A poll conducted by LBC in the past two weeks found that 85% of parents of children in independent schools are considering removing them because of the government’s VAT policy.

More than 3,500 parents across the UK were surveyed in the poll.

The Independent Schools Council’s chief executive Julie Robinson told LBC she believes up to 40,000 pupils may leave the independent sector when the policy is introduced, adding: “We think this policy could possibly end up costing more because of the displacement of children over time. Given that most of these schools are small and already struggling on thin margins, I think sadly we will find some – if they lose a certain critical mass of pupils – will be worried about their future.”

The Independent Schools Association’s chief executive Rudolf Eliott Lockhart said it is “simply naïve” to believe the tax policy would change the education funding gap significantly, adding: “It’s a sector that is based on independence and using that independence to do something different to the state sector.”