Why choose independent education?

The subject of VAT and independent school fees has been the subject of much debate both prior to its sudden imposition in January of 2025 and subsequent to its application.

It is a policy that its advocates claim will produce sufficient revenue to impact positively on maintained schools’ provision, despite being one that will simultaneously place the opportunities an independent school can offer to myriad children out of reach for some families and children.

The reality is that branding schools such as St Joseph’s as ‘private’ and not ‘independent’ is a divisive exercise where such schools are in fact inclusive. Making claims of exclusivity and privilege where the reality is of inclusivity and opportunity serves nobody and aims to perpetuate a myth of the experience of independent schools that could not be more out of touch with reality.

St Joseph’s is demonstrably a nurturing, caring school where children know one another and are at the heart of all we do, and a place where respect and kindness are modelled for all and by all. Our children grow in confidence, not in arrogance, and we know that even a short visit to St Joseph’s will leave a lasting impression on anyone who wants to look beneath the headlines and find somewhere truly special.

Our parents are a diverse body who share the same aims of wanting the best for their children, and of doing all they can to provide them with a start in life that will last longer than anything material ever could.

There is no question that the financial cost of an independent education is something that is a careful consideration for every parent. The impact of any such decision for all families has been magnified by the imposition of VAT on school fees, which can give the false impression that fees themselves have gone up.

The question of affordability is one that has different answers for every family, whether related to school fees or any other expenditure.

There is no escaping the truth that the combined cost of school fees and VAT have produced a bigger termly cost, and that this is a challenge for parents and schools. However it is vital to remember that what has not changed is the value of an education at St Joseph’s: it is a start in life where children can be themselves, where they have opportunities that simply cannot be replicated where they are one of so many in other settings, where being in Senior School classes 15 pupils or fewer allows for a life start that is life long.

It therefore remains as true now as it has ever been that the question is not simply what is the cost of a St Joseph’s education, more what is the cost of not having such an education for your child.