Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who took office after the July 4 legislative electionshe continued to repeat: he has “nothing against private schools”, where around 600,000 children, or 6.5% of British students, are educated.
But “every parent has ambition for their children,” said Keir Starmer, whose two children went to public school in their north London neighborhood. “For students in the public who don't have the teachers they need, […] It's a problem for life.”
Elimination of the VAT exemption
After years of austerity in public services and worsening inequalities, the government confirmed in July the removal of the VAT exemption for private tuition fees.
It is targeting a gain of £1.6 billion (€1.9 billion), notably making it possible to fund 6,500 new teachers in the public sector.
Private schools will be charged a 20% tax from January 1, with steep increases in bills for parents being announced.
Tuition fees already average £18,000 (€21,390) at private schools, according to the Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents private schools.
This price goes up to £42,000 (nearly €50,000) for the 'boarding schools', these famous elitist boarding schools that are famous around the world and have seen many members of the ruling class pass through.
But if the public of these posh schools should afford allowances, the subject arises far beyond the wealthiest.
Panicked parents
Testimonies from panicked parents have filled the papers for months. Some say they will have to delay retirement, change jobs or call their grandparents. Others consider moving to be closer to a good public school.
Amaka Nwabueze is thinking of looking for a second job. “I'll have to work on weekends, which means I'll hardly see my children,” says the 45-year-old financial analyst, who looks after her three children alone.
The two older ones already moved into the public sector when they moved into high schools, into selective units with entrance exams. But the cadet failed.
He was offered another headquarters, reports his mother, “the worst in our neighborhood,” in the capital.
“I can't take my child out of a private primary school and put him in a failing institution,” she continues. She is therefore preparing to pay up to £4,000 (€4,760) more per year. “It gives me high blood pressure.”
“There is real anxiety,” confirms Tony Oulton, head of Hulme School in Oldham, northern England, which has 730 pupils aged two to 18.
Reducing the inequalities raised by Conservative governments
He criticizes a measure he sees as wrongly based on “the idea that all the people who send their kids to private schools are rich”: “The parents at my school are mainly working class or lower middle class. Many hold two jobs to pay their school fees and their children's education comes before anything else.” Some don't go on vacation.
These parents are particularly looking for small classes or modestly sized units. But now, according to him, “some families say they will have to leave.”
Opponents of the reform argue that the number of public employees will explode in the event of a hemorrhaging of the private sector, increasing the cost to the state. But studies contradict them. The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates that, due to population decline, the number of children in public schools will actually decrease by 2030.
According to several think tanks, the disparity between the private and public sectors has grown significantly under the Conservatives, who have governed for 14 years.
“Tuition fees have risen significantly in private schools, while public spending has been cut until last year,” explains Harry Quilter-Pinner, director at the Institute for Public Policy Research, IPPR.