Reform councillor’s claims on private school fees disputed

Twm Owen, local democracy reporter

A claim by a Reform UK councillor up to 60 pupils could quit Wales’ leading independent school over VAT on fees has been denied.

Reform Party councillor Stuart Keyte stated the figure when councillors were updated on the education service their local authority is responsible for.

Cllr Keyte said the UK Labour government’s policy that introduced VAT on private school fees from January is making independent schools unaffordable for many parents and highlighted Rougemont School on the boundary of Newport and Torfaen as an example, predicting it will lead to increased demand for school places in the borough.

The school, which is described on its website as “Wales’ leading independent school” and caters for children from age three through to sixth form, has said it is seeing no such trend.

Cllr Keyte claimed at Torfaen Borough Council’s April meeting: “Rougemont School is projecting up to 60 pupils will leave and go to state school education and the two that are closest are Croesyeciliog and Fairwater (sic).”

The former Fairwater School is now named Cwmbran High and both it and Croesyceiliog are in Torfaen.

Special measures

He added: “Croesyceiliog recently came out of special measures and Cwmbran High is still in special measures and has been since 2018. I’m pleased to hear progress is being made but it is six years, if that is what success looks like then I wouldn’t like to see what failure is, it’s a disgrace to our children.”

The councillor said while one of his grandchildren attends Rougemont the other is a pupil at Llanyrafon Primary and expects to attend Cwmbran High as they are the only one in their class who wasn’t able to gain a place in Croesyceiliog.

He asked: “What are the provisions being made to cope with the children likely to migrate from private to state schools knowing full well that Croesyceiliog is full, I know this as my grandchild is trying to get in and is the only one in their class not to get a place, and likely to go to Cwmbran High as a result.”

Cllr Keyte, who was elected in a February by-election to represent the Pontypool ward of Trevethin and Penygarn which is one of the most deprived in all of Torfaen, added: “When I go to that school, at Rougemont, there is a misconception. You see people turning up in very old cars. Families are struggling to put their children through that school.

“If we are going to force parents to move from that school we’ve got to provide a valued alternative. We need to ensure that if these children have to move from private school then we need to have schools that are fit for purpose.”

Spite

Cllr Keyte said the VAT policy was “based on pure spite and envy” and said figures released by the government, during a court challenge to the VAT decision, have shown more children than Labour had predicted would leave private education reducing the amount expected to be generated for the Treasury, which has been promised for education.

Councillor Richard Clark, the council’s Labour cabinet member responsible for education, disputed the potential impact on Torfaen.

The Croesyceiliog member said: “The 60 pupils that potentially could leave Rougemont, as I’ve no doubt you will be aware, not all of them will be in the catchment area of Torfaen so we wouldn’t be looking for 60 places.”

He said council staff are “constantly looking at pupil numbers” and said due to the condition of St Albans Roman Catholic secondary, in Pontypool, it also has to be “constantly aware” of where places could be provided if needed for those pupils.

Cllr Clark acknowledged some schools are full but said there is an appeals process and if unsuccessful pupils can attend others. On Cwmbran High he said: “I’m ashamed Cwmbran High has been in special measures for the length of time that it is.”

Councillors, he suggested, could debate Cwmbran High at the next council meeting which will be after its latest inspection report has been published.

A statement on behalf of the governing body of Rougemont School, issued to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, said: “We can confirm that this is not a trend we are currently seeing at Rougemont.”

Cllr Keyte was also accused, by Cllr Clark, of a “rookie mistake” as he said he had directed a political question at a council officer rather than him as the political cabinet member. Cllr Clark told him: “I really think you should go away and rethink your future questions. It’s fair game to ask me.”