‘Challenging policy’: What the pushback to private school VAT plans reveals Politics VAT… easy as ABC? It may not quite be Blair’s ‘education, education, education’ mantra, or Michael Gove’s multi-academy trusts. But for Sir Keir ‘my-father-was-a-toolmaker’ Starmer, there’s been one education policy that’s been front and centre of his manifesto and the first 100 days. This is, of course, the plan to impose VAT on private school [...]
Teaching unions urge government to delay private school VAT roll out Politics Teaching unions have urged the government to delay the roll out of private schools having to pay 20 per cent VAT on fees, amid fears of job losses and a “significant burden” on HMRC. Reports emerged on Sunday that ministers were reevaluating the policy – after the Treasury initially declined to confirm it would take [...]
Teaching unions may come to regret Ofsted reforms Opinion Abolishing one-word Ofsted judgements could be a good thing, but not for the reasons the government says, writes David Thomas The government has abolished single-word Ofsted judgments. For now schools will get grades for each of the four sub-categories currently in use, and from next year they’ll be replaced by a report card. Unions are [...]
Sadiq Khan should remember there’s no such thing as a free lunch April 19, 2024 Free school meals for the children on multi-millionaires is classic Khan – superficial, unevidenced and the wrong priority for London, says Alys Denby Sadiq Khan has made the promise of permanent free school meals the centrepiece of his reelection campaign. It’s typical of the Mayor’s approach to governing, being utterly superficial, unevidenced and the wrong [...]