Hundreds of primary school children who are currently being educated in the independent sector have applied to take-up places in State secondary schools in Hertfordshire, from September.

There have been fears nationally that the imposition of VAT on private school fees could lead to floods of parents moving away from the independent sector – putting a squeeze on available places in the State sector.

In Hertfordshire, the county council has received 980 applications for September's intake of year seven pupils, on behalf of children who are currently being educated in the private sector.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that that number of these applications is less than 100 higher than last (2024).

But officials will have to wait until the end of the admissions process – when offers made have been accepted or declined – before they can determine how any additional places, if any, will be taken-up.

Traditionally the majority of parents whose children attend private primary schools have turned down any places in Hertfordshire secondary school that they are offered.

In 2024 just 36 per cent of the offers made to those parents were accepted.

Should that trend continue this year, officials say 353 children – who had previously attended a private sector primary – would join a Hertfordshire secondary school in September.

And that would be an increase of just 31 secondary school pupils across the whole county, compared to the previous year.

But theoretically the council could be called-on to provide places for hundreds more pupils.

Nevertheless the council's executive member for education, libraries and lifelong learning Cllr Caroline Clapper has stressed that there will be places for children seeking to move from the independent sector.

In a statement issued by the county council, she said: "We have had an increase of in-year applications from the independent sector, but we are not yet seeing levels that would impact on our ability to deliver a great education to our children in Hertfordshire.

"I imagine, as time moves forward and term after term, affordability may become an issue for parents and then we may face an influx of applications both in-year and at phase transfer.

 "We've been aware of the government's proposals to levy VAT on private school fees for some time and have been planning accordingly.

"We do have enough places across our schools if children from the independent sector move to the state sector, but those places may not be at their first preference or their nearest school."

Parents across the county who have applied for a secondary school place this year will find out which school they have been allocated on March 3.