Private school heads attack proposals for business rates

● Principals warn rise in tax bill would land parents with rising fees

Headteachers at some of Scotland’s leading private schools last night warned that proposals to dramatically increase their business rates bill would force up fees and make their institutions more elitist.

Parents would see hundreds of pounds per year added to their bills if the Scottish Government introduces business rates reforms recommended by its own review into the levy.

Headteachers also warned that bursaries given to children from less well-off backgrounds would be cut and Scottish fee-paying schools would be put at a competitive disadvantage compared with establishments south of the Border.

They were reacting to a business rates review conducted by former RBS chair Ken Barclay that called for private schools to pay the full levy. Currently Scotland’s 70-orso independent schools only pay around 20 per cent of their business rates bills, because they are charities.

Melvyn Roffe, principal of George Watson’s College in Edinburgh, said the change could see fees raised by around £200 a year to pay for the enlarged annual bill of £460,000.

“We try to operate to keep our fees at a minimum,” Mr Roffe said.

“Our aim is to provide the highest quality of service on

0 Like other private schools, George Watson’s will have to pass on the extra cost to parents the least fee we can to make it available to the most people.

“It would be a bit perverse to end up with a bill, which in our case would be another £460,000 a year and that would inevitably end up on the fees. If you want the schools to be more elitist then the best way to do it is to lump on lots of extra costs and sure enough they will become more elitist – despite our best efforts not do.”

Mr Roffe said he did not believe that Mr Barclay had made his recommendations because he was opposed to private schools, but was unsure why the sector had been singled out.

“I’m not entirely sure why we have been picked out. But I think the reaction to it looks pretty ideologically inspired. In a sense I would rather have the ideological debate – do you want independent schools to exist, yes or no – rather than the constant picking away.”

Like other headteachers, Mr Roffe warned the measure would be a false economy. He argued his school was sav- ing the government money by educating 2,500 pupils outside the state sector. In addition, the school spent £1.3 million on bursaries, made its facilities available and had members of his staff teaching in state schools.

David Gray, head of Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools, said his schools funded bursaries for 150 children.

“If the 80 per cent reduction were to be removed that would have a considerable cost to the school and we would naturally have to pass that on.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said ministers had received Mr Barclay’s report, were considering its recommendations and would respond swiftly.