Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the imposition of VAT on independent school fees on the number of children who are home schooled.

On 29 July, the Government announced that, as of 1 January 2025, all education services and vocational training provided by a private school in the UK for a charge will be subject to VAT at the standard rate of 20 per cent. This will also apply to boarding services provided by private schools.

The Government does not expect fees to go up by 20% as a result of this policy change, and the Government expects private schools to take steps to minimise fee increases.

Following scrutiny of the Government’s costing by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, details of the Government’s assessment of the expected impacts of these policy changes will be published at the Budget in the usual way.