Eleanor Harding Education Editor Private school pupils are in decline following Labour's VAT raid, with 30,000 fewer enrolled since before it took effect. New figures show there are now 526,611 pupils in private schools, down from 556,551 two years ago. The bulk of the decrease – 20,000 – came in the last year alone. The data comes from the annual January census of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), which represents the majority of private schools.