'Parents have every right to ensure that their child has the support they need', says ISC CEO
During a debate on the government's VAT policy in a segment for BBC Radio 4's Moral Maze, CEO of the ISC Julie Robinson said parents should not be penalised for helping ensure their children get the education best suited to them.
The discussion covered issues from the importance of parental choice to competition for university places. Challenging the stereotype that independent schools are “posh”, Ms Robinson said: “Most independent schools in this country are a few hundred pupils in a small community school. There are schools who charge £75 a week, £3,000 a year. The children in those schools should be protected from unnecessary additional taxes – the parents should not be penalised for helping ensure that their children get the right kind of education."
Referencing the 111,000 children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the independent sector, Ms Robinson added: “Those parents have every right to ensure that their child has the support they need. The tax that we’re talking about coming in is potentially going to outprice them into a state school where they won’t get that opportunity.”