Schools must be flexible, creative and plan ahead

AMONGST rising concerns around tax rises and service cuts in the run-up to the budget it is timely to review the impact of the VAT imposition on charitable independent schools.

- Neil Walker

In January 2025, the government added a 20% tax on parents who pay for their children’s education. At the time, the government promised that this would raise around £1.7bn and fund the recruitment of 6,500 new teachers, deliver better careers advice and work experience, pay for early language development in primary schools, provide mental health support for every school and fund 3,000 new nurseries.

The only upside of the new taxes for independent schools was that education as a whole would benefit; however, over the last nine months, cynicism has drifted in with most of these promises being dropped. Over the summer, the Prime Minister even suggested that the income generated would go towards boosting the housing initiatives and not education at all.