Current status: Answered by John Swinney on 25 April 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to the question S5W-06644 by John Swinney on 8 February 2017, for what reason it has no plans to review the charitable status of private or independent schools.
The Scottish Government are focused on ensuring that our public schools deliver the best possible outcomes for our children giving priority to raising attainment and closing the equity gap. We remain committed to publicly funded, comprehensive school education ensuring that every child has the chance to succeed.
As previously stated we currently have no plans to review the charitable status of independent schools. Any independent school wishing to obtain charitable status must meet the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) requirements. OSCR’s public benefits test asks whether an organisation has charitable purposes – advancement of education being one such purpose – and whether it provides public benefit. Whether schools meet the test is a matter for OSCR who operate independently of Government.