A SIGNIFICANT THREAT INDEPENDENT

Schools In The Political Firing Line

With political and economic turmoil likely over an extended period, Richard Harman urges governors to plan for the storms ahead.

Ialways find this time of year a challenge; the days are so short and the weather often dank and miserable.

And with so much to be anxious about on the national and international scene, it can be hard to find points of light in the gloom.

The same might be observed about the outlook for our sector. So, what are our reasons to be cheerful?

Excellence of our schools

The main cause for optimism is the continuing excellence of our schools. The 2022 ISC census highlighted that, despite post-pandemic economic and political pressures, pupil numbers have rebounded and are up in every region of the UK. We must be doing something right as so many parents, if they can afford to, are choosing the independent sector for the high quality of its all-round educational offer: academic, co-curricular and pastoral. Let’s not underestimate how vital it is to ensure excellence is embedded in all we do; we are a vital part of the UK educational system and a most valuable UK export too.

Economic and political turmoil

Among the growing and emerging threats, of course, is the current economic and political turmoil. You will not need me to enumerate the financial challenges we all face. The political reality, meanwhile, is that, in the medium term, it looks increasingly likely that we will have a Labour government in Westminster, with a working majority, among whose flagship policies will be to ‘end the unfair tax breaks enjoyed by private schools’.

What this means is not abolition or removal of charitable status as such, but the double whammy of taking away the tax benefits that go with charitable status, whilst at the same time imposing VAT on school fees, whether schools are charitable or ‘for-profit’. All private schools would suffer, and many parents would be under the most intense financial pressure – as, inevitably, would the state sector if this policy were to come into force.

This is such a significant threat, and has been repeated so often recently at a high level by the Labour team, including at PMQs, that it must be taken very seriously. If any governor wants to find out more, I urge them to attend all relevant AGBIS briefings and events and to read fully and carefully our newsletters and e-alerts.

Let’s hope then for calmer, brighter times to come, whilst planning wisely for a good deal of stormy weather in the more immediate future. If we plan properly, our schools will emerge in due course stronger and better led than ever before.

Learning and growing

Governing schools is never dull or uneventful; it is certainly a lot of work, and it can sometimes seem as if too much is being asked of volunteers, but there is so much to celebrate in our schools and there are so many fascinating issues to keep us on our toes; we are always learning and growing!

At AGBIS, we are seeing many member schools engaging with our services. This indicates that, increasingly, governing bodies are fully alert to the current threats facing the sector and their schools. This ‘no complacency’ attitude is in itself an indication of good governance. ●

RICHARD HARMAN is CEO of AGBIS.