It’s about time private schools did more
Dear Charity Commission,
Thank you for finally pushing private schools into the real world this morning. I have long advocated making private schools offer more to their local community and it seems that you have taken a similar stance on this delicate issue.
As a Conservative I very much support the existence of private schools, as parents should have the right to choose where they send their children to be educated. Having said this, it is plainly apparent that these schools are becoming an exclusive club for the wealthy while less well-off families never benefit from their teaching and facilities. Schools being told to offer free and/or subsidised places is a very sensible move, although I would also like private schools to start taking a small percentage of pupils from their local area regardless of their ability as well as their financial situation to ensure that private schools offer a benefit to all sections of the community.
I’m sure there will be complaints about this new approach to private education, mainly from the private schools themselves, but I warmly welcome this move as it will open up private school education to many more people – which surely has to be a good thing.
Yours sincerely,
A.Tory
Sorry but I don’t agree. “Private” schools are businesses just like any other business. They are selling an education to willing buyers. Why should they be expected to do more for the community, to offer places free of charge, (other than where they have themselves chosen to give bursaries usually as a result of the generosity in later life of those who attended the school). Why should they be expected to share their facilities, ie their assets, with people who are not their customers.
As with so much of the socialist nonsense put forward by this government and its quangos, these moves are based on pure envy.
“If we can’t go to these schools, nobody else should be able to.”
So, they just try to spoil it for those who are fortunate enough to be enjoying an excellent education.
Instead of these vindictive measures, they should concentrate on improving state schools.
State schools certainly need a lot of attention, but private schools should do more to help. I’m not a socialist and I believe that private schools have every right to exist. Having said that, private schools are not businesses, as you stated. They are in fact charities and were awarded their charitable status because they provided a ‘public benefit’, which they evidently do not.
So, the choices are (a) take away their charitable status, which will cost private schools over £100m, (b) make them do more for the wider community, or (c) both of the above. Personally I think (c) is an acceptable move but (b) is certainly less controversial and many people will agree with it, regardless of their political allegiances.
If private schools did not have charitable status they would be able to register for VAT. They would then be able to reclaim the VAT on all their expenditure. It has been estimated that this would go along way to compensating them for the removal of the charitable ststus benefits.
One private school head wrote to The Times some months ago pointing this out. If you push them too far for political reasons, They will opt out of C. status and you will lose the benefits that many areas gain from the current arrangements of co-operation.
What then?
Give the state a legal monopoly on providing all education? Good move? That will be great for Britain! No chance of winning the rugby world cup again! Thouands of extra kids to pay for.
The really isolationist schools should be encouraged to change their ways. The ones that participate should be appreciated. The British Private education system is the best and most successful education system in the world. Let us make sure Britain can continue to draw on it and use is as abenchmark to whip our Governments with.
Well said. The use of the word “isolationist” is very poignant as well as accurate.
Private school education is indeed excellent, which is why we must try to encourage that excellence to spread rather than driving it away.
“So, they just try to spoil it for those who are fortunate enough to be enjoying an excellent education.”
And right there we see the fear at the heart of the issue. Anyone who’s family can’t afford to send them to private school will obviously spoil it for everyone else, presumably for being intellectually subnormal hoodies who roam the corridors looking for real people to go stabby on.
“I’m not a socialist and I believe that private schools have every right to exist.”
I am a Socialist, and I believe that private schools have every right to exist.
“If you push them too far for political reasons, They will opt out… What then? Give the state a legal monopoly on providing all education?”
So these successful businesses will just pick up their balls and go home if pushed to far?