The value of independent schools

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) brings together seven associations and four affiliate associations to represent over 1,300 independent schools.  These schools educate more than half-a-million children. Approximately half of UK independent schools are ISC schools, educating around 80% of all independent school children.

Supporting education for all Every child deserves an excellent education and a good start in life.
The independent sector is a small part of the school system – educating approximately 7% of children – yet these schools make a valuable contribution to our nation’s education by providing excellence, extra capacity, and innovation.

The sector is keen to work with government and political parties to develop education policies that support the widest range of children across the country, helping to raise educational standards for all. Our vision is one of partnership where independent and state schools work together to share expertise and resources to benefit all children.

Independent schools are aware of their social responsibility. Across the UK, independent and state schools are combining their expertise to provide meaningful opportunities for increasing numbers of young people.

Our latest Census shows 84% of ISC member schools already have partnerships with their state counterparts – equating to almost 11,500 partnership projects including supporting pupils with university applications, careers advice and providing teaching in shortage subjects such as modern foreign languages.

We invite everyone to find out more about our schools and the role we play in local communities. The Schools Together website schoolstogether.org provides thousands of examples of the work our schools are doing.

Our sector is playing a positive role and wants to do more by working together with our state partners, making the most of our combined capacity and specialisms for as many young people as possible.

Benefits of independent schools
Independent schools make an important and positive contribution to the education system, their local communities and national productivity. In particular:

Boosting global competitiveness
Supporting provision in subjects that are crucial to harnessing new technologies and building global relationships. Last year (2018) independent schools accounted for:
• 30% of Spanish A-level and 30% of French A-level entries
• 30% of further maths A-level entries
• 22% of physics A-level entries 

“If there is a lack of wider provision of foreign languages for children, UK business will suffer and
will be unable to seize global opportunities effectively.”

Confederation of British Industry (CBI/Pearson Skills Survey 2018)

Innovation in education
The sector’s independence allows it to innovate, developing new ways of teaching and trialling new qualifications, which enable students to better prepare for further and higher education. New methods of teaching and learning can also be shared with the state sector.

Independent schools place great value on providing a broad all-round education including learning opportunities outside the classroom, such as music, sport, drama and volunteering.

Helping to develop soft skills is hugely important, and we know from independent research that pupils at our schools are confident and like a challenge. Independent schools are well known for delivering character education and supporting wellbeing.

Supporting our economy
Independent schools are often integral to neighbourhood communities, supporting economic prosperity both locally and nationally. Research from Oxford Economics shows that for the UK as a whole, independent schools:
• Contribute £13.7bn annually to GDP
• Support 303,000 jobs
• Provide £4.1bn in tax revenue
• Save the state sector £3.5bn per year through parents not taking up state school places

An international asset
The strong global reputation of British education attracts overseas companies and international students to the UK. These students bring a global perspective, enrich the community and are a vital pipeline to British universities.
• There are currently 55,000 non- British pupils at ISC schools. Pupils come from all round the world.
• Independent schools contribute £930m annually to education exports.
• Non-British pupils at ISC schools account for £1.8bn of GDP per year, supporting 39,310 jobs and generating £550m in annual tax revenues.

Delivering value to society
Just over half of all independent schools are charities that advance education. These schools are regulated by the Charity Commission and must report on public benefit in their trustees’ annual report. Schools will primarily deliver public benefit by way of support for the state sector through partnerships and schemes to widen access.

Partnerships
Schools of all kinds are demonstrating that in partnership they can achieve more, bringing educational experiences to a greater number of children through all kinds of collaborative projects.

Educational partnerships between independent and state schools are an important aspect of school life and such collaborations mutually benefit school communities. Our Census shows ISC schools are currently involved in 11,500 partnership projects.

Independent schools offer GCSE and Alevel revision classes; subject support in maths, science and modern foreign languages; teacher training; careers and higher education advice – including interview technique and application support – as well as masterclasses in subjects like Latin and classics which are not often available outside the independent sector.

Larger independent schools have forged partnerships through the sponsorship and co-sponsorship of schools as part of the Government’s academies and free schools programme. Schools such as the London Academies of Excellence in Tottenham and Stratford rely on independent school sponsorship and achieve high rates of Oxbridge entry.

The sector is keen to do more and has signed a Joint Understanding with the Department for Education to grow state-independent school partnerships to “support the raising of educational standards in state schools”. The ISC publishes an annual report on partnership working.

“We have developed professional and productive relationships across a diversity of independent and state schools. We recognise that collaboration between the sectors is of great value – learning from our diversity makes each of us better at what we do.”
Andrew Celano, state headteacher at St. Mary’s Catholic School, Bishop’s Stortford

Widening access
Independent schools are working to widen access to their schools through bursary provision and recognise the benefits this brings both to bursary pupils and the wider school community. Our latest data shows:
• ISC schools currently provide £422m in means-tested bursaries and scholarships – a 6% increase on last year.
• One in 13 pupils at ISC schools is on a means-tested bursary or scholarship. There is an appetite to do more but most schools do not have large endowments and must meet bursary costs throughfundraising.
• A scheme to place increasing numbers of looked-after children (LAC) in independent schools is under development. Following a successful pilot in Norfolk, local authorities and receiving independent schools are committed to jointly fund places for LACs and children on the edge of care. In addition, Royal National Children’s SpringBoard Foundation provides bursaries for disadvantaged and vulnerable children to attend boarding schools.

Looking to the future
ISC schools are proud to be part of a diverse education system, where different schools collaborate together to support all children to meet their potential.

Independent schools are part of the solution to the educational issues facing the country and should be an asset that is harnessed. The offer each independent school can make to state schools in their local communities will vary according to capability and experience, but through strengthened local brokerage independent schools can come together to make a positive difference to local state partners, with all participants gaining from the experience.

In addition, the sector is open to discussions on how access to independent schools could be widened, possibly through some form of co-funding model. It is essential that any proposed reforms do not negatively impact upon the state system. Proposals to add VAT to fees and to remove charitable tax reliefs would be damaging to all schools both independent and state.

European law currently exempts all forms of education from VAT because of the value of learning to society, and independent schools are not treated as a special case in this respect. Imposing VAT on school fees would penalise parents and would be a tax on learning.

Ultimately, it would be smaller independent schools without large catchment areas that would be hit hardest by VAT, potentially leading to closures that harm parents, pupils, and staff. It is inevitable that a sudden fee increase will mean children moving to the state sector, swelling class sizes and resulting in higher costs. Research shows that VAT would cost the Government at least £416m in its fifth year once pupil displacement and VAT recovery is taken into account.

Parents value choice over their children’s education. Recent polling has shown 68% of people believe that parents should have the choice of paying for their children’s education, while only 18% disagreed.

Independent schools are part of the broader educational offering, delivering excellence to the pupils in their care, and a force for good that can be utilised for the benefit of pupils across the country.