A recent survey suggests that almost half of parents with children attending private schools have been compelled to reduce their everyday spending due to increased educational costs following government tax changes. The poll, conducted by the charity Parentkind, found that 40 percent of these families have made financial sacrifices over the past year to afford private education, with an additional 28 percent reporting they are struggling to meet these expenses.
The financial strain comes after the implementation of Value Added Tax (VAT) on private school fees, a policy introduced by the Labour government in January of the previous year. This change led to a roughly 20 percent increase in costs for many families. At the time of its introduction, ministers stated the measure was intended to fund improvements in state education, including the hiring of 6,500 new teachers.
The Parentkind National Parent survey 2026 gathered responses from 6,053 parents with children aged four to eighteen. Among the respondents, 476 were parents with children in private schools. According to Frank Young, chief executive of Parentkind, not all parents who choose independent schools are wealthy. He noted that some select these institutions for reasons such as special educational needs, religious observance, or other personal circumstances, and many make significant efforts to afford the fees.
The average annual fee for a private day pupil was approximately £19,000 last year, an increase from £18,000 the year prior. Boarding fees averaged £50,000, up from £42,000, according to the Good Schools Guide. When combined with general inflation, parents whose children began private school last year are facing, on average, an 84 percent higher cost for their education compared to those whose children completed their schooling the previous year. This financial pressure is occurring against a backdrop of official figures showing that pay growth has been at its slowest rate in over five years.
One parent, speaking anonymously to The Times, described sending only one of their children to private school as "the ultimate sacrifice," adding that such situations among the "squeezed middle" are likely to become more common.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education stated that the removal of tax breaks for private schools is generating billions of pounds to enhance education for the 94 percent of children attending state schools. The department also highlighted government spending of £4 billion to increase the number of specialist teachers and an additional £3.7 billion to create 60,000 specialist places, aimed at supporting children with special educational needs who previously faced challenges finding suitable school placements.