Buckingham MP says local secondary schools are full
Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey says more parents sending their children to state schools over private schools
A Buckinghamshire MP has said secondary schools in her constituency are “inundated” as more parents move their children to the state sector following the introduction of VAT on private school fees.
Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey said more parents are now pulling their children out of the private sector and sending them to state schools because of the Government’s decision to charge VAT on school fees.
She said the schools do not have extra places, and this is placing pressure on the system.
Speaking at a council meeting, the MP said: “It’s our grammar schools – it’s Beaconsfield High School and Beaconsfield Secondary School – that are actually completely inundated right now.
“We also don’t have SEND schools, and I don’t have a school in Burnham, so I have all my Burnham students coming there as well.
“We have huge amounts of pressure on our secondary schools in my area; people are coming from all over to try to get into those schools.
“We just don’t have the places, and a lot of people are pulling out of independent schools because of the VAT changes.”
The MP was speaking at a meeting of Buckinghamshire Council’s Strategic Sites Committee, which was deciding on an application for an additional 330 new homes.
She continued: “We are seeing a real increase, to the point where I am talking to my headteachers and they are saying we cannot even accept new applications.
“Because of the strain they are under, people move to Beaconsfield specifically for the grammar schools.”
This comes as the number of pupils in private schools in England has fallen following the introduction of VAT on fees, Government figures show.
There were around 11,000 fewer pupils in private schools in January compared with the same point last year, according to Department for Education (DfE) data.
The Government’s policy to impose 20 per cent VAT on private school fees was introduced on January 1.
The number of pupils in private schools in England has decreased by 1.9 per cent in the past year – from 593,486 in January 2024 to 582,477 in January this year.
Labour said they made the move to end tax breaks on private schools to improve ‘standards and opportunities’ for the nine out of 10 children who attend state schools.
They said money raised from VAT will fund public services, including education priorities.