A Labour administration appears likely sometime this year, and the party intends to impose VAT on independent school fees.
Various studies around the efficacy of the policy, the first from the IFS, and a subsequent rebuttal from the Adam Smith Institute are inconclusive, suggesting that the VAT proposal is simply a best guess at being an effective way to raise revenue. This is all that we know.
“Schools like ours meet the demand for talent which makes the creative arts sector thrive.”
The teaching unions appear to have different perspectives, with the NASUWT clear that VAT would impact jobs and may well undermine Labour’s wider ambitions, and in a letter to me the NEU is vague.
Historically, the Left is warm towards arts funding, and education, and specialist vocational schools sit at the intersection of the two. But there is a sword of Damocles, in the shape of VAT on fees, hanging over fee-charging schools, some of which are set up to feed directly and deliberately into the arts economy.
Impact on specialist vocational schools
Highly specialist vocational performing arts schools, like ours, meet the demand for talent which is required to make the creative arts sector thrive. It is one of the country’s most successful industries, both in the UK and as an exporter of talent, and for inward investment.
However, if our school, and other highly specialist vocational schools, are included within the VAT regime, the challenges to cost and affordability are very real, and for some vocational schools and families relying on them, it could be catastrophic.
Some detail around our community
We know that the majority of parents sending their children to vocational schools are not naturally inclined towards fee-charging schools, but do so because of the very specific and specialist needs of their child. In our case, 70 per cent of our parents would either not, or would be unlikely to pay for their child’s education at an independent school and are here because of the specialist vocational provision.
“Sir Keir Starmer has been clear about the importance of arts education.”
Alongside this, 46 per cent of our pupils receive some form of financial support, and almost 9 per cent of the school’s income is redirected back into making it possible for talented young people to attend. Sir Keir Starmer has been clear about the importance of the creative industries and the importance of arts education, so ideologically, we’re not that far adrift. As school leaders, we need to help him draft policy that fulfils his aim to “safeguard [the creative industry’s] future and support the next generation”.
Not that far adrift – being positive
Labour has been ramping up its messaging about supporting the arts and arts education. Most recently a very encouraging speech by shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire made clear the need for the performing arts sector to be properly supported, including through training and education.
“Talent can and does come from every walk of life.”
Many of the artists mentioned in the speech were educated independently, and accessed specialist vocational training. However, there are times when the narrative around the party’s pledge to support the arts leans on the perceived imbalance of talent coming from the private school sector. Although it is rather narrow and focused on fame rather than the jobbing actors, dancers and singers, backstage hands, writers and designers that are the bedrock of the industry.
Vocational schools, as we can see from our own cohort, are not the same as other independent schools. Specialist vocational schools are set up to deliver world class training for great talent, and that talent can and does come from every walk of life.
What’s at stake is that VAT accidentally undermines world class talent identification and development for one of the most successful and growing economic sectors in the UK, a sector that employs five times as many people across the country than sport.