Parents back private schools as 72% say it is right for children to attend them and do not want them abolished, poll finds

• Labour plans to block private schools from claiming back on funds spent on VAT

The majority of parents think it is right for children to attend private schools and do not want them abolished, new polling has revealed.

Some 72 per cent of people think it is right for parents to use financial means to give their children the best possible start in life – including by sending them to private schools, compared to just a tenth who deem it wrong.

In the poll conducted by think tank Civitas, 52 per cent of Britons also insisted private schools should not be abolished, compared to 15 per cent who do.

The results have sparked questions over the popularity and viability of Labour’s plans to charge VAT on private school fees, which the sector has said could see some institutions forced to close.

While independent schools are not seen in a completely positive light – most of the public believe they are ‘elitist’ and ‘exclusive’ – the main concerns over private education are over access.

Some 72 per cent of people think it is right for parents to use financial means to give their children the best possible start in life (Pictured: Eton College)

Half of respondents said more bursaries and scholarships being offered would make them view the institutions more favourably.

Tory MP Robin Walker, the chair of education select committee but speaking in a personal capacity, said: ‘The public know that Labour’s proposal to impose an extra tax on independent schools is all about politics and not about policy.

‘It is a poorly thought through policy that would increase costs to families without benefiting publicly funded schools and create a demand for places in state secondary schools that don’t currently exist.

‘We need to support real investment in our schools and we should be celebrating the success of our small independent sector and the many partnerships it supports with publicly funded schools rather than trying to create dividing lines and penalising those who, after paying their tax, choose to invest more in their children’s education.’

Andrew Lewer, a member of the Education Select Committee, said: ‘Labour’s plan has serious implications for all schools and for society more broadly.

Half of respondents said more bursaries and scholarships being offered would make them view the institutions more favourably (Pictured: North London Collegiate School)

‘The sector must continue to tell all who are prepared to listen about the value and strength they provide to the educational ecosystem of this country.

‘Labour’s actions will do the most damage of all, paradoxically, to those schools which are the most accessible and the least ‘elite’.’

The party’s proposals to block private schools from claiming back money spent on VAT for certain goods, services and building projects have been criticised by the independent education sector.

Education leaders have warned that the move could see increased fees passed on to middle class parents or result in some schools shutting down entirely.

Daniel Lilley, the paper’s lead researcher, said: ‘This polling shows that seven times as many people think that it is right for parents to send their children to private as think that it is wrong, and that more than three times as many agree that the standard of teaching is higher in private schools than disagree.

The results have sparked questions over the popularity and viability of Labour’s plans to charge VAT on private school fees

‘Our evidence shows that the issue people have with this sector is not quality, nor whether they have a right to exist, but exclusivity. This suggests that spreading the benefits of the sector, such as through extending bursaries, would be a more popular path than restricting the sector through taxation.’

A Labour Spokesperson said: ‘It’s entirely right that parents can choose how to educate their children – Labour will always support parents to exercise that right.

‘Independent polling, however, consistently shows that families overwhelmingly back Labour’s plans to drive high and rising standards in education for the 93 percent of children who attend state schools by investing revenue from ending tax breaks for private schools.

‘We will use that money to invest in thousands more expert teachers and mental health counselling in every secondary school.’

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