Independent Schools Council

It's that time of year again - Partnerships Week is here! 🎉 Join us as we highlight the inspiring collaborative programmes taking place between state and independent schools. Share your partnerships on social media, tag us, and use the hashtags #schoolstogether and #powerofpartnerships!

In a blog marking Day 3 of Partnerships Week, Lisa Irwin from Emanuel School explains how a multi-pronged collaboration with a local primary school is providing enriching opportunities for staff and pupils across several year groups https://lnkd.in/d_XSFTdK #schoolstogether #powerofpartnerships

This year's ISC Celebrating Partnerships booklet is now live! 🎉 Read all about the inspiring collaborative programmes taking place between state and independent schools across the country 👉 https://bit.ly/4hwkkFd #schoolstogether #powerofpartnerships

Collaborating with state schools and local organisations is fundamental to the core purpose of independent schools. The latest ISC Census shows the number of partnership activities taking place has once again increased, reflecting schools' ongoing commitment to their wider communities #schoolstogether #powerofpartnerships 📈

ISC blog: 'We have provided an opportunity for pupils to achieve a genuine thrill from doing maths!' Owen Spinks, assistant head (teaching & learning) and maths lead at Newcastle School For Boys, explains how a problem-solving competition is sparking enthusiasm for maths among local school children https://lnkd.in/eircsw6x #schoolstogether #powerofpartnerships

"The annual event aims to shine a light on mutually beneficial partnership programmes, which widen access to educational opportunities for all the children involved." ISC CEO Julie Robinson welcomes us all to the start of this year's Partnerships Week #schoolstogether #powerofpartnerships 👇

"There is absolutely no way schools such as mine can absorb the VAT themselves, it's just not possible." Michelle Catterson, head of Moon Hall School Reigate, has called on the government to rethink its VAT on fees policy. She said pupils who attend Moon Hall, which is a school for children with dyslexia, do so "out of necessity", not as a "lifestyle choice" https://lnkd.in/e2ThS2Gj

Parents make difficult decisions and sacrifices to educate their children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in independent schools. Charging 20% VAT on fees would hit struggling parents hardest. Increasing the cost of fees by applying VAT would restrict parents’ access to the specialist education their children desperately need. Independent schools add vital capacity to the wider education system, providing SEND support for 120,000 pupils. VAT is a tax on goods and services. Schools would have no choice but to apply the 20% increase to fees. Most schools in ISC membership are small and operate on tight margins. They would not be able to ‘absorb’ the cost of VAT without risking closure. We should not create barriers for parents who choose independent schools to support their child’s needs. The independent sector frees up state SEND provision and reduces strain on already stretched state schools.

"I can say with some certainty that these decisions threaten not just the existence of independent schools – but the very ethos of educational choice that underpins our society." Dr Rebecca Ashcroft, head of Red House School - Teesside, comments on today's Budget announcement, which confirmed Labour's tax plans for independent schools https://lnkd.in/ecUaziuh

"We hear from families every day through our helplines who are ­having to fight to secure the education their children need and are entitled to by law. With 98% of tribunal appeals finding in favour of families, it’s clear that local authorities are repeatedly failing to meet their legal obligations." - Maria Bloom of IPSEA - Independent Provider of Special Education Advice Parents are having to wait more than a year for tribunal hearings into inadequate provision for children with special educational needs, amid a 50 per cent increase in the number of new cases https://lnkd.in/esMPDf8P