South Wales Central MS Andrew RT Davies has warned that the closure of St Clare’s School in Porthcawl will add pressure to already stretched state schools across Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan.
The school has announced it will shut down following the Labour Government’s plans to impose VAT on private school fees, coupled with rising National Insurance costs.
Mr Davies said that while the VAT policy may appear appealing on the surface, it risks serious unintended consequences for local pupils—particularly those in schools already struggling with deficit budgets and underfunding.
He pointed to reports that schools across Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan are already in financial difficulty, and warned that the sudden influx of pupils from the independent sector will divert limited resources away from the most disadvantaged children.
Mr Davies said:
“The government’s decision to impose VAT on private school fees sounds appealing at face value, but this is an unintended yet foreseeable consequence.
“State schools in Bridgend and the Vale are already under huge financial pressure—forcing more pupils into them will only stretch resources further.
“The result is that our communities’ most disadvantaged children will end up losing out.”
ENDS
NOTE: Link to the original article can be found here
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/top-welsh-independent-school-set-3158662