Scottish education will only realise its potential if the state and independent school sectors join forces, private school headteachers were told today.
The Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS) also announced that an event will be held in September aiming to “transform” the relationship between the sectors and bring partnership projects to “the next level”.
Lorraine Davidson, chief executive of SCIS, said at the body’s annual conference in Edinburgh today that the event, whose venue and exact date are still to be confirmed, will be jointly run by SCIS and School Leaders Scotland (SLS), which represents secondary headteachers in the state sector.
Private and state school partnerships
It will “explore how we can raise two-way partnership working to the next level” and “be the launchpad for transforming our relationship with state schools”, said Ms Davidson.
She added: “It’s clear that more and more people are agreeing with us that education is too important for it to be conducted in silos, with innovative practices not shared, and the challenges in education are too big to be tackled at individual school level.
“It’s only by state and independent schools coming together and realising that we have common challenges, that we will realise our potential as an education sector in Scotland and deliver excellent learning and pastoral support for all Scotland’s learners.”
That view was echoed by SLS general secretary Graham Hutton, who attended the SCIS annual conference today and told Tes Scotland: “I think the more we work together and the more we share, the better.”
He said the event in September will highlight existing examples of successful joint projects between state and independent schools, but that it would also aim to spark new projects by helping schools to make cross-sector connections.
Ms Davidson also told delegates today that SCIS’ charitable aims had been revisited for the first time in almost three decades.
“I’m delighted to announce that [charity regulator] OSCR has just given approval for SCIS to change its very purpose to more clearly reflect our ambition as a sector,” she said.
“Our first charitable object is now promoting, advancing and supporting education within Scotland and in partnership with others.”
Vehement criticism of VAT policy
Ms Davidson began her presentation with strong criticism of the UK Labour government’s policy of imposing VAT on independent school fees, which she and other speakers repeatedly described as “the education tax”.
She said that a 2024 SCIS report showed that there were 120,000 people in Scotland - ”more than four times the number of pupils we educate” - who do not attend SCIS schools but “benefit from their partnership activity, and SCIS schools are keen to do more of this work”.
”Damage done by the VAT policy could put this work in jeopardy and make our sector more elite, but we won’t allow that to happen, because that would mean prejudice winning over our determination to act as a force for good in Scottish education, and we won’t allow prejudice to win,” she added.
Recently it was revealed that an independent school in Scotland’s capital, The Edinburgh Academy, was suspending all means-tested bursaries and scholarships in order to avoid raising fees. The school also announced larger class sizes and cuts to senior positions.
Also today, Scotland’s only all-boys’ independent boarding and day school announced that it has introduced a day-pupil option.
Merchiston Castle School, in Edinburgh, said this was “in direct response to the changing financial pressures faced by families, and the introduction of VAT on school fees”.
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