State Schools Face Capacity Crisis Amid Labour’s Private School Tax Hike

[Social Media]

 

State schools across England are struggling with a lack of spare places in certain year groups, raising concerns that they may not be able to cope with an influx of students due to Labour’s tax policies on private education. Figures obtained by *The Times* reveal that at least 27 local authorities are already oversubscribed in specific age groups, spanning both rural and urban areas. These include South Gloucestershire and Rutland, as well as major cities such as Bristol, Hull, and Coventry.  

 

The strain is particularly acute in secondary schools, with Years 7 and 8 having the least available spaces. Across 87 areas, councils reported at least one year group with fewer than 100 vacant places. Experts say the findings highlight the limited flexibility within parts of the state school system, which Labour has insisted will be able to accommodate students transferring from private schools due to its tax increases.  

 

Labour’s policy changes include the removal of VAT exemptions for private schools, which took effect at the start of the year and resulted in tuition fees rising by 20 per cent. Additionally, business rates relief for private schools is set to end in April. According to official government estimates, these financial pressures will cause private school enrollment to decline by approximately 37,000 students. Of those, 35,000 are expected to seek places in the state sector.  

 

Government ministers maintain that, on a national scale, state schools have enough capacity to absorb these students, as thousands of children transition between the private and state systems every year. In total, there are 578,000 unfilled places in primary schools and 465,000 in secondary schools. Data shows that 83 per cent of primary schools and 77 per cent of secondary schools have at least one available space.  

 

However, figures obtained through freedom of information requests indicate that some councils are already warning of severe shortages in certain year groups. Critics of Labour’s tax plan argue that while there may be vacancies nationwide, the key issue is whether there are sufficient places in the right schools and regions to accommodate students who are forced to transfer.  

 

Among the most affected areas, Year 7 is already over capacity in 20 councils, with two reporting that they have no spare spaces at all. Nottinghamshire has the highest number of additional students needing places, with 468, followed by Walsall (258), Bristol (177), Stoke-on-Trent (131), and Cheshire East (128). In total, 22 local authorities have reported that Year 7 is either completely full or oversubscribed.  

 

The issue extends to Year 8, where 13 councils, including Sutton, North Tyneside, and Kensington & Chelsea, report no available spaces. The problem is not limited to secondary schools, as primary school parents preparing for their children to transition to secondary education may also face difficulties. In four areas—City of London, Solihull, Isles of Scilly, and Sutton—there are fewer than ten available places for Year 5 students. Meanwhile, Year 6 is already oversubscribed in Trafford, Warrington, Sutton, Bolton, and Walsall.  

 

The figures come from a Department for Education (DfE) survey on school capacity for the 2022-23 academic year, the most recent data available. However, the breakdown by year group has not previously been made public. The DfE has pointed out that schools sometimes have greater capacity than reported, as additional spaces have been created since the survey was conducted.  

 

Despite these reassurances, critics argue that Labour’s policy could result in significant disruption for families who can no longer afford private school fees and are left without suitable state school options. Julie Robinson, chief executive of the Independent Schools Council, voiced concerns about the lack of appropriate spaces. “There might not be the right spaces in the right places for children whose education is disrupted by this policy,” she said.  

 

With state schools in some areas already stretched to capacity, the question remains whether Labour’s policy will create further strain on an education system that is already struggling to accommodate demand.

 

Based on a report by The Hill 2025-02-11

 

 

[APACJOE]

The argument being made against taxing private schools is that a small minority of students from private schools might move to the state sector due to rising fees. However, given that most private school students come from the wealthiest households (top 10%), this issue shouldn't really exist.

 

Wealthy families should be able to afford the tax increase and if they can't, then it raises a bigger question: why aren't the wealthiest people paying their fair share of taxes in the first place? Instead of worrying about a small percentage of students moving to state schools, the focus should be on ensuring the wealthy contribute fairly to public services, including education.

 

The truly wealthy in the UK often avoid or minimise taxes through legal loopholes, so expecting them to pay VAT on private school fees isn’t unreasonable, it’s simply making the system fairer.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/13/public-schools-david-kynaston-francis-green-engines-of-privilege and https://www.llakes.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RP-62.-Green-Anders-Henderson-Henseke.pdf

[Red Forever]

No mention of the fact that schools have been physically falling apart as a result of deliberate underfunding from Central Government to L.E.A. maintenance programs.

Cue: “We’ve worked bloody hard to put Chelsea through private education now this Marxist government wants us to pay our way!  How dare they “.

Clue: Look who was in charge since 2010 until last year. There be the people who committed a sustained series of smash and grab raids on our public services.

[youreavinalaff]

2 hours ago, APACJOE said:

The argument being made against taxing private schools is that a small minority of students from private schools might move to the state sector due to rising fees. However, given that most private school students come from the wealthiest households (top 10%), this issue shouldn't really exist.

 

Wealthy families should be able to afford the tax increase and if they can't, then it raises a bigger question: why aren't the wealthiest people paying their fair share of taxes in the first place? Instead of worrying about a small percentage of students moving to state schools, the focus should be on ensuring the wealthy contribute fairly to public services, including education.

 

The truly wealthy in the UK often avoid or minimise taxes through legal loopholes, so expecting them to pay VAT on private school fees isn’t unreasonable, it’s simply making the system fairer.

Sources: https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jan/13/public-schools-david-kynaston-francis-green-engines-of-privilege and https://www.llakes.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/RP-62.-Green-Anders-Henderson-Henseke.pdf

A top 10% household income is £72k. That's not rich by any stretch of the imagination. There are many jobs in that bracket that would be deemed "regular" and "reachable" for many many of the working public, if they can be bothered.

 

A couple I know from Ghana working in supported living work 48 hours a week, 4 x 12 hr shifts. That's around £64k. If one of them choses to work one shift of overtime then be in the top 10% of household income. Oh those pesky, lazy immigrants. 😁😁 

 

The top 10% of earners earned 31% of total income in UK 2023/2024. They paid 60% of all income tax collected. 

 

Is that "fair"?

[Sir Dude]

Again, another example of Labour's ill-thought-out student union ideological class politics that will simply cost the taxpayer more in the long run, on top of crashing the economy as if that isn't enough. Starmer and his incompetent cabinet need to learned the idea of realpolitik on numerous topics. Labour have had 15 years to get a plan together and they have nothing to offer other than going back to the 70s... facepalm.