Private school enrolments see biggest dip in 13 years

THE number of children enrolling at private schools has dropped by the largest proportion in more than a decade, figures show.

Independent schools have seen a 2.7 per cent drop in enrolments this academic year, according to a report by the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

It is the biggest annual decline since 2011, according to the annual data from ISC’s census, published next week.

The body, which represents almost 1,400 private schools, said Labour’s plan to add VAT to school fees was deterring parents. It predicts the number will drop further this autumn.

Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, said: “New parents for this year are asking about VAT. There is noticeable concern. Parents are under pressure from the cost of living and recovering from the impact of Covid. The majority of families are dual-income households who can afford fees but not comfortably. We’re starting to see already the impact of VAT looming on the horizon.”

She warned that parents at smaller private schools could struggle to pay fees more than those at larger schools. “Even really big wealthy secure schools will have a proportion of parents struggling to pay fees and small schools are likely to have a higher proportion of those parents,” she said.

“Some schools are already surveying parents to ensure they have the right priorities in cuts, if it comes to it. They’re preparing for the worst.

“Schools that have to cut budgets are likely to look at staffing which accounts for 70 per cent of budget, but they want to keep offering the best quality.”

A government source told The Times:

“Labour’s schools tax is nothing more than a short-sighted, self-defeating gimmick. Independent analysis shows that not only could it cost taxpayers up to £1.6billion, but it could also cause one in four private school children being pushed into state schools, too.”

But economist Tim Leunig, a former special adviser to Downing Street, defended Labour’s plan.

He wrote in Schools Week: “VAT on private schools is perfectly defensible. State schools did not want the Theresa May cuts in real-terms funding. Starting from much lower levels of funding, they managed to make ends meet. Good, valuable things were scrapped. Quite remarkably (at least until Covid), our schools and our children coped. Our state schools can be proud of what they have achieved in tough times.”