In an effort to block the controversial VAT on school fees legislation from coming into law, six families supported by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) have filed a judicial review in the High Court.

The claim, brought against Chancellor Rachel Reeves, focuses on the potential effects that bringing in the policy could have on families, with the ISC stressing that parents are already being forced to “weigh up their options”. Religious families or those whose children have particular needs may be hit hardest, it warned.

The claimants are asking for the claim to be heard as quickly as possible, although a potential date for the court hearing remains unclear.

“Children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) are facing real uncertainty; families of vulnerable girls in single-sex schools are confronting painful choices; minority Jewish and Muslim families fear they cannot provide an education for their children that respects their faith; and, foreign nationals following the curriculum of their home country have few, if any, alternatives,” the ISC said.