tax relief

[Guest]

Why shouldn't Private/Independent Schools get Charitable Status? They give huge sums of money to kids from less well off families. Some help with other costs such as uniform as well.

My kid is going to a Independent School in September. We are a working class family on a low income. My kid would have had to board away from from home for the state to have provided the specialist tuition that my kid needed.

[katel]

They shouldn't get charitable status because they are not charities - they are profit-making organizations like any other business.

And offering the occasional scholarship to a few token low income families does no constitute a charitable act, IMHO!

[Catherine]

They shouldn't get charitable status because they are not charities - they are profit-making organizations like any other business.

This a valid point. Out of curiosity, I had a quick seach for a few independent schools in the Companies House. They are effectively registered businesses. I had never thought of it before.

[Guest]

It is because they are profit-making organizations just like any other business that they are so much better than state schools. They have to be better otherwise they would not survive and the share holders would net get a return on the investment. State run organisations tend not to work as well as private organisations.

If people recieved tax relief then a some people may be able to send there children to private schools who otherwise would not be able to afford it.

[Guest]

I think few independents are in the business just for the money. I can think of lots of businesses that generate more profit. There are lots of reasons for registering as a company.

My kids went to an independent who was run by an individual not a company. Unfortunately all the school "fund-raising" etc was a bid to increase that person's income!

I disagree about independents being better run. I removed my kids from an independent because I realised too late that it was failing them. All the time I was being told they were doing great and as they didn't follow the national curriculum it was difficult to compare with other kids. I was later told by someone at the LEA that if it was a state school it would be in special measures!

[yoyo123]

there are vgood and bad schoolsin both state and independent ssectors, but I find it interesting that you do not need to be a qualified teacher or be registered with the GTC to teach in an independent school

[WirralJW]

I think there will always be exceptions, but my impression of the independents that I have encountered is that they offer a better service, both to the children and their parents. State schools generally do the best they can with the resources they have, and yes, there is something to be said for the 'safety net' of the local authority inspection systems, special measures etc, but there is no substitute for thorough research when choosing a school and I would advise any parent to collect as much information from as many different sources as possible.