YOUR article “Uncharitable wait for private school ruling” gives a misleadingly sensationalist spin to the forthcoming report by the performance and innovation unit (TES, July 5).
From the start, independent schools have known that their charitable status was not at issue.
Writing to me last year, the head of the inquiry team stressed that “this project is not about removing charitable status from particular groups like independent schools, nor re-categorising them in a way that leads to the same effect”.
Nor is there any reason to suppose that “a closely defined test of public benefit will be laid down”, as you state.
My detailed discussions with the enquiry team suggest that full allowance will be made for the widely differing circumstances (and resources) of the extraordinarily diverse range of Britain’s independent schools.
Alistair Cooke
General secretary. Independent Schools Council. Grosvenor Gardens House. 35-37 Grosvenor Gardens. London SW1
