The Government has always sought to champion education at every level and has a proud record of investment and reform that has allowed attainment levels to rise over the last fourteen years. This Government understands the vital role that education plays in all our lives. Just this year, school funding will total about £57.7 billion, and next year it will be £59.6 billion. I am very proud to say that that will be the highest ever real-terms spending per pupil.
The Government’s commitment to quality education has seen 89% of all schools achieve “good” or “outstanding” at their most recent inspection, an increase from 68% back in 2010 when the Conservatives entered office.
I am proud that this has meant that my constituents have access to excellent education in Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner. This afternoon, parliamentarians debated the status of independent schools and the matter of VAT. Residents might know that the Labour Party has set out its intention to levy VAT on independent schools and end their business rates exemptions should it form a government after the next election. I oppose this policy as does the Government.
In my brief remarks, I set out the importance of the private educational sector and the specialist role that it can play in education. In my constituency, we have five thriving independent schools in the traditional sense, as well as academies that operate as independent schools and private SEND schools. It was the latter on which I focused.
I did so as I firmly believe that levying VAT and business rates would jeopardise the education of the most vulnerable. I drew particular attention to an equine facility in the constituency that provides therapy for mute, autistic children who are placed there at the expense of the local authority Should this levy be introduced, they may need to reassess the arrangement due to increasing costs.
More widely this policy has been shown to directly impact the taxpayer. Many would no longer have the freedom of choice when it comes to school places, and some would need to relocate their children as a result of drastically increased fees.
