Labour's school VAT raid 'may harm' vulnerable pupils who could be priced out of specialist institutions, warns former HM Chief Inspector of Education

Vulnerable children may be forced to move school as a result of Labour's tax raid on the independent sector, the former education watchdog has warned.

In her first comments on the controversial policy, Amanda Spielman said pupils with special educational needs and disabilities could find themselves priced out of specialist schools.

The former HM Chief Inspector of Education said: 'It is a lot of uncertainty for some quite vulnerable children... it's really important that thought goes into what needs to be provided and how it is provided to make sure we don't end up with children with nowhere to go.'

Labour has vowed to end the current VAT exemption for independent schools, which could add 20 per cent to fees. 

The party has said it will exempt children with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), who have the most severe needs and often have their fees paid by local councils if they cannot be taught in the state sector.

But Ms Spielman warned this may not be enough to protect the large number of pupils with complex needs who do not have EHCPs.

She told The Sunday Telegraph that she 'would like to see how certainty is created for the children and parents who need it because this goes beyond just children with EHCPs'.

Ms Spielman added: 'There are a lot more children in the system with significant needs than just a small slice with EHCPs.'

Labour's plans were branded 'short-sighted in the extreme' by the headmistress of the private school formerly attended by Sir Keir Starmer's wife Lady Victoria. 

Lindsey Hughes, head of Channing School in north London, said charging parents VAT 'would make our education unaffordable for some and risk their children having to leave the school'.

A Labour spokesman said places funded by EHCPs 'will not have a higher cost as a result of VAT', adding: 'The next Labour government will break down the barriers to opportunity by investing in all of our state schools and recruiting over 6,500 new teachers through ending the tax breaks for private schools.'