charity rules could cause independent schools to increase
fees
There are fears that the Charity Commission's new public benefit
rules could lead to increased school fees, as independent schools
struggle to afford to meet the Commission's requirements.
Under the new rules, independent schools will no longer be
entitled to charitable status automatically, and will instead have
to prove that they provide a benefit to the public in order to
qualify. This is the so called 'public benefit test'.
Last year five charitable independent schools were reviewed by
the Commission by way of a trial. Two of the five however failed
the public benefit test and since then, both have had to show that
they provide a public benefit and deserve their charitable status.
One method of providing a public benefit is by dramatically
increasing spending on free and subsidised places, as both schools
have done. St Anselm’s School in Derbyshire has pledged to triple
the number of full bursaries and Highfield Priory in Lancaster
plans to reduce fees for nearly 7% of their pupils within five
years.
School leaders have warned however that many independent schools
will be unable to follow suit without simultaneously increasing
costs for fee-paying families, and therefore reducing the number of
local families who can afford to send their children there. St
Anselm's School and Highfield Priory have indicated that the extra
cost of their free and subsidised places will be met by
fundraising, although smaller independent schools may struggle with
this extra burden, many already operate on very tight margins.
