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Labour plans to abolish tax relief on private education could pose problems for Jewish schools

The party has yet to reveal whether it would grant exemptions to independent Strictly Orthodox community schools

February 19, 2023 11:54
Immanuel College Preparatory School
1 min read

A general election may still be nearly two years away. But the Labour Party has already made a move to promote part of its education platform.

Last month it initiated a Commons debate to set up a parliamentary committee that would review tax breaks for independent schools. The bid may have failed but it is evidence how seriously Labour takes the issue.

It is an issue that matters to the Jewish community because most Jewish schools in this country are independent. There may only be a handful like Kerem or Immanuel College which represent a Jewish version of the English public school: the vast majority serve the expanding Strictly Orthodox community and range from small institutions with a few dozen pupils to some of the larger Stamford Hill schools educating hundreds of children within their walls.

Many, probably most, of these religious schools rely for survival on charitable donations rather than fees paid by parents.