Labour’s Education Secretary has rejected claims from private schools that they may need to axe bursaries because of plans to charge VAT on fees.
Bridget Phillipson said there was an “expectation” that the elite education establishments would still offer financial support to pupils from less well-off families.
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The minister was speaking after the incoming leader of the Heads’ Conference (HMC), which represents top private schools including Strathallan, Gordonstoun and George Heriot’s as Eton and Harrow, said that “additional bursary places that could have been open to children … will now not be open.”
Philip Britton, the head of Bolton School, told The Times that “the rise in fees, however it is managed, will make [private] schools more exclusive”.
“This consequence of VAT makes me sad, rather than annoyed. We could be doing more good and now we can’t.”
He also suggested it could have an impact on outreach work.
A recent report by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) suggested there were 120,000 people in Scotland who “benefit from partnership and community work carried out by independent schools."
This, they said, included "the use of sports facilities and assistance with university applications.”
Ending tax breaks for private schools to help fund improvements to the state sector was a key pledge of Labour’s during the general election campaign.
It is due to take effect at the start of January, and ahead of the vote, the party said it would result in £150 million for Scottish schools.
However, SCIS believes it will shrink the fee-paying sector by 13% and could mean 1,000 more pupils across Scotland relying on council-run services.
Asked about the comments from the head, Ms Phillipson told Times Radio: “I don’t accept that.”
The Education Secretary said: “Some of them have got very large incomes and actually a relatively small percentage of that income going towards bursaries.”
She added: “That list in the Sunday Times had some very wealthy schools with significant assets and big levels of income who aren’t putting a huge amount of that money towards bursaries and support in terms of partnership working with the state sector.
“Changes around VAT should not and must not impact on the work that they are doing around bursaries. There is an expectation of course that that would continue.”
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