Member

The noble Lord, Lord Caine, is a former state school pupil from Yorkshire; speaking as a former state school pupil from Lancashire, I share his passion for education. I reassure him that we expect the number of private school closures to remain relatively low and be influenced by various factors, not just the removal of VAT and business rates tax breaks. Parents can seek places in other private schools or find a state school place through their local authority. Around 50 private schools, excluding independent special schools, close each year. The Government are aware that there may be some temporary increase in the school closure rate over the normal rate during the few years after implementation. The Government estimate that this may be broadly equivalent to 100 schools in total closing over the next three years, in addition to the normal levels of turnover, after which closures will return to historic norms.