Welcome to scholarship season. As parents begin to apply for financial awards to help to pay private school fees, a Sunday Times analysis of the latest data shows that a two-tier market is emerging.
A survey into the accounts of 50 top private schools has found that amid a cost of living crisis and with the looming threat of having to pay 20 per cent VAT under a Labour government, some have cut back sharply on financial support. Others, for optics, politics or to help, are investing heavily in fully funded places to offer to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The findings also show that:
• One in three of the 50 schools, including the Perse School Cambridge and Cheltenham Ladies’ College, have cut spending
