So it was quite an emotional day for me to see for myself the fantastic facilities at the new Currie Community High School which should welcome its first pupils this autumn. Many of us thought it might be lost amidst council cost cutting, but the impressive swimming pool is there. It has a sports hall big enough for four badminton courts, and as it鈥檚 a community facility, there is an extensive fitness suite with the latest weights equipment. But what鈥檚 truly impressive is the sense of space, with high ceilings, glass-sided classrooms and spectacular views across to Fife. The place is a joy and I really hope the first intake can appreciate what it has taken to make sure their facilities are second to none. It鈥檚 been built to meet future demand, with capacity for 200 more pupils than the first full intake, a lesson from other recently opened new schools like Boroughmuir and James Gillespie鈥檚 which are already bursting at the seams. More problems loom after summer when the full impact of VAT on private school fees will be more apparent because the real problem is not families withdrawing their children but choosing not to go private in the first place. Instead of heading to Watson鈥檚 and Heriot鈥檚, more children at schools like South Morningside and Sciennes primaries will claim state school places at Boroughmuir and Gillespie鈥檚 than before, and it will be the same the year after that. Labour鈥檚 education secretary Bridget Phillipson was rather early to crow that the number of children leaving private education because of her policy was lower than expected, because a recent census of English schools revealed there were 11,000 fewer private school pupils than this time last year, compared to her department鈥檚 forecast of a drop of around 3000, and worse is to come. The Labour Government鈥檚 calculation that VAT would boost education budgets by 拢1.8 billion is looking wildly optimistic. This year鈥檚 English state school budget is nearly 拢64bn, and in Scotland just under 拢8bn, so if Labour鈥檚 calculations are already out by a factor of four, it鈥檚 reasonable to assume the total impact on education spending across the whole UK will be well under half a percentage point. If the Scottish Government does get a small windfall, there鈥檚 no guarantee it will go to schools, and it will be swallowed by pay deals anyway. It does not matter if you are for or against private education, it鈥檚 about the impact on all children. And if the claimed benefit for education budgets will be virtually zero, the impact on classrooms will be into negatives, exactly as predicted by those who understand the sector. Despite the high number of privately-educated children in his Edinburgh South constituency, Scotland Secretary Ian Murray, who I鈥檓 sure knows better, was on radio this week parroting the rubbish about extra cash for education. It was never about educational benefit, but Oxford-educated Bridget Phillipson鈥檚 good old-fashioned socialist envy. I am very grateful for the education I received, but I鈥檝e never felt anyone had an advantage over me because they went to a private school. And I鈥檓 an Edinburgh University graduate. Sue Webber is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Lothian