TWO Scottish private schools threatened with the removal of their charitable status have had a reprieve.
Fettes College - Tony Blair's old school - and St George's School for Girls, both in Edinburgh, have met the requirements of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).
The regulator ruled earlier this year that the schools had taken insufficient measures to provide financial assistance to offset their high school fees and widen access to poorer families.
Private schools see charity status as vital as it makes them exempt from VAT.
A statement from OSCR said: "Fettes College has taken sufficient measures to meet the requirements. In particular, it has acted to clarify the process for awarding means-tested bursaries to ensure these are focused on those in financial need."
Some 80 pupils, or 10.6% of the school roll, now receive financial assistance through bursaries that account for 8.4% of the school's income.
The OSCR report said St George's School for Girls has also taken sufficient measures to meet the requirements. "As one element of this, some 102 pupils, 13.7% of the school roll, now receive financial assistance through bursaries that account for 6.9% of the school's income," it said.
The regulator has been assessing the charitable status of Scotland's 40 fee-charging schools under the test which is defined in the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
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