The Association for Families of Independent Schooling (AFIS) C.I.C. has today launched the Emergency School Fees Support Appeal. This targeted initiative provides short-term financial assistance to prevent children from being forced out of their schools mid-cycle following the introduction of VAT on independent school fees.
The Timing Crisis
The appeal specifically addresses the “educational emergency” created by introducing VAT part-way through an academic year. While fiscal policies change, education operates on rigid, fixed timetables involving examination years, notice periods, and specialist provision.
“This is an emergency created by educational timing as much as cost,” said Michelle Daniells, CEO of AFIS. “When major financial changes take effect mid-cycle, families’ choices are constrained, and children bear the disruption. We are providing the breathing space families need to plan an orderly transition without harming a child's education.”
Since AFIS was launched in December last year, the organisation has received a growing volume of enquiries from parents seeking advice and guidance as they face increasing financial pressures following the introduction of VAT on school fees and other sector-wide cost increases, including the removal of business rates relief for independent schools. In some areas, alternative state school places are limited due to oversubscription, reducing families’ ability to move schools at short notice.
The Scale of Impact
AFIS research indicates a significant looming disruption for UK families:
• 15,000 children are estimated to face educational disruption during the 2025/26 academic year due to the new tax.
• £2,500 per child is the estimated average additional cost borne by families after schools have absorbed what they can.
• £35–40 million is the total projected first-year financial impact on families in genuine hardship.
How the Support Works
To maintain the highest standards of integrity, AFIS is establishing a strategic partnership with an independent bursary administration specialist.
• Targeted Aid: Assistance is strictly means-tested and time-limited to one additional academic year.
• Stability First: The fund prioritises children in examination years or those with specialist needs where mid-year exits are most damaging.
• Collaborative Funding: AFIS will work with schools to enable coordinated support and, where possible, matched funding through existing bursary schemes.
The appeal is not a permanent subsidy for private education, but a targeted intervention to address acute hardship during a period of structural transition.
Donations and further information: HERE
Emergency Steering Group enquiries: michelle@afis.org.uk
