Number of Private School Pupils Plummets After Labour’s VAT Hike on Fees

Private schools revealed to have hemorrhaged 30,000 students since Rachel Reeves's VAT raid

The number of pupils at private schools has dramatically fallen by 30,000 since the introduction of VAT on fees.According to new figures, pupil numbers are down by 6.6 per cent in some year groups with the number of children at private schools falling by 20,000 in the past year alone. Labour's policy to impose 20 per cent VAT on private school fees was introduced on January 1 last year.However, far fewer families are now choosing to enrol at the…

Number of private school pupils plummets after Labour’s VAT hike on fees

Private school pupil numbers have plummeted by 30,000, down nearly 7 per cent in some year groups, since Labour introduced VAT on fees. As of 1 January 2025, private school fees in the UK, including tuition and boarding, are subject to 20 per cent VAT, a change announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her 2024 Autumn Budget. The change to the tax code sparked an outcry from parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) and from those …