Pupils switching from private schools to state secondaries in Edinburgh revealed, as VAT concerns continue
The Scottish Council of Independent Schools insisted the true figure is much higher
A total of 100 pupils have moved from private schools to state secondaries in Edinburgh since January last year, figures have revealed.
It comes amid ongoing concerns in the private sector over the impact of Labour's decision to add VAT to fees.
Edinburgh Council said it had experienced “no difficulty in accommodating the small number of children and young people” who had switched.
But Lorraine Davidson, chief executive of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), suggested the Edinburgh statistics had been substantially undercounted.
She said the SCIS would publish its own data next month, which would show "a significant drop" in the number of pupils attending independent schools in Scotland.
"SCIS warned the UK government that the VAT on fees policy would harm all parts of Scottish education, and unfortunately we were right," she said.
"Children have been forced out of their schools and there is now pressure on state schools, which are having to educate many more pupils at a significant extra cost to taxpayers."
Data published by Edinburgh Council shows 100 pupils have enrolled at a state secondary, having previously been at a fee paying school since January 2024, including 72 in 2024/25 and 19 in this financial year until September. The numbers include 22 pupils who have now left council schools, the local authority said.
Labour won the general election last year with a promise to end the private school VAT exemption, and implemented the change on January 1. The move adds 20 per cent to private school fees, although some institutions reduced fees before the implementation date.
Conservative MSP Miles Briggs, his party’s education spokesman, said: “Labour’s decision to impose VAT is clearly already having a huge effect on many families in Edinburgh. With nearly 100 pupils in the capital forced to move to state schools in just over a year, this ill-thought-out policy will be putting further strain on the capital’s schools.
“We have also seen significant behaviour change since the policy was implemented, with a notable drop in children being enrolled into independent junior schools. Edinburgh’s state schools are already buckling thanks to years of SNP cuts and mismanagement and simply do not have the capacity to cope with these transfers.”
Edinburgh Council said schools had not reported any significant increase in applications from the independent sector. The local authority said 78 youngsters moved from a city private school to the state sector between June 2024 and June this year. By comparison, the average number of total in-year enrolments over an academic session, based on the last three years of data, is 3,800.
James Dalgleish, the council’s education, children and families convenor, said: “While we are continuing to monitor any impact that the change in VAT status of independent schools might have, our data shows that the anticipated influx into our schools from the independent school sector hasn’t materialised.
“There has been no significant change or impact to the number of S1 or P1 pupil intakes at our schools since the start of the new school year, and we have had no difficulty in accommodating the small number of children and young people who have transitioned into one of our schools from an independent school.”
A UK government spokesman said: “Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30 to help deliver 6,500 new teachers and raise school standards, supporting the 94 per cent of children in state schools to achieve and thrive.”
A Scottish Government spokesman said: “This is a UK government policy, but the Scottish Government has been advised that the monies raised from the removal of the VAT exemption for application to schools have not been ring-fenced. This is a change to the UK government’s position.
“The Scottish Government continues to work with local authorities, including Edinburgh City Council, and the independent sector to understand the impact on schools to date. Scottish ministers have received assurance from local authorities that they have the capacity to support increased school rolls.”
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