Another Christian school buckles under VAT hike

Another Christian school is joining the list of casualties resulting from the government’s introduction of VAT on private school fees.

The King Alfred School in Dudley, which provided classical education for children aged 3-13, announced its closure in August citing the impact of VAT as well as rising employment costs and the removal of charitable-status business rates relief. The school was also facing an increase in rent from its landlord, The Methodist Church in Lower Gornal.

King Alfred is one of more than 50 schools to shut down since the Labour government decided to tax independent educational institutions. Other Christian schools have also been affected, including Cedars School in Greenock which closed a year ago after providing Christian education in the area for 25 years.

The financial strain on King Alfred is evident in the school’s fees which totaled £4,000 annually three years ago, but recently increased to £7,200.

Earlier this year, King Alfred launched a fundraising campaign aiming to raise £200,000 to keep the school afloat but failed to meet its goal.

“The school leadership fought until the very end to keep the school open through fundraising and attracting new students, but unfortunately, we were not in a position to continue,” said King Alfred Directors and Co-founders Thomas and Hayley Bowen in a statement online. “Since VAT was applied to fees, many existing and prospective families have informed us that they can no longer afford to meet rising costs and have as a consequence withdrawn their children from the school and applications for next year.”

However, the school, which opened in 2021, has its sights set on “rising from the ashes” in the near future. “We are still fully committed to classical Christian education and believe that this type of education has the potential to help cure the spiritual and cultural decline of our nation,” the statement said.

The school’s founders hope to reopen in the next 1-3 years provided they are able to secure sufficient financial investment, a new building, viable enrolment, an expanded team and more developed curriculum. They also noted the need for “a less hostile government to operate under” and “suitable educational reforms to allow us to operate freely in line with our values.”

Commenting on the imposition of VAT on private schools, Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Legal Centre, told The Telegraph: “This is making independent faith-based education unaffordable for many families, threatening the very existence of small Christian schools across the country.

“Education freedom is a cornerstone of a truly democratic society, and the ability of parents to choose a Christian education for their children must be protected. If this trend continues, we risk seeing independent Christian education become extinct.”