Fee-paying schools will close, warns Eton head

THE recession will force some private schools to close as growing numbers of parents struggle to pay fees, the headmaster of Eton warned today.

Tony Little said the financial crisis also threatened private schools' free bursary places.

Private education in Britain will face "difficult times" over the next two years as the full impact of the credit crunch is felt, he told the Standard.

Mr Little is the most senior figure so far to warn of the grave impact the economic crisis is likely to have on independent schools.

Parents facing uncertain futures are already looking to save money on school fees, which typically exceed £11,000 and can be as much as £25,000 a year.

State grammars report record applications from families who might otherwise go private and some schools are now offering a "no frills" independent education.

At the same time, private schools have been under pressure to prove that they do not operate as "exclusive clubs" for the children of the rich.

Under new laws, fee-paying schools must show they exist for the wider "public benefit" if they are to retain charitable tax breaks worth millions each year. The Charity Commission watchdog, which regulates the laws, has suggested bursaries for poor children would be a good way for independent schools to meet their new duty.

But Mr Little said the "severe economic conditions" would make such bursary schemes impossible for some schools. Others will be forced to close altogether, he said.

"There's bound to be an impact. A lot of people are going to find life hard," Mr Little said.

"I think it's pretty evident that for everybody, not just in education, there are going to be difficult times and there are going to be casualties. We are entering uncharted territory. I think we are going to be in for a difficult time and may have some difficult decisions to make."

Mr Little argued that independent schools deserved to be regarded as charities because they saved the taxpayer huge sums of money by educating hundreds of thousands of children who would otherwise need places at state schools. But this benefit to the public purse is not always recognised, he said.