Britain is being deposed as the private school capital of Europe

Britain is at risk of losing its status as the private school capital of Europe as parents turn to Italian schools to educate their children, teachers warn.

Institutions in Milan and Rome claim they are increasingly fielding enquiries from UK families discontented with Labour’s successive attacks on wealth.

Richard Cairns, the headteacher of Brighton College, which is opening a new branch in Rome in 2027, claimed the new school had already received interest from “hundreds” of parents – around a third of whom are from Britain. The college is also considering a new branch in Milan and is set to open new schools in Lisbon and Madrid in 2027.

He said: “We have a bizarre situation where the UK Government’s approach to one of the few areas where the country is a global leader is to tax it more heavily than any other country in the world.

“The only thing parents really worry about when they leave London is how to find schools as good as those in the UK.

“That is where Brighton College comes in: we are the first leading private school to set up a legacy brand school. Many in London now feel they have an alternative in another European capital.”

Nadim Nsouli, founder and chairman of Inspired Education Group, told The Telegraph that the company’s schools in Italy, Portugal and Spain had “all been beneficiaries of UK decision making”.

Inspired Education is an international provider of private schools, with 121 schools across 28 countries. The organisation has an extensive portfolio in Italy, including the well-respected International School of Milan.

Mr Nsouli said: “Based on the type of people that have left, the impact is sizeable on the UK economy because these are consumers of huge levels, a great many of them entrepreneurs who run companies.

“These people who have decided to leave are those who were thriving and benefiting the country. It’s definitely a loss and it’s not a small number.

“My group is expanding all around the world. We have 90,000 students globally and we’re growing rapidly. The only negative impact that has been felt is in the UK.”

Britain effectively created the private school system, which adds an estimated £16.5bn to the economy, according to advisory firm Oxford Economics.

A 2023 study by Higher Education Policy Institute found 25pc of world leaders – either monarchs, presidents or prime ministers – were educated in Britain. Of those, one in five attended British private schools.

However, Britain’s historic institutions are now under attack. From January this year, the Government began adding 20pc VAT to school fees. On top of that, ministers abolished the non-dom tax regime and tightened rules around inheritance tax.

By comparison, Italy offers a generous tax regime to wealthy foreigners. Perks include a flat tax of €200,000 (£174,000) on wealthy foreigners’ worldwide income and assets for up to 15 years as well as an inheritance tax exemption during that period.

The policies have created tension with neighbouring European nations. A public spat broke out last month between Italy’s prime minister Giorgia Meloni and former French prime minister Francois Bayrou over his allegations that Rome was luring away French high-earners through “fiscal dumping”.

And the snowballing wave of wealthy emigrants arriving from Britain in recent months has led Italy’s tax incentives to be dubbed “svuota Londra” – or “empty London”.

The booming private school industry is also making it easier for rich British families considering relocation to make the move.

Selina Boyd, international editor at the Good Schools Guide, said: “There’s always been good international schools in Rome and Milan but what you’re seeing with interest from school groups and the arrival of British brands is a pulling up of standards.

“The families who are looking at schools in Italy, particularly in Milan, are often finance-oriented families who are attracted to the flat tax rate.

“Those parents have now got real choice with groups like Inspired or Brighton College, which have now got a presence in these countries.”

Nicolo Bolla, of Parma-based tax advisory firm Accounting Bolla, said the number of his clients who were British citizens and leaving the UK had doubled since Labour came to power.

“The decision is a mixture of how much money they will make, plus where they want to educate their children. If they have children, they’re concerned about their education. It’s a main factor,” he said.

“An Englishman thinks that the pinnacle of education is Oxford and will want to do whatever it takes to get their children there.

“The best place to do that has normally been private schools in Britain, but if staying in the UK has a big impact on their finances, then the next-best option can be Italy, which has a good variety of international schools.

Marco Cerrato, a partner at Italian tax law firm Maisto e Associati, also estimated his British clientele had doubled since Sir Keir Starmer came into office, with the majority heading to Milan and the rest going to Florence and Rome.

The abolishment of the non-dom regime has been the main push factor brought up by his clients, along with the Chancellor’s inheritance tax reforms, which many viewed as “burdensome”.

He added: “People were concerned about the combination of these changes and the general policy of the new Government against wealth and rich people.”

Most of Mr Cerrato’s clients work in private equity and were “mainly coming with young families”.

“A precondition for a lot of them to move was that they could find proper education and most have found solutions with the international schools in Milan,” he said.

A government spokesperson said: “Ending tax breaks for private schools will raise £1.8bn a year by 2029 to 2030 to help deliver 6,500 new teachers and raise school standards, supporting the 94pc of children in state schools to achieve and thrive.”