Pupils face ‘fiercer than ever’ competition for a sixth form place this year partly due to Labour’s tax raid on private schools, experts claim.
As hundreds of thousands of teenagers collect their GCSE results tomorrow, the scramble to bag an A-level place is expected to be the one of the worst on record.
The 20 per cent VAT on private school fees, which came into force in January, could push more pupils into the state sector if they cannot afford it.
In addition, the population of 16-year-olds has increased this year and grades are forecast to remain higher than before the pandemic.
It all means large numbers are expected to get the grades needed for a sixth form place, with competition especially bad at the most selective institutions.
