V.A.T, in school fees

I remember reading a comment from one of the people, a man, who joined the teaching scheme from the Army. He said he hadn't realised how much stamina it would take to teach!

I've also got an FA coaching certificate and an ASA swimming teacher's certificate, as you are showing such interest in my qualifications.

No, Ana, it depended on which board you went with.
The private school I was at used three different boards, but they all graded in letters.
I was at that school between 1960 and 1966.

That's what I thought, daphne.

Very impressive, durhamjen, you must be younger than I thought. O levels were graded in numbers when I took them!

The scheme to fast track service personnel into teaching has been a disaster. There was an official review a couple of years ago. The uptake was much lower than expected and many dropped out of training. The conclusion was that it's very poor value for money.

No, Ana, I didn't have a degree before I qualified as a teacher, Ana.
I had 9 O levels, seven grade A including maths and two grade B.
I did a four year BEd degree, getting a first.
Is that okay for you?

Yes, it's ironic. The trouble with this is that it's kicked off a form of class warfare with one group seeing very clearly that they're subsidising another group, so it wasn't the wisest of announcements from a politically strategic point of view.

Isn't it interesting that one of the things always complained about is that the opposition don't give details about where the money will come from for something, but when they say where it will come from they re told they shouldn't do that!

As i have said before, linking the two proposals doesn't make sense. As to the effect, I'm sure the likes of Emily Thornberry, Harriet Harment and Dianne "Sicknote" Abbott would still be able to afford independent education for their children!

Come to think of it, not as many hoped fir votes come May , teaching children with dyslexia or all state school children

Surely if this vat is to be claimed the money would be better spent on teaching children with learning difficulties than feeding obese state school children

Not all children who receive private tutoring are dyslectic

Well, teacher training courses were only two years in the 1960s, in fact I think right up until the 1980s although I think grammar/high school teachers had to have a degree.
My friend started teaching after qualifying at age 19 in 1966.

?? Well my daughter would definately say yes as the tutoring for dyslexic children was withdrawn because of the cuts.

And is private tutoring a necessity Jen?

Certainly in the 70s you could train as a teacher if you just had 5 good 'O' levels (not necessarily including maths) - I know because a friend of mine did it as a mature student.

Did you have a degree and maths qualifications before you qualified as a teacher, durhamjen?

Well, the more expensive schools might suffer a bit, although most of their very wealthy customers could probably afford the increase in fees. The knock-on effect might be that some of their pupils would move to cheaper independent schools of which there are many. In that case, only the children at the bottom of the pile, whose parents are already struggling to pay, would be badly hit and move to state schools.

their dear little offspring,
Surely everyone's 'offspring' are dear to them?

^There is a scheme to put ex-sevicemen and women into schools, to fast-track them.
I don't think they last very long^
I'm not sure why they wouldn't last very long - this is what quite a few of ex-service people have traditionally done and have become successful teachers including people we know.

If their charitable status is removed why would they bother to offer scholarships or bursaries or collaborate with state schools? Many would fold anyway, if VAT was charged on fees. Those children whose parents could not afford the extra cost would then need places at state schools which would need to expand at a cost to the taxpayer and probably would cause overcrowding and larger class sizes.

It sounds like a lose, lose situation to me.
The whole idea is a simplistic one which just hasn't been thought through and would cause far more problems in the long-term.

They have charitable status because they are supposed to offer bursaries and scholarships to pupils whose parents could not normally afford the fees, collaborate with local state schools to benefit state school pupils etc.
87% of ISC schools are in mutually beneficial partnerships with state schools and local communities, sharing expertise, best practice and facilities to the benefit of children in all the schools involved

If you have a business, you can only claim VAT back if you charge it to your customers in the first place.
You could always try that, Lillie. Education is a necessity, but not private school education.

There must be an easier way of providing universal free meals to tinies
I think it is school meals to all school pupils, not just primary.

And yes, there is, put up general taxation.
That is a more honest way to go about it.

This is just as bad as increasing business rates to pay for social care and risking the folding of many small businesses.

Education is deemed as a necessity and not a luxury, that is probably how historically the VAT exemption came about.
Someone asked if independent schools have to pay VAT themselves. Yes, they do and they cannot claim any back. In the big picture of things, that figure amounts to about 20% of their expenditure.