The Government has shown a lack of decency with VAT on private schools - Hugh Viney
I loved school but have been very vocal in my belief that one size does not fit all when it comes to education and in my support for hard-working parents doing everything they can to find that right fit for their child. So numerous announcements of schools closing after the introduction of VAT on fees in January has created a very worrying time for parents and staff - and particularly families with children who need specialist SEND support.
I know that because here at Minerva’s Virtual Academy (MVA) we have been at the frontline of the fallout, taking calls from desperate parents who are now either facing school fees they can’t afford or an urgent and heartbreaking search for a new school.
Our pupils numbers at MVA look set to double in the next year with an increasing number of enquiries in the last few weeks coming from parents at schools which have announced they are closing. Schools such as Fulneck School in Pudsey founded in 1753 but set to close this September.
As many others have said, no closures can be solely attributed to VAT, but it does seem as if recent Government policy has been the final straw for many small schools struggling to stay viable.
Many families at these small schools are there specifically because larger mainstream and state schools were failing their children.
Online schools such as MVA, which is among the first to be accredited by the Department for Education and visited by Ofsted, are now providing a working solution for lots of children, including those with SEND issues, as parents face a hike in fees and an uncertain future.
As MVA is registered for VAT the increase will not impact fees, but I do think the Government has shown a lack of common decency in how the situation has been handled.
I have seen first hand how the measure, introduced midway through the academic year and without taking into account how many parents were already stretching finances because they needed specialist SEND support, has added extra and unnecessary stress for families.
Every parent and every educator knows that most parents will want to make decisions on their child’s schooling in a stable environment. Parents expect that they can be confident that key educational years won’t be disrupted. This has left many parents in desperate need of urgent help and advice.
Not all schools are the same and children often thrive in different settings. That should be a positive that we now do more to explore. The Government and Local Education Authorities should be looking at how they can provide more support, not less, for parents trying to find the right approach for their child, especially if it is proving to be working.
Labour will know very well that the crisis in staff retention and recruitment will not be solved by the imposition of VAT on independent school fees. So whilst it may be politically attractive, the policy will not solve the problem the Labour government claims that it will. And it doesn’t encourage everyone in education to work together to provide the different solutions parents might need to create the right learning environment for their child.
I did love school, but I’m only too aware that is not the case for far too many children and it should be. To see education disrupted like this is worrying and a wake-up call for education leaders to listen, and when parents are trying their best to ensure their child is in school in a positive way, help them rather than put even more obstacles in their way.
Hugh Viney is the founder of online school Minerva’s Virtual Academy.