Independent schools and their value to society

There are many myths and perceptions about independent schools but those who know the sector understand the important role it plays in our country’s diverse education system.

Through partnership work with state schools and life-changing meanstested bursaries, schools within ISC membership are providing valuable educational opportunities to children and families from all walks of life. Furthermore, the UK economy benefits significantly from independent schools, with the sector as a whole contributing £13.7 billion to the economy annually, generating £4.1 billion of annual tax revenues and supporting 303,000 jobs, which is more than the total number of jobs across Liverpool.

Parents have a right to choose the best schools for their children and the right to pay fees if they wish. Around a third of the ISC school population benefit from reduced fees and opportunities for lower income families through means-tested bursaries are on the rise, demonstrating the social conscience of our sector. The total value of meanstested bursaries and scholarships has increased by nearly £140 million since 2011, and currently stands at close to £400 million.

There is an increasing body of evidence showing that independent schools play an important part in the country’s educational offer as well as contributing in important ways to our economy.

Specialist provision at ISC schools means that our country’s education is broader and has greater capacity than it would otherwise. Specialist music, drama, special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and boarding schools provide options not always available in the state sector. ISC schools promote a bias towards science, mathematics and other subjects demanded by employers. By nurturing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects alongside the performing and creative arts and sports, the independent sector makes an important contribution to the country socially and economically. The proportion of top grades at A Level in ‘strategically important’ subjects (classified by the Higher Education Funding Council for England), such as modern foreign languages and quantitative social sciences, is high in our sector and evidenced by the success of pupils in their later lives. British independent schools, for

instance, supported the education of leading scientists who went on to have a significant impact on our society: Alan Turing, Tim Berners-Lee, Peter Higgs, Charles Darwin and James Dyson to name just a few.

In addition to schools offering specialisms, ISC schools include singlesex schools and preparatory (prep) schools. In fact, independent schools are diverse in many different ways.

According to the 2018 ISC Census, 33% of pupils are from a minority ethnic background. This is in line with the split reported for the state sector.

ISC schools vary significantly in size from having fewer than 50 pupils to over 1700, although the majority of schools have fewer than 350 pupils. The mean school size is just under 400, but the mode is just under 200.

Contrary to the stereotypical press image of the sector, there is socioeconomic diversity at independent schools. The typical independent school family is dual income with the whole of one parent’s income going to pay school fees. There are a smaller proportion of pupils from lower income homes when measured against the country as a whole, but the proportion is growing.

Some 86% of ISC schools engage in public benefit activities, such as partnership projects between state schools and independent schools. The types of cross-sector partnerships vary from academy sponsorship to seconding teaching staff to serving as governors at state schools. More than 3000 projects are featured on www. schoolstogether.org.

With respect to the economic impact of the sector, ISC published research in October 2018 by Oxford Economics and in association with RSAcademics. This showed just how significant the impact of independent schools is on the UK economy.

The report, ‘The Impact of Independent Schools on the UK Economy’, discovered that independent schools save British taxpayers £3.52 billion per year in teaching and capital costs for the education of children who would otherwise be educated in the state system.

A team of analysts at Oxford Economics established that, in 2017 alone, the 1300-plus schools

represented by the ISC’s constituent associations contributed £11.6 billion to the UK economy in 2017, generating £3.5 billion of annual tax revenues (equivalent to £129 per UK household) and supporting 257,000 jobs. Independent schools can be important employers in their local areas, providing not only teaching jobs but employment for support staff.

The report found that the saving to the taxpayer by providing places for pupils who could otherwise be expected to take up a place in the state-funded sector is enough to build more than 20,000 affordable homes.

The total tax impact of ISC schools on its own last year would have been sufficient to fund the annual employment of 108,000 nurses on average full-time pay and for every four jobs in our schools, a further three are supported elsewhere in the UK.

In 2017, schools that are members of the ISC’s constituent associations alone saved the equivalent of 3.5% of total state spending on education in England, Scotland and Wales in that year.

The largest figure in the report relates to the value of the independent education sector as a contributor to GDP since GDP figures were first published: had all independent feecharging schools ceased to exist in the late 1940s, then UK GDP would have been £73 billion lower in 2017 – a shortfall of 3.6%.

In a global context, the provision of a first class education by UK-based schools to international pupils can make a significant contribution to the UK’s ‘soft power’ in the international relations field. The Oxford Economics report notes the positive contribution that independent schools make to the UK’s long-term economic growth performance by promoting a bias towards the study of subjects such as sciences and mathematics. STEM subjects are in high demand by many employers.

In all these ways, independent schools support the UK educationally, economically and socially. Our sector is an important and vibrant contributor to society of which we should be proud.