3 days ago
I got a bursary to a top private school. Labour's tax raid would've sealed my fate
I was incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to experience the high level of attention and care I received as I prepared for university, as were the other thousands of students around the country who received financial support.
According to the Private Education Policy Forum, 34pc of private school pupils receive some form of financial aid. These aren't just the children of bankers and lawyers. Many bursary students come from single-parent households, carers, or families with fluctuating incomes who would otherwise never consider private education.
This isn't just a personal story. Labour's decision to impose VAT on private school fees from the start of this year risks shutting out thousands of children from the kind of opportunities I enjoyed. Bursaries are one of the few tools that private schools have to support social mobility, giving bright children from all backgrounds a chance to thrive.
Labour's tax raid is reshaping the landscape of private education. The VAT raid – a wealth tax by any other name – has hit working families, while the truly wealthy have been able to avoid the extra fees by paying, in some cases, for the entire cost of schooling up front.
