We have produced infographics to respond to claims by the Government and supporters of the Education Tax. We add new infographics as issues arise. Please feel free to use these and share.
Infographic 1: School closures
The Department for Education claimed the more independent schools opened than closed in 2025, in response to the growing number of school closures. This Fact Check explains where they went wrong.
Infographic 2: Large School Closures
Larger independent schools (200+ pupils) should be more resilient to student movement than smaller independent schools and less likely to close. Since VAT was introduced, the number of larger independent schools closing has surged.
Infographic 3: Student numbers in independent schools (ISC Census)
This chart highlights Independent Schools Council (ISC) Census Data that shows 30,000 fewer students in independent schools than in January 2024 (the latest available data before VAT was introduced). The Government predicted 37,000 fewer students by January 2031.
This data understates the real number, as it only includes ISC member schools. This is for all ISC member schools in the UK. Infographic 4 paints a similar picture but uses Department for Education data–these cover all independent schools in England.
Infographic 4: Student numbers in independent schools (Dept for Education)
This infographic uses Department for Education (DfE) data, comparing the number of pupils in mainstream independent schools in January 2026 against January 2024 numbers (January 2024 is the latest available data before VAT was introduced). DfE data includes all independent schools in England, but does not include schools from other UK countries.
Infographic 5: Scholarships and Bursaries
Francis Green (Professor at UCL Institute of Education and Board Member of Private Education Policy Forum) wrote a paper with colleagues arguing that scholarships and bursaries went to wealthier families (rather than poorer families).
Their data didn’t differentiate between scholarships and bursaries, when these are largely different things. Scholarships are merit-based and typically offer a nominal fee reduction (e.g. 5%). Bursaries are needs-based and can cover up to 100% of fees and more.
We created an infographic to explain the difference.
Education Not Taxation 