Private Education Policy Forum (PEPF) is a think tank focused on reducing inequalities relating to UK private schools and fee-paying education. hello@pepf.co.uk
Joined September 2019
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- Following 1,474
- Followers 1,855
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487 Photos and videos
A @BBCPolitics panel is split on the addition of VAT to private schools fees...
Is describing the policy as a "security threat" hyperbolic?
Is it inaccurate to call the absence of VAT a "subsidy"?
Can pupils moving to the state sector be viewed as a positive?
Jun 10
The taxpayer shouldn't be "subsidising private institutions and private schools"
Labour MP Lola McEvoy defends the government's decision to add VAT to private school fees as figures show the number of pupils in private schools is falling
bbc.in/4v31nQI
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Private Education Policy Forum retweeted
I concede my bet as agreed to @Samfr - Ā£100 (ex-Gift Aid) to the @TrussellUK Trust, over the percentage of OVERALL private school students leaving the system.
This was 5.6%, against my forecast 10%.
More nuance to come on @BBCRadio4 with @TimHarford on Wednesday.
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Analysis by @Tom_Richmond has revealed that the average size of private schools which have closed has been rising following the introduction of VAT on fees. Covered by
@GLJourno in @thetimes
How much weight should be placed on the VAT factor?
thetimes.com/article/9df3b63ā¦
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Watch back our live event on the financial implications of the addition VAT to private school fees back in 2024 with @Tom_Richmond and @TheIFS' Luke Sibieta, chaired by our founder @StaufenbergJ
youtube.com/watch?v=aMxfp-nNā¦
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Looking for a brief, digestible summary of the @IOE_London @ucl research on private school bursaries and scholarships which hit headlines last week?
Check out our new research explainer š
pepf.co.uk/research/dilutingā¦
New @IOE_London research shows more private school scholarships and bursaries go to high-income families than lower-incomes ones
Could these schools distribute the discounts they offer in a more progressive fashion?
ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/thirā¦
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View Research Explainers of dozens more research papers on private schools on our website: pepf.co.uk/research/
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A statement on criticism of recent @IOE_London research we have shared on private school scholarships and bursaries...š§µ
New @IOE_London research shows more private school scholarships and bursaries go to high-income families than lower-incomes ones
Could these schools distribute the discounts they offer in a more progressive fashion?
ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/thirā¦
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For those who did receive a bursary or scholarship, the average grant was 57% of total school fees in 1997-2000. By 2021-24 it was 27%. The allocation of funds to bursaries and scholarships together was just 3.4% of fee income, remaining steady for the last 25 years. 7/8
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Drawing on our findings and on historical evidence from the 20th century, the paper concludes that bursaries and scholarships are unlikely to bring forth a significant reform of the socio-economic sectoral divide in Britainās school system. 8/8
tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.ā¦
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New @IOE_London research shows more private school scholarships and bursaries go to high-income families than lower-incomes ones
Could these schools distribute the discounts they offer in a more progressive fashion?
ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/thirā¦
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āWhile support has become more common in the last 25 years, it has relatively diminished in scale and remains very limited in its effectivenessĀ in reaching children from less affluent backgrounds.ā - report co-author & PEPF board member Prof Francis Green
How could this change?
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See PEPF's research on private school bursaries from last year here: pepf.co.uk/publications/bursā¦
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64 more private schools have opened than closed since the addition of VAT to fees, @theipaper's @alexxaphillips reports [PAYWALL]
Do these numbers challenge the narrative that the policy has caused the sector to struggle?
inews.co.uk/news/more-privatā¦
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A @Telegraph investigation from @poppyeh finds UK private school satellites in the Middle East use textbooks that teach pupils how to beat wives [PAYWALL]
Does this undermine these schools' statuses as charities working for the public benefit?
telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/04ā¦
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