Our response to VAT on school fees

Following confirmation of the Government’s intention to levy VAT on independent school fees from January 2025 (subject to consultation), we have now written to parents at Sibford School to share our strategy for the coming year.

At Sibford, we have always prioritised making our fees as affordable as possible, ensuring that our focus remains on supporting our families rather than generating a significant financial surplus. In light of these extraordinary circumstances, we are working hard to ensure we utilise school assets effectively and support our families, ensuring that the standard of education and care at Sibford remains our top priority.

The new Government policy, when officially implemented, will require us to apply a 20% VAT charge to our fees from January 2025 onwards. However, we remain committed to sharing this financial burden with families and have announced plans to absorb a portion of this increase from January 2025. We will be implementing an 8% discount on the current fees, resulting in an overall increase of 10.4%.

There are still many uncertainties surrounding the implementation of this new government policy, particularly with regard to partial exemptions. Consequently, we are currently unable to confirm the impact on additional charges such as Support for Learning or peripatetic music lessons. We will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.