VAT change is existential threat to private schools – headteacher

City of Edinburgh council contests the suggestion that there is no space for pupils in the authority’s state schools.

It says over 9,300 nursery, primary and secondary pupils living in Edinburgh attend private or independent schools.

A spokesperson said: “Our latest projections show we have capacity for a further 12,700 pupils in our schools, but we’ll continue to keep this under review.”

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) thinktank believes the VAT policy could raise around £1.5bn. UK ministers want to use this revenue to fund extra teachers in England.

Education is devolved, so this would trigger extra money for the Scottish government to spend.

But is this a policy that will lead to a significant drop off in pupils attending private school? The IFS doesn’t think so.

They’ve previously said that three quarters of children at private school come from families in the wealthiest 30% of households.

The thinktank predicts a reduction of somewhere between 3% and 7% as a result of the UK Government’s VAT change.

Regardless of the numbers, it still doesn’t sit right for Anthony Simpson.

“We’re still fundamentally dealing with children, and we’re still fundamentally dealing with parents who are doing all they can to do the best for their child. It’s a tax on those people.”

And there are plenty of parents who agree.