The number of pupils in private schools has dropped by 13,000 in the past 12 months, according to the Independent Schools Council’s annual census of its 1,380 members.

The census is being unveiled tomorrow but details were published in The Times and Sunday Times over the weekend.

ISC member school rolls fell from 551,578 in total to 538,215 over the past year.

The census also revealed that parents are now paying £22,146 for day schools because of the addition of VAT on school fees which is 22.6% higher than last year.

The ISC’s chief executive Julie Robinson said: “Independent schools have been faced with a triple whammy of financial blows – the requirement to add VAT to their fees, the removal of charitable business rates relief and the rise in National Insurance employer contribution rates.

“These statistics show that school leaders have done what they can to keep baseline fee rises to a minimum in the face of this unprecedented tax on education.”