PRIVATE schools across the district have defended their contribution to the community as the Labour party unveiled a policy to abolish them if they come to power. 

Labour has approved plans which would see private schools ‘integrated’ into the state sector if elected at the next General Election, including removing ‘elite benefits’ such as charitable status and “all other public subsidies and tax privileges” like business rate exemption.

Meanwhile, state-funded schools across the country have been struggling for fairer funding while they struggle to balance their budgets.

There are four private schools in Taunton Deane: King’s College, Taunton School, Queen’s College and Wellington School, as well as a handful of others around the county.

The vote in favour of the motion came after shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said a future Labour government would scrap the “tax loopholes” which benefit private schools in its first budget, during the conference in Brighton. 

She said the move would make the education system ‘fairer’. 

She added: “We will set that commission to making the whole education system fairer through the integration of private schools.

“Myself and John McDonnell will set out further steps the Labour government will take, but I can say our very first budget will immediately close the tax loopholes used by elite private schools and use that money to improve the lives of all children.”

The motion on private schools, moved by the Battersea Constituency Labour Party, said Labour “must go further” than the 2017 manifesto to challenge the “elite privilege” of private schools who “dominate the top professions”.

Somerset County Gazette:
CONFERENCE SPEECH: Angela Rayner

While a lot of criticism is focused around the ‘Eton-educated’, Taunton also boasts a high-ranking cohort of former pupils.

Current attorney general Geoffrey Cox was educated at King’s College in Taunton, while his predecessor Jeremy Wright, who held the office for four years, was taught at Taunton School.

But the four private schools in Taunton Deane have come together to denounce the plans, saying they seek to ‘undermine’ the ‘success’ of the schools - which are among the biggest employers in the area. 

In a joint statement from the private education institutions, the leaders state how abolishing the schools would had negative implications, as they are ‘major contributors’ to the area. 

“The independent schools in Taunton and Wellington are major contributors to the local economy and the broader success of this region of the country,” it said.

“Together, we are one of the largest employers in the area and we attract students, and therefore revenue, from all over the UK and the world. 

“Our facilities are extensively used by the local community and all our schools are deeply committed to being as accessible as possible by offering generous bursary and scholarship schemes.”

The schools have hit out against being called hubs of ‘rich elite’, despite annual school day fees reaching highs of up to £23,070 at King’s College. 

The cheapest fees can be found at Wellington School, up to £13,659, while Queens College and Taunton School cost up to £15,300 and £16,485 respectively.

The spokesperson added: “To characterise our schools as the preserve of a rich elite is wholly inaccurate. Our schools are outstanding educational institutions - among the very best in the country – and we, along with the other excellent primary and secondary schools and colleges, have made the Taunton area a premium educational destination in the UK. 

“We should be celebrating this success rather than seeking to undermine it.”