Scottish private schools worth £260m to economy

Independent schools are worth £260 million to the Scottish economy, a report shows.

Educational Institute of Scotland general secretary Larry Flanagan warned re-organisation would be "absolute folly"

The Independent Schools Council, representing more than 1,300 schools UK-wide, commissioned the research which also found the sector contributed £6.05 billion directly, to the UK economy.

Scotland has more than 70 independent schools.

The report, by Oxford Economics, shows the highest concentration of such schools was in the south-east with 397, followed by London with 236.

Educational Institute of Scotland general secretary Larry Flanagan warned re-organisation would be "absolute folly"

“The 397 schools in the south east have a direct GVA (value of goods and services) impact of £1,919 million per annum. Yards ahead of every other country and region,” the report states.

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland, said: “Independent schools clearly make a contribution to the Scottish economy as teachers, most of whom are trained through our Initial Teacher Education Institutions, require to be paid and schools need staff to function.

“Scotland’s economy and society also benefit substantially from the contributions of state schools and other state-supported educational establishments, which also offer a high quality educational experience.”