Private School Parents Up in Arms

Great initiative.

Tony Perry: ‘Labour should listen to families like mine’

 

Tony Perry, a parent whose child attends an independent school and receives SEND support, writes in the Daily Mail urging the Labour Party to reconsider imposing VAT on school fees. He says “the sacrifices are constant, but nothing is more important than our son’s future,” adding: “My son and thousands like him have done nothing wrong. School has been an endless struggle, and private education is the best chance they have. Now Keir Starmer wants to rob them of that chance.” Mr Perry set up a petition on the change.org website – which now has over 60,000 signatures – calling on the Labour Party to drop the proposal to add VAT to fees, highlighting how the policy would negatively impact families if it came into effect.

I would like to see more collective action from a nominated group of private school Heads representing the sector. They should offer a benchmarked alternative proposal to the ideological attack on private schools through business rates and VAT. The proposal should protect the charitable status of private schools that meet the social impact  benchmark.