Oxfordshire private schools have reacted to reports of an exodus of pupils to Italy.
Responding to the claim that Britain is set to lose its status as the private school capital of Europe, several headteachers have said the sector is in a difficult space but their organisations remain strong.
Earlier this week The Telegraph reported that Britain could lose its private school crown as parents turn to Italian schools.
According to the paper institutions in Milan and Rome say they are fielding enquiries from UK families and Brighton College said it has already received interest from many British parents in its new Rome branch.
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This comes after independent schools became subject to 20 per cent VAT from the beginning of this year, something many have claimed is responsible for closures.
Speaking about the new tax, Nadim Nsouli, founder of Inspired Education group said that its schools across continental Europe – including in Italy – had benefitted.
Abingdon School(Image: Oxford Mail)
Private education in the Mediterranean country is said to be particularly attractive due to its competitive tax regime for wealthy foreigners which includes a flat tax of €200,000 (£174,000).
Oxfordshire has not been immune to the increasing challenges of the sector, with 150-year-old Our Lady’s Abingdon closing this summer.
Referencing this, the head of Abingdon School on Park Road said that it would be “naïve” to say that the rise in tax hadn’t had an impact.
King Charles III talking with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Italy(Image: Aaron Chown/PA)
Mike Windsor of the historic 1,000 pupil school said: “At a very local level, we have recently witnessed the closure of Our Lady’s Abingdon and felt a deep sense of empathy for the families and staff who were affected by that closure.”
He added that on a national level a recent survey from the Independent Schools Council showed a 3.6 per cent decline of private education students and that the full impact of the Government’s policies are “yet to be felt”.
“That said, we feel fortunate that,” said Mr Windsor “to date, we have been able to retain our families and, last weekend, welcomed a record number of prospective families to our Open Day.”
St Edward’s School(Image: )
The warden (headteacher) of St Edward’s School said that none of his pupils have left to study abroad but that it is “undoubtedly a trend across the sector”.
Alastair Chirnside said: “If you were a family living outside – or even in – the UK looking for high quality boarding, you might well be tempted by schools in countries where VAT is not applied to education, making the fees significantly more affordable.
“The Government needs to rethink a policy which is so clearly wrong in principle philosophically and in practice economically.”
Mr Chirnside reckons the boarding school’s location on Woodstock Road in a city well-known for education has allowed it to weather the worst of the recent storm although he acknowledges that it is “not easy for families”.
He said: “The UK has led the way in developing the boarding systems which are so highly valued across the world today.
“Left unchecked, the Government’s policy has the potential to cause irreversible damage to a sector which employs tens of thousands of people.”
