Recent school "surprise fees" and stingy cuts sign of anxiety and election anticipation

Anticipation of a labour government taken too far? By Al1st4irn3w3yfanboy001 - 25/06/2024

Over the past few academic years, West Buckland School has seen many cuts to quality, from that of the food served in the Karslake, to restrictive rules put in place to minimise expenditure, as well as raised food prices.

One more recent change is that of the switching bus company.
Taw & Torridge (T&T), a family-run bus company based in North Devon, is going to be replaced by Filer's Travel, a rival coach company from Ilfracombe, North Devon. T&T has been the school service for as long as I can remember (admittedly, not very long) and has been, for the most part, a good service. WBS is changing because T&T refused a low-ball offer for the coach rental. The school claims T&T has raised their prices, but according to one bus driver, that's factually untrue. Bus prices have been fixed for at least the past year. This bus driver also warned us we'd experience "smoke-filled carriages" and "terrible service". Sounds like a joyride, right?

Another example is the new charges for taking exams. In the state sector, and at this school until recently, exams have been free, included in the termly fees. West Buckland has responded, saying that this is "common practice in the private/public education system".

To conclude, we ask why. Why is the school making these cuts and price hikes? The school is most likely anticipating a Labour victory in the upcoming general election. Labour has made comments in the past, claiming it will remove the charitable status from private schools, meaning VAT will be charged. This is an interesting issue to debate, and, assuming Labour keeps any of its promises, it will cause a split opinion. Those who are against the existence of private schools in general are sure to rejoice, whilst those who are indifferent may be concerned over the disproportional impact on smaller schools and the possibility of widespread shutdowns.
In order to cope with these potential losses, the school is doing all it can to stay afloat in a disaster that hasn't, and may never, happen.
To finish, we should mention an anonymous authority has claimed the school lost around one million pounds last year. *Disclaimer - nobody was injured*