My fellow Surrey MPs and I have written to the Chancellor to ask her to rethink Labour’s policy to tax education with an immediate exemption for all students who attend specialist SEND schools.
On Friday I met with the heads of four independent schools in East Surrey to discuss the impact of the policy - Hawthorns school, Lingfield College, Oakhyrst Grange and Hazelwood School.
We discussed the impact on SEND children without a diagnosis and their families, many of whom have saved hard to find a school that works for their child. One of the schools has 42 recognised SEND pupils, only 3 of these have EHCPs. That means 39 pupils whose families will be taxed.
Thank you to those families who have responded to the Government’s rushed technical consultation and to all those who responded to my survey to inform my own response.
We would be the only country to tax education and it is SEND children and those in the state sector who would suffer the most.
