The independent school sector owes an awful debt of gratitude to Harry Potter.

Because prior to the young wizard’s hijinks in Hogwarts, boarding schools had something of a reputation - borne out by tales of mental anguish for the young children sent there and depressingly regular incidents of abuse.

But the magic of JK Rowling’s books cast a spell over a generation and perceptions shifted dramatically. Coupled, of course, with society’s zero-tolerance of any such nefarious behaviour.

Add to that, the recent BBC TV adaptation of Enid Blyton’s Malory Towers, and the institution has seen a remarkable turnaround.

Set in some 250 acres of prime countryside in the Weald of Kent, Benenden School ticks all the classic boxes. It’s main Victorian country house is pleasing on the eye, its A-level results last year were the best for a girls’ school in the county and, despite the myriad of challenges the sector is bracing itself for, demand for places is up.

It’s even got the royal seal of approval courtesy of being the school chosen by Queen Elizabeth II for her eldest daughter - Anne, the Princess Royal, who retains close ties with the school.

There is a cloud on the horizon though. And that comes in the shape of Keir Starmer’s new Labour administration.

Pre and post this year’s general election, his party has been adamant; a loophole which independent schools have benefitted from, namely that VAT is not imposed on education, will no longer be applied. The changes will kick in from the start of next year.

When it comes to a left-leaning government, aside from the ‘jolly hockey sticks’ reputation of boarding school is one that reeks of elitism; of a deeper, more enriching education which is only available to the deep-pocketed few. In other words, it’s not very socialist. To put it mildly.

Imposing a tax, they argue, will generate more funds for state education.

For parents of pupils at Benenden School the introduction of VAT could be a highly expensive move. Currently, a year’s boarding at the girls-only school comes just shy of £50,000 in fees. An increase of 20%, when VAT is imposed, will be significant, although it remains to be seen if the full charge will be passed on to parents.

It is something the school’s new head teacher, Rachel Bailey - who took over in September from Samantha Price after her 10-year stint in the post - is aware could have a profound impact on the entire sector.

She explained: “You tax things when there's a problem with them. I think it's sad we're a country which is going to tax education. I understand they want to raise funds but I would be very surprised if it raised the funds that they are hoping for.

“Absolutely, maintained schools need more funding. I've got a background in the maintained sector, I know what the squeeze is. But I'm not sure that this is the most effective way of doing so.”

The head spent 20 years of her career at a state grammar in Buckinghamshire - during which she saw both the benefits of better government funding and the impact of its decline.

And while attending independent schools as a child she knows that many parents scrimp and save to afford fees.

Explaining: “My parents made sacrifices for me to go to an independent school, frankly. The reason I went to one in the first place was because the local comprehensive was not in a great position academically. So my parents took the decision.

“By the time my brother got to that point, there'd been a new head, things had improved and he went to the local comp and both he and my sister did very well. Both went on to be very successful.

“So I'm not anti-state sector. I don't think that the independent is better than state sector in any way, but I think it's really important that we give people choice.”

But that choice is going to be more expensive come the dawn of 2025.

“It's a bump in the road,” she admits, “and it's just something that we're going to have to manage - and we'll come out strong. It's just sad that there will be some schools who will close as a result and they provide a really important service to their local community and also to particular groups of children. So I just think it's sad.”

The VAT extension will also hit specialist private special educational needs schools - some of which may struggle to survive. While those schools previously claiming charitable status will see the charitable business rates relief they once enjoyed removed too.

While demand for places at her school is high, she admits some parents may ponder their options when it comes to continuing into sixth form given the price hikes.

But her school’s slice of clichéd British educational life is one which crosses borders. In fact, the school is heavily in demand from parents across the world. She admits she has a future trip to Hong Kong and China coming up to speak to parents there who are keen to attend.

There’s also growing demand from the likes of Nigeria, Ghana, Mexico and Japan - as well as the perhaps predictable demand from the likes of Saudi Arabia and Dubai where they are “particularly keen on single-sex education”.

The proximity to London and its rural setting also works wonders when it comes to tackling one of the other key challenges facing both state and private schools: social media.

So how does a girls-only boarding school monitor and control the vast swathes of dubious online content flowing onto its students’ phones?

“One of the joys of being where we are,” explains Rachel Bailey, “is there is absolutely no phone signal here whatsoever.

“So everything goes through our wifi, which means we can monitor it quite effectively. If there's anything we're worried about, we can respond so from a safeguarding point of view this is a big win for me. The girls are not so thrilled. But you know, hey ho.”

While the debate rages in the state sector as to whether phones should be allowed during the school day, Benenden has hit what it considers a happy medium.

During the school day, phones are all stored - on charge - in locked boxes, with the girls only able to get their hands on their cherished devices once the school day is over.

“As we've known through history,” adds the head, “prohibition has never worked as an approach. These are young people and they need help with boundaries. So they don't have their phones during the day but do in the evening,

“Unlike when we were children where we'd sit and watch the TV with our parents around the one TV set in the house and you had that adult filter all the time, they're in their own world with their phone. So we've got a responsibility to help them question, critically examine and be open for the conversation with them, which is why prohibition doesn't work.

“It's an additional strand of joy in the education sector that you have to deal with now.”

But what of the claims of elitism? That the right school opens up doors available only to those who can afford it?

“What we do,” the head concludes, “is we equip these girls well - so they're self assured and they're quite comfortable in networking. And any good school does that. It was something I worked very hard at when I was at the boys’ grammar in helping them feel like they belonged in a room. It is important.

“And that’s why they are a success when they move up.

“Actually I want these girls to be grounded as well. Our girls are ambitious. They are hard working, but they're not arrogant. They're not entitled. And we work hard to make sure we have strong partnerships with the local community as well.

“So they are getting out, they are working in the primary schools, they work at the local shop, they go and help out with some of the retirement homes. It means they are getting out of this rather lovely bubble that they live in.”