Back in February we reported on the outcome of the Court of Appeal ruling on VAT and independent School Fees. The bold and committed group of faith schools involved with that is now seeking permission to take its VAT challenge to the UK Supreme Court.
The Association for Families of Independent Schooling (AFIS) stands ready to support this legal case by contributing our recent research and analysis, while continuing to gather valuable evidence that highlights the damaging impact of VAT on school fees and the way it restricts parents’ ability to choose the education they believe is right for their children.
We need you - YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Time and time again, supporters of independent education have spoken, posted, written and shouted about the diversity of independent schooling families and the schools that serve them, explaining that the majority of families are not super-wealthy or privileged. Yet those voices have been dismissed, while crude assumptions and ill-informed stereotypes continue to dominate the debate. Unfortunately, individual supporters of parental choice and independent schooling were not taken seriously. Instead, many families have felt treated as collateral damage in the government’s wider effort to undermine private schooling.
Furthermore, the robust data needed to challenge those narratives has been missing.
That is why our collective voice matters.
The fact that national data about the demographic profile of independent schooling families does not exist has allowed “anti-private school” rhetoric to take hold and grow, unchallenged by robust evidence. This helped pave the way for policies such as VAT on school fees and the removal of business rates relief from charitable schools to become a fiscal reality. These measures have had a significant impact on many families, while also placing further pressure on state schools as increasing numbers of displaced pupils add to already-stretched capacity and resources.
AFIS is gathering the ammunition needed to finally challenge the misinformation and biased unrepresentative perceptions and prejudices.
It is critical that supporters of independent schooling get involved and take part in our ground-breaking FAMILY VOICE research project. This project will be independently facilitated by the University of Chichester.
Every AFIS member will be invited to take part in the FAMILY VOICE Research Study.
WE NEED THE ACTIVE SUPPORT of anyone connected with independent schooling in the UK.
PLEASE reach out to any independent school parents, school leaders, teachers and alumni with whom you are connected and encourage them to join AFIS ASAP.
By growing the AFIS member base, we will have a strong, collective voice of the people whose voices really matter and can have great influence, united in our shared purpose.
The more members AFIS has, the more robust, representative, and influential our research will be.
Sign up via the AFIS website today and please spread the word.
More Background on the legal challenges to VAT on School Fees
June 2025: The High Court dismissed the legal challenge to the government’s imposition of VAT on independent school fees, rejecting claims brought by a coalition of parents, pupils, faith groups and independent schools, including a case supported by the Independent Schools Council (ISC). While some faith-based claimants later pursued further appeals focused on religious freedom and discrimination issues, the ISC and the main June 2025 claimant group did not continue the broader VAT challenge beyond the Court of Appeal stage.
February 2025: 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀' 𝗩𝗔𝗧 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚?
This raised an important question about parental choice in education.
Groups representing lower-cost faith-based schools argued that VAT on school fees would make many schools unaffordable and limit parents’ ability to choose the religious education they want for their children.
The Court of Appeal dismissed the challenge, concluding that any interference with rights under the European Convention on Human Rights was justified and proportionate.
The judgment also noted that "𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙤𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 "𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣".
For many families, however, faith-based schooling reflects deeply held convictions about how their children should be educated and the values that should shape their upbringing.
At the Association For Families Of Independent Schooling (AFIS) C.I.C. we champion parental choice in education and recognise the concern many families connected with faith schools are now experiencing.
As AFIS CEO Michelle Daniells commented:
"𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩-𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 ‘𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘶𝘳𝘺’. 𝘍𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.”
👉𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘀 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?
Read our full analysis of the ruling and its implications here: https://lnkd.in/exD7Ut9F
𝗪𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀; 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸?
