Latest news with #independentSchools
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Over 11,000 fewer pupils at private school this year
There were 11,000 fewer pupils at private schools in England this January compared to the same time last year, according to the latest school census figures, released on Thursday, come after the government removed a VAT exemption for private schools on 1 January.A government spokesman said the drop in pupils "remains firmly within historical patterns" and "shatters the myth" of a private school exodus. But private schools disagreed and said more pupils than expected were leaving the independent sector due to higher fees putting more pressure on parents. The figures from the census of all schools in England provide the first complete picture of what is happening in the independent sector after the new 20% VAT on fees was introduced at the beginning of the 582,477 pupils in England attended private schools when the census data was collected in January this year, down from 593,486 the year before - a drop of 1.9% (or 11,009 pupils). Overall pupil numbers in England have fallen slightly to just over nine million. There was a smaller drop (0.6%) in the number of pupils not at private school pupils now make up 6.4% of the total school population, a slightly lower proportion than last year, when it was 6.5%. This is the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic that independent school pupil numbers have fallen. The government had previously predicted that around 3,000 private school pupils would need to be absorbed into the state system this academic year, with state school places needed for around 37,000 private school pupils over the coming was an estimate of those who would be motivated to take their children out of private school as a direct result of its decision to remove the VAT exemption from private school fees, not taking into account any demographic changes. The census data does not give clear reasons as to why pupils have left private could include a shift in international students or a move to home-schooling which would not be reflected in the state school Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), a body which represents most of the private schools in the UK, suggested that VAT on fees was putting pressure on parents and was the reason behind the drop. She said: "More pupils have left than the government's own estimates. This outsized exodus should concern anyone who is interested in this tax on education as a revenue raiser."The ISC, which represents more than 1,400 private schools, previously said its annual census showed average school fees were 22.6% higher in January 2025 than they had been in January 2024. The government said the nearly 2% drop in private school pupils reflected "the broader demographic trends and changes in the state sector".A spokesman added: "Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30 to help fund public services, including supporting the 94% of children in state schools, to help ensure excellence everywhere for every child."The Education Policy Institute, an independent education think tank, said it was "too early to see the full effects of adding VAT to private school fees" in this year's census data, given the policy was introduced in the middle of this academic year. They said it was also important to consider broader demographic trends in education. "As expected, today's statistics show an ongoing decline in primary school pupil numbers and the number of pupils in secondary schools is expected to peak over the course of this parliament," the institute the moment a population bulge in England is moving from primary schools into secondary schools, with a bigger drop off in primary age students compared to secondary. Overall student numbers are set to fall by 700,000 in England by reporting by Wesley Stephenson and Miguel Roca-Terry
CTV News
a day ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Sask. auditor says more oversight required for province's independent schools
WATCH: As Wayne Mantyka explains, Saskatchewan's auditor's says more oversight is needed for the province's independent schools.
Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Times
Labour should reverse VAT raid on private schools — not scoff at parents
Since acquiring power, Labour has extracted much rhetorical mileage out of its professed commitment to be levying no further taxes on 'working people'. But its 20 per cent VAT tax raid on independent schools amounts to just that. The disingenuous manner in which the government defended its attack on private education traded heavily on the stereotype that fee-paying families would effortlessly absorb the hit to their finances. The full cost of which, they argued, would anyway be internalised by the schools themselves, which could simply cut back on non-vital expenditure or dip into their financial reserves. Predictably enough, a mere six months after first coming into force mid-way through the financial year, the policy has proved far more damaging than Labour's optimistic projections suggested. Though
News24
08-05-2025
- News24
Eastern Cape launches audit of independent schools after alleged rape of girl, 7
Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade has ordered an audit of all independent schools in the province. This after the alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl at an independent school in Matatiele. The department described the incident as a 'wake-up call' for provincial education authorities. Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade says an audit of all independent schools in the province has begun, following the alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl at an independent school in Matatiele. The incident, believed to have taken place in October, surfaced on social media in late March, prompting Gade to write to Bergview College to revoke the school's registration certificate - an action he quickly rescinded - after the school approached the Eastern Cape High Court in Makhanda to challenge the decision. In a media briefing at the department's Mandla Makupula Leadership Institute offices in East London on Thursday, he said the alleged rape was an 'eye-opener' for the provincial government. 'That is why we established an inter-ministerial committee led by Safety MEC (Xolile Nqatha) in the province and (Police) Minister Senzo Mchunu at national level,' Gade added. The Eastern Cape has 309 independent schools of which the provincial education department subsidises 117. The department's deputy director general for institutional operations and management, Thembani Mtyida, said the incident in Matatiele was a 'wake-up' call. 'We need to strengthen the monitoring systems of all operations at independent schools. The department has established multidisciplinary teams to visit each independent school for compliance.' Mtyida added: Our approach is to target those schools that receive [subsidies] from the department, which are 117 in total. We have completed the process of auditing them. In the next week, we will start with the next phase where the rest of the 192 [independent schools] will also be visited. He said issues like pupils' safety, infrastructure, police compliance, curriculum implementation and staff vetting form part of the auditing process. Gade added he still believed the decision to write to Bergview College to revoke its registration was needed at the time. 'We don't have regrets. We are still firm that we were correct. We wanted the school to take actions regarding the incident,' he said.
