Private school fees soar by 22.6pc as Labour's tax raid hits parents

Average private day school fees have risen by more than a fifth in a year following Labour’s tax raid, new data suggests.

Figures from the Independent Schools Council (ISC) show the average fee in January was £7,382 a term – or £22,146 a year.

This a 22.6 per cent increase on January last year, when the average termly fee was just £6,021.

The dataset, from 1,380 schools, is the first to show the sector-wide impact of Labour’s 20 per cent VAT on fees, which was introduced at the start of this year.

The large increase in 2025 compares to smaller rises of just 8.4 per cent in 2024 and a 6.4 per cent in 2023.