Labour’s raid on private schools is a malicious assault on education
Numerous private schools across the UK are closing due to financial pressures exacerbated by Labour's policy changes, including the introduction of VAT on school fees. These closures are affecting long-standing institutions and disrupting education for thousands of students. While larger, wealthier private schools are expected to survive, smaller and more affordable ones are disproportionately impacted.
- ▪Since Labour was elected in 2024, over 100 private schools educating 25,000 children have announced closure plans.
- ▪Schools cite falling pupil numbers and financial pressures, including new VAT on fees, loss of business-rates relief, and rising operational costs.
- ▪The VAT increase on private school fees, intended to fund 6,500 new state-school teachers, reportedly cost the Scottish economy £60 million as pupil numbers fell by nine per cent.
- ▪Smaller, more affordable private schools are closing, while elite institutions like Eton and Harrow are better positioned to survive due to wealthier student bases and alumni support.
- ▪The closures have led to job losses, disrupted education, and the end of long-standing community institutions, with little national outcry.
- ▪Specialist choir schools like Exeter Cathedral School are ending programs, making it harder to recruit choristers from lower-income backgrounds via scholarships.
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Labour’s raid on private schools is a malicious assault on education Schools that have educated aspirational families for centuries are struggling to survive this vandalism. i Picture by: Getty dataLayer.push({ event: 'author', author: "Joanna Williams" }) Joanna Williams Columnist 4th May 2026 i Picture by: Getty Share Topics UK Want unlimited, ad-free access? Become a spiked supporter. All across Britain, private schools are closing. Many are small institutions with long, proud histories that have successfully educated children for centuries. As they shut their doors, pupils suffer disruption to their learning and parents struggle to find new school places.
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