Labour wants to abolish private schools ‘by the back door’, headteacher claims

Rachel Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer
Labour’s VAT raid on private schools could be ideologically driven, critics suggest - Eddie Mulholland

Labour’s real aim is to abolish private schools “by the back door”, the headteacher of a leading independent school has said in an outspoken attack on Sir Keir Starmer’s VAT and National Insurance increases.

Rod Grant, the headteacher of Clifton Hall in Edinburgh, told parents that the increase in employer National Insurance would cost the school an additional £80,000 a year.

He warned that Labour’s policy agenda would require further tax rises to compensate for stagnating economic growth “and schools like mine will become over-elitist, not through choice but through political interference”.

Writing in a blog on the school’s Facebook page, he rejected Labour’s claim that the imposition of VAT on public schools would generate funds for the state sector, arguing the revenue would be a “drop in the ocean”.

Instead he argued the real reason was “ideological”. He added: “This is no more than abolishing private schools by the backdoor.

“This has, very clearly, been the aim all along but no one has had the sincerity to be honest about that long-held ideological ambition.”

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, has announced that VAT will be imposed on private school fees from Jan 1, prompting many, including Eton College, to announce that they will increase their charges to parents by the full 20 per cent.

The Treasury has predicted about 40,100 children will be driven out of private schools “or never enter” them as a result of the policy.

More than 1,000 independent schools have started joint legal action, arguing that the policy is discriminatory and undermines pupils’ right to education under human rights legislation.

Mr Grant has worked in schools, in both the private and state sectors, for more than 30 years and has been the head of Clifton Hall since 2005.

He said Labour was “clearly anti-aspirational”, with the VAT charge making the UK “the only country in the western world that taxes education”.

Although he highlighted the legal action, he said: “Children will be removed from schools. Children who would have joined us, won’t. The independent sector will suffer hugely but it will be state schools that are left to pick up the mess.”

Mr Grant mocked the Government’s claims that the revenue would be used to hire 6,500 extra teachers, saying: “Good luck with that. Teachers are leaving the profession in droves.”

Highlighting Labour’s pledge to provide every state school with £37,000 extra, he said: “A drop in the ocean that will deliver zero improvement, but at least they’ve done what they actually set out to do and decimate the independent education sector.”

Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, educates his children privately. The party and the Treasury were approached for comment.

A UK Government spokesman said: “We want to ensure all children have the best chance in life to succeed.

“Ending tax breaks on private schools will help to raise the revenue needed to break down the barriers of opportunity for children and young people across the country.”