Independent Schools: VAT Exemption

Earl of Devon Excerpts

Thursday 5th September 2024 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Devon (CB)]

My Lords, it seems that this is a debate somewhat about privilege and so I should declare some privileges as I start. The first is the privilege to listen to such an interesting, balanced and informative debate. The second is the privilege I enjoy, having gone to Eton College, which got a rather stupid student into Cambridge University. The third is the privilege I had of sending my children to state primary and secondary schools in Devon, where the education was excellent and they did very well. Fourthly, I should note the privilege I currently have of hosting Kenton Primary School at Powderham Castle—it moved in this week and therefore I am the landlord of a state primary school.

I am not an education expert and was not going to speak in this debate but I was encouraged to by the experience of the people I know locally, particularly families with SEN children and military service families. On SEN children, I really cannot add much more than what the noble Lord, Lord Addington, said, except to note that Covid has obviously been brutal on children’s mental health. It has also been brutal on the mental health services that support our children. The thought that those wholly stretched services are going to have to deal with a whole raft of additional applications for education, health and care plans at short notice when they are considerably understaffed beggars belief, and I cannot believe that the Labour Government really intend to do that in January and cause so much additional burden and stress for these families who are in great need.

On military families, I spoke to my sister this morning. Her husband commands in the south Atlantic and she is flying off to the Falklands tomorrow. She has just packed her children off to boarding school, where they are safe and will have a consistent education. They have no idea how they are going to afford that education on their military salary. I think it is particularly cruel to those people who give so much for the defence of our realm for us to be putting them in this state at this time.

Lastly, it is difficult to say anything new after such an erudite debate, but Mrs Helen Mason, who has informed me a lot about the condition of SEND children, points out that Articles 28 and 29 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child may well be implicated in this policy. I ask the Minister to comment on that.