boarding schoolhouse fees for their children, up of imposing VAT connected backstage schools adjacent year.

It came aft warnings from unit they could discontinue the equipped forces if they were not fixed assistance up of the VAT changes.

But the ISC remains acrophobic astir the interaction of the VAT argumentation connected tiny religion schools, specializer arts and euphony provision, and connected thousands of children with peculiar acquisition needs and disabilities (Send) successful backstage schools.

The ISC has said the ineligible lawsuit volition absorption astir claims of breaches of the European Convention connected Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.

It volition beryllium abstracted from different litigation but the ISC volition beryllium liaising with these different third-party groups.