AN MP has accused the government of a “politics of envy” after the proposed closure of an independent school in Malvern.
Malvern St James told staff and parents on Wednesday night (April 22) that its management board had proposed closing the school at the end of this academic year due to financial difficulties.
In the letters, chairman of the board Nicholas Grenfell-Martin, attributed this to the recent addition of VAT on school fees and rising employment costs and said the school was facing declining pupil numbers and a £6million shortfall.
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“Despite making every effort to address this, pupil numbers have continued to decline, and the school is operating with a substantial annual shortfall of more than £6 million,” he wrote.
Conservative MP for West Worcestershire Harriett Baldwin has blamed the Labour government, describing its school fee VAT policy as “educational vandalism”
“Generations of young women have received an excellent education at Malvern St James and nearly 200 people are employed at this school,” she said.
“Labour’s educational vandalism based on the politics of envy has imposed a 20 per cent tax on fees, making the UK the only country in the Western world to tax education.
“Sadly Malvern St James is just the latest in a line of fine UK schools which have closed because of Labour.
“Thousands of children have had their education disrupted and people are losing their livelihoods.
“Worse still, the money was promised to increase teachers in state schools and that too has failed to happen.”
A Department for Education Spokesperson said: “Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8 billion a year by 2029/30 to help fund public services, including supporting the 94% of children in state schools, to help ensure excellence everywhere for every child.”