A new poll has suggested 10,540 fewer pupils started the new school year at independent schools.
Amid fears of the financial impact of Labour’s VAT raid, analysis by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) shows that there was an overall drop of 1.7 per cent in the roll last month.
According to the data, the worst hit has been secondary schools, with a 4.6 per cent fall in the number of people starting year seven.
It comes as Labour prepares to remove private schools’ VAT exemption in January, as opposed to September 2025 as many had expected.
Stats show figures of new pupils are dropping
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It comes as headteacher at Stafford Grammar School Nick Pietrek told GB News that the plans were “incredibly ill thought through.”
Chief executive at the ISC Julie Robinson said: “This data couldn’t be clearer – parents are already removing their children from independent schools as a result of the government’s plans to charge parents VAT.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg and the knock-on effect on schools is significant, with many small schools already at risk of closure.
“We want to work with the government to mitigate some of the biggest challenges of this policy, including looking at delaying the implementation of VAT, and seriously reviewing its impact on young people with special educational needs and disabilities.”
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The poll showed that among the schools worst hit were those with fewer than 300 pupil in total (3.2 per cent drop), as well as schools located in Wales (5.2 per cent), Yorkshire (2.6 per cent) and South West England (2.4 per cent).
However the decline is lower than that found in a survey of parents last month, which suggested more than 140,000 children could be looking for state school places by the end of the academic year, reports MailOnline.
Pietrek told GB News: “We all knew that the VAT was going to be applied to school fees.It doesn’t allow people as much time to plan what they want to do, it seems to be steamrollered through by the Labour Government.
“They have not taken into consideration really into the impact that it will have on children. That is the biggest issue to get across here. While you may have a problem with independent schools, ideologically as a party, but to do this it is the children who will be most adversely affected by it.”
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Around 620,000 children, just under seven per cent of the UK school population are currently educated in private schools, a figure which could plummet to under half a million.
The survey of private school parents, part of the Saltus Wealth Index Report, said more than half (55 per cent) now believe their children’s education will be disrupted because of the 20 per cent tax addition.
