Britain looks at cost of its private schools

Press, 10 January 1983, Page 16

Britain looks at cost of its private schools

NZPA ' London A State take-over of Britain's 2550 private schools would cost between £lOOO million and £2OOO million (SNZ222O to SNZ444O million) plus another £5OO million (SNZIIIO million) annual running costs, says an independent report. Although more than £lOOO million (SNZ222O million) is spent annually on private education in the United Kingdom — three times the amount spent on private health treatment — it is not an area of real growth. On the whole, private schools provide a better education than State schools and the quality has improved. But since about 1950 the number of the schools has been halved, and the proportion of the school population receiving private education has dropped from 10 to 6 per cent. The survey, by Mintel, a market intelligence company, says no great change in the number of independent schools or pupils is likely, unless there is a change in the political climate.

The survey says there is j no doubt that the fee-paying j education system helps to ■ perpetuate Britain's existing class structure. It is elitist, but whether that is good or bad is a matter of political opinion. It found that the majority of the public has no desire for the abolition of private education, but a Left-wing government could pose a threat to its existence. This could come through a policy of abolition.. or by changes to the charitable status enjoyed by most priv-' ate schools. Basic fees range from £ 1200 ($NZ2664) at a junior „ day school to £3BOO (JNZB436) a year at a senior boarding school. The £5OOO ($NZ11.100) barrier was recently broken when Millfield, a mixed senior boarding school, increased its annual fees to £5325 (SNZII.B2I) . savs the survey. Abolition of such privileges as charitable status and the imposition of value added tax would mean big increases in fees and put private education beyond some families which can just afford it-now.