State school teachers have told i they are overworked in shabby buildings, with some having to pay out of their own pockets for stationery amid a crisis in school funding.
This week, the Labour Party has outlined plans to force private schools to charge 20 per cent VAT on its fees if it returns to power.
The party has said this will generate £1.7bn in revenue a year which will be used to recruit 6,500 new teachers into the sector, as well as offering new starters a £2,400 bonus so that they are less likely to leave the profession.
But state school teachers have told i while this move is a step in the right direction, it is unclear how much of a dent it will make in the wider crises affecting schools.
Bryn Thomas, who is the headteacher of Wolverley CE Secondary School in Wolverhampton, said more money for state schools can only be a good thing.
“Many state school buildings are old and are in desperate need of refurbishment,” he said. “There are buildings that need new roofs, buildings that need new windows and buildings that are poorly insulated.”
Mr Thomas told i his school only owns two minibuses. “One is new and one is old,” he said. “With more funding – we’d be able to afford more minibuses and have more sporting fixtures.”
He added: “It’s just about giving children more opportunities to have an enriching school experience which clearly they have in a private school.”
