CREDIT: This story was first seen in the Guardian
DfE appears to water down manifesto pledge that independents should get tax breaks only by supporting state schools, the Guardian reports.
The government appears to have watered down plans to remove the charitable status of private schools if they fail to support neighbouring schools in the state sector, in a yet another education U-turn.
The Conservative election manifesto and the Schools That Work for Everyone consultation document said independent schools would be required to sponsor an academy or set up a free school to share their expertise. If not enough progress was made, then ministers would “keep open the option” of changing their tax status.
While the government still thinks the independent sector can do more to help raise standards in state schools, the language has shifted considerably since the election.
The Department for Education (DfE) confirmed on Wednesday that a new unit had been set up “to help broker voluntary partnerships between schools in the two sectors”.
Asked if it was a U-turn on earlier proposals to scrap private schools’ charitable status, a DfE spokesperson said: “Independent schools already support thousands of state schools to help raise the educational outcomes of young people. We are focused on building on that work in partnership with the Independent Schools Council (ISC) and the sector, to open up more opportunities for schools and children.”
The charitable status of private schools remains hugely controversial. A recent study of local council records indicated that private schools were set to get tax rebates totalling £522m over the next five years as a result of their status of charities.
Charitable organisations in England and Wales are entitled to relief of 80% on the business rates payable on the buildings they use, and some of the country’s best-known private schools qualify under the rules.
Barnaby Lenon, the ISC chairman, speaking at the launch of a new report on independent and state school partnerships on Wednesday, said private schools should be encouraged and thanked for their partnerships with the state sector, rather than being discouraged and told they are not doing enough.
A former headmaster of Harrow school, Lenon said collaborations between the two sectors worked best when there was a “moral responsibility” and schools were working together. “Partnerships work less well when the only motivation has got something to do with charitable status or acting under perceived pressure from a government.”
The education secretary, Justine Greening, said in response that she wanted to celebrate the work already taking place between fee-paying and state schools and said the government recognised it should not expect the same from all independent schools.
“For some schools, yes, we want to see them becoming sponsors, or opening a free school. For other schools, we want to see them playing a leadership role, perhaps by having other involvement around school governance,” she said, adding that, for others, there were opportunities such as sharing expertise in subject areas or supporting teacher training.
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