Parents look to Europe as VAT pushes up fees for Britain's private schools

Wealthy British parents are turning to European boarding schools, as rising private school fees push families to look for cheaper options abroad.

- Lauren Almeida

German and Swiss institutions have reported rises in queries from British parents who face higher fees at home, after the Labour government imposed 20% VAT on private education from January.

Jamie Perfect, the director of the International School of Bremen in northern Germany, said the school had been "inundated" with requests.

"The British market has always been our biggest competitor," he said. "We've got a very competitive price compared with UK schools. We sort of had it before this happened, but now even more - on average we are about £15,000 less than a UK boarding school and our students get their own rooms. There is a market and it is getting bigger by the month."

The school, which is a nonprofit, charges from €12,500 (£10,900) a year for early learning to secondary school fees of up to €18,700 a year.

"This academic year British parents are even more interested. Traditional boarding school fairs are now looking to invite more European schools because they have been asked: 'Are there alternatives?' These are fairs that would normally be completely British."