What’s next for the private sector?

I think it’s fair to say it’s been a turbulent 18 months for the independent sector. VAT is the obvious headline, but underneath it, something bigger is happening.

From January 2025, private school fees became subject to 20% VAT. At the same time, charitable independent schools lost 80% business-rates relief. For parents, the impact has been obvious. The average day-school fee reached £7,382 per term in January 2025, including VAT – a 22.6% increase on the previous year.

And the cost of a private education is significant. Recent research puts the cost of a full 14-year private day-school education at around £216,000. For boarding, that figure is closer to £438,000.

That is a lot of money.

And naturally, when costs rise, schools have to look at how they operate.

But beneath the headlines, something else is happening.

As those financial pressures grow, we’re seeing more schools working together, joining larger groups and looking at mergers and acquisitions. Almost half of ISC schools were already part of some form of school grouping in 2024, while independent-school transactions have continued to increase.

Why?

Because there are obvious efficiencies in scale.

Shared procurement. Shared finance. Shared HR. And more importantly for us, shared IT infrastructure. Shared systems. Shared expertise.

Because if schools are going to operate differently, the technology supporting them needs to change too.

The future independent school may not need the biggest IT department. But it will need the right people.

People who understand MIS. People who understand data. People who can keep a school secure in an increasingly complex cyber environment. People who can look at a group of schools and work out how technology can make them more efficient without losing what makes each individual school special.

And that last bit matters.

Because joining a group doesn’t mean becoming generic.

Independent schools have spent decades building their own cultures, identities and reputations. That’s part of what parents are paying for.

So there’s an interesting challenge ahead: how do you get the efficiencies of scale while keeping the individuality that makes each school different?

We think technology will be a big part of the answer. But technology alone isn’t enough. You need people who understand it, challenge existing systems, spot opportunities and manage change – people who understand both the technology and the environment they’re working in.

That’s why IT, MIS and data professionals are becoming increasingly important in independent education. The conversation is no longer just about keeping the Wi-Fi working. It’s about using technology to operate better, make smarter decisions, protect pupils and staff, and ultimately deliver more value.

The next few years could be defining for independent education. Fees are changing. School structures are changing. Expectations are changing.

The schools that adapt successfully will be the ones that find the right balance between efficiency and individuality, between scale and culture, and between technology and people.

Because ultimately, technology doesn’t transform schools.

People do.

And finding those people is where we come in.