VAT on school fees is coming
We all know now that the imposition of VAT on school fees, regardless of the consequences, is around the corner. We have followed the press commentary, listened to the arguments from both sides and, quietly and without fuss, worked at a strategic level to consider how we can continue to provide the best value education to our parent body, whilst maintaining the quality, and limiting the additional costs. This week I am in the impressive city of Belfast, at the annual conference of HMC, the independent schools group to which we belong, and, unsurprisingly, there is much talk of efficiencies, admissions and how to maintain our community engagement work and bursary programmes when there is such a tight squeeze on budgets and when we are so aware of the sacrifices that our families make to keep their children in school against the backdrop of VAT looming.
Who will this affect?
The media portrays independent schools as a unified group of incredibly wealthy schools with astonishing facilities, educating top-hatted and tail-coated boarders…. And of course we know full well that Exeter School is a million miles away from that image. Our families are real people, with their feet on the ground, and many with family budgets that are already stretched by paying school fees. And it is for this reason that we already do all we can to keep the fees affordable, and why we remain committed to doing so. As the only school of our type in Devon; a large, co-educational, city day school without the associated costs of running boarding houses and the operational aspects that go alongside, we already offer excellent value for money. Our size offers economies of scale and security for parents as to the resilience that we have as the economic landscape shifts in the future. Sadly, small schools are much more at risk than those who, like us, have more than 1000 pupils in the community. In addition, being a dedicated day school offers many benefits. You only have to look at the cost of a day place in the boarding schools in the region to see that we are already considerably better value.
What is on offer?
Many day schools cut their costs by keeping their programmes slimmed down to the bare minimum, offering limited enrichment and co-curricular activities beyond the core classroom offer, with the site empty at the weekends and after 4pm. Not so at Exeter! This Saturday, as an example, the site was heaving with 5 hockey matches and 5 rugby matches here on site on Saturday as well as an equivalent number of teams playing against our opponents away from home. Unusually, we did not have any residential trips out this weekend – the precious weekend our Lower Two, Third Form and Upper Sixth (Years 5, 7 and 13) were all offsite for the weekend, having fun and learning together. This is the ‘day school, plus, plus, plus’ offer that makes Exeter School stand out from the crowd. Whilst we have not had boarders on site for over two decades, the school’s ethos of developing character and offering so much more beyond the classroom continues to ensure that parents get the best quality and excellent value when their children join us.
Pastoral care
Of course, caring for your children through our excellent pastoral care framework, delivered through dedicated tutors and heads of year, and cross crossed with personal development support and leadership opportunities through our five houses is also an essential part of what we offer. Take this element into the picture and it’s possible to see just what great value our education is. Definitely more than just academics.
Focusing on quality
At a time when focusing on the best value for families has never been more important, we will continue to focus on quality alongside this. Appointing the very best people to teach and support your children on their Exonian journey and continuing to ensure that their character is developed as an integral part of our excellent value education, just as it has been for almost four centuries.
