tobi ross

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@vickygrayson_ @CreEnglish @DarrenMillarMS More devastating news for the independent school community in North Wales. The three remaining are rallying around to help the children find places quickly to minimise disruption.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@vickygrayson_

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@vickygrayson_ Ruthin school has just announced its closing at the end of this term. One of the oldest schools in the UK. Started in 1284. Felled by Labour 742 years later. Unbelievable

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@michaelwhite Now, now, Colin, you know better than that. Phillipson is absolutely “taxing education” Perhaps the money could come from taxing the 90% of wealthy families that send their children to state schools, like Phillipson for example?

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@katie74RT The mask has fallen. At least he is now being honest. His opinions have nothing to do with a two tier state vs private educational system, he just resents people that went to or send their own children to private schools.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@Sosban_in_Exile @EducationNotTax As a retired headmaster of a state school here in Wales, why do you think the education is the worst in the UK with a quarter of the children leaving primary schools illiterate? Oh and it wasn’t a tax exemption.

[Chris @IrritableChris]

Their purpose is education, and they do provide it to everyone that can pay the fees.

Just like private hospitals provide their services to anyone that can afford them. They do not charge vat.

The reason is that whilst vat is a consumption tax, it is applied at the goods and services level, not based on who provides or sells the service.

If you pay for an optional school trip at state school, say an end of year celebratory trip out, this is a choice. Yet no VAT will be added.

That same trip from a private school will attract vat. Why the difference?

Your assertion that they exist for privilege and social inequality is probably quite telling of your prejudices toward these schools as they are nothing of the sort. In the area I live in the northern shires, theh serve as a choice for people who are willing and able to pay to receive the same level of results and education that millions who live in the south get for "free".

My "choice" as a parent for my children was:

1. Use the local state school with results 30% below national average, persistent truancy well above average.

2. Move home to the catchment area of a good school at the cost of about half a million quid on the mortgage

3. Pay for independent school at less than half the cost of moving home.

Am I fortunate to have options 2 and 3 compared to other parents in this area? Yes I am.

But that was my choice, and as a father I did what I felt was best for my children.

To then suggest by tsking this action im contributing to privilege or social inequality is just plain offensive.

If you want to attack social inequality, then attack the reasons why I even had to make a choice in the first place.

Attack the reason why 8/10 of the best LEAs are in London and 8/10 of the worst performing are in the north.

The inequality in the state education is far more drastic than anything the independent sector contributes. Its somehow ok for @bphillipsonMP to send her children to a very nice state school in London then hold her nose and point to the private schools as causing inequality.

If private schools disappeared tomorrow, the fact is there would be more inequality in education than there is today.

All the wealthy would buy in the right areas, and we would be in the same old situation of good schools only being in wealthy neighbourhoods, just like people such as the Sutton trust were writing about 20 years ago.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@IrritableChris @LargeWlarge63 @AdamJ10812 I should think this pretty much sums up most of the parents from my daughter’s school, it certainly does for me.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC The state education method in Wales is learning by play with 25% of children leaving primary schools illiterate and the disruptive children that spoil it for the ones that want to learn.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC There are 22 in my daughter’s class year 3. There are approximately the same in the state primary. Facilities about the same. No entrance exam at this age. Wide range of universities.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC Good for you, has it made any difference to the quality of education in your children’s school? Let’s assume you and I have the same salary and disposable income. You choose a state school at a cost of £8,500 to the state, and I private at a cost of zero, why should I pay vat?

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC Okay, we agree all schools, both state and private are not equal. Why do you think this is the case? Also if you have the ability to afford to privately educate your children, but are against private schools, why don’t you donate to your own children’s school to improve it?

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC It should tell you that my focus is on my daughter. What our conversation tells me is that your focus is on socialism, that it’s not fair that I can and others can’t afford private schools, but you fail to acknowledge that the two tier education is in the state system.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC If you believe in adding a tax on education and levelling the playing field, you should be directing your attention to the likes of the Education secretary who’s children get a top class education courtesy of the tax payer by living in an exclusive catchment area.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC There is very little evidence that it will raise any money and crucially, there has been no improvement is the quality of the education in state schools as a result, if anything it has become worse with a huge influx of children from private.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC In an ideal world all state schools would be as good excellent. Sadly they are not and all that has happened by introducing vat on private schools is it’s become unaffordable to even more families.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC “We have a two tier education system” I agree, sadly I don’t have the benefit of living next to a top state school where my daughter can have an “advantageous education” like the PM, Philipson or Reeves at the taxpayer’s expense. I pay for my daughter at 0 cost to the state.

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC So do you think they should contribute to the state schools that their children actually use or do you think the parents who’s children that don’t use state should contribute?

[tobi ross @tobiross12]

@alexhrbfc @PeterABedford @LBC 90% of wealthy families send their children to state schools.