Edinburgh state schools can cope with a surge in private pupils, says the council Achi-News

They say they have places for “another 12,700 pupils in our schools.”

But Christine Jardine, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West stood by the comments made during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.

READ MORE: Private school fee row: Edinburgh schools ‘burst fit’ says city MP

Ending tax breaks for private schools to help fund improvements to the state sector was a key promise from Labor during the general election campaign.

The King confirmed that the policy would go ahead during the state opening of parliament last week.

It is not known exactly when VAT will be added, although recent reports have suggested it could be as soon as January 2025.

Senior sources in Whitehall told The Times that the change would be included in Rachel Reeves’ first Budget.

The policy will have a real impact in Edinburgh where a significant number of school aged children receive private education.

Recent research for SCIS found that 9,310 pupils attend one of their member schools in the city, almost three times as many as in Glasgow.

Labor believes the change could raise an additional £1.7bn to the Treasury, with £150m in resulting sums coming to Scotland.

The Independent Schools Council of Scotland believes that the introduction of VAT will shrink the fee-paying sector by 13% and could mean that 1,000 more pupils across Scotland rely on services run by the advice.

Speaking in the House of Commons during First Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Ms Jardine asked Sir Keir Starmer to “secure the large number of parents and teachers in West Edinburgh who have expressed concerns about the implications for the state’s education system in Scotland from the increase in VAT in independent fees, which he proposes.”

The First Minister told MPs that he understood “the aspiration of parents who work hard and save hard for their children who they send to a private school.”

“But all parents have that desire, whatever school they go to,” he added.

Speaking after PMQs, Ms Jardine said she was “disappointed to see the First Minister’s refusal to address the concerns of many parents and teachers in West Edinburgh about the impact of his plans for fees on our community.”

“The Council has been clear that our schools are already healthy enough to burst. They cannot afford a surge in enrollment if parents move their pupils to the state sector,” he added.

READ MORE: UNSPUN Keir Starmer is right to apply VAT to private school fees

There are currently 23,150 secondary pupils in Edinburgh, the highest number since the 1980s.

The roll increased by 3.71% this year, and according to a council report published in April, it is predicted to continue to increase until it reaches its peak in 2029.

Around 16 schools will be over capacity by 2030.

The authority is currently carrying out a “review of capacity in secondary schools” to “make more efficient use of the places currently used by schools.”

The council says they should be able to fit an extra 3,700 places across the school estate because of the review.

Another four are getting extensions, while a number of new schools are due to be built.

Responding to the comments, the council’s Education, Children and Families Convener, Councilor Joan Griffiths, said: “We are ready to give all children and young people the best start in life.

“With the extensions we are making to some of our school buildings and the new campuses we are planning to build, we do not expect many of our high schools to reach capacity in the next decade .

“Also, we believe that secondary school registers across the city will slow down because the numbers of primary pupils are falling.

“Our latest projections show that we have space for a further 12,700 pupils in our schools, but we will continue to keep this under review.”

READ MORE: Anas Sarwar defends Labour’s school fees VAT scheme

Ms Jardine told the Herald: “My point was and it stands, parents have been coming to me saying that this is going to have an impact on education in Edinburgh and in Edinburgh West in particular.

“The Council has pointed to Craigmount and Queensferry and they are right to do so because there are new housing developments there, but they are not saying when they are going to build these schools and how .

“And their own report shows that 16 schools will be over capacity in six years, by 2030.

“All that does not change the fact that the First Minister did not say how he is going to ensure that the VAT raised in Scotland will be reinvested in order to create the capacity in the state sector to cope with this.”