HOLYROOD’S education convener has called for the charity regulator to investigate possible moves being considered by independent schools to reduce bursaries in the future for pupils from less well off backgrounds.

James Dornan, the convener of the Scottish Parliament’s education committee, said children from less wealthy households should not be penalised if the schools have to find money to pay for business rates’ changes.

His remarks came after Finance Secretary Derek Mackay told MSPs on Wednesday he had been informed independent schools were considering offering less support to children from less wealthy backgrounds in the future as a response to his plans to remove their eligibility for relief from non-domestic rates.

Responding to the development, Dornan told The National: “If what the Cabinet Secretary said to the committee is accurate then clearly I would expect Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) to investigate seriously the fact private schools are looking to make children from less well off backgrounds to pay for the changes rather than finding the money out of their profits.

“The key part is there are certain criteria private schools have to meet to get charitable status and the fact they may have to pay a bit more in rates, does not make them less responsible for meeting the criterion they have to meet in order to have charitable status.

“One thing they should not be doing is making the poorest in our society pay for their business rates.”

His comments came after Graham Simpson, the Tory MSP, told MSPs on Wednesday that more children could be sent to state schools if private schools increase their fees because of the planned reforms.

But Mackay disagreed saying that families who chose to send their children to fee-paying schools could afford any rise in fees.

Removing private schools eligibility for charitable relief from non-domestic rates is in response to a recommendation made by the Barclay Review of the business rates system and does not remove the charitable status of independent schools.

However, to have charitable status independent schools must meet a number of requirements, which include giving bursaries.

Mackay told the local government committee removing eligibility for charitable relief on business rates would mean a cost of £225 per pupil to the sector.

After the policy was announced in draft budget last month Liz Smith, the Scottish Conservative’s education spokesman, said bursaries would be cut.

“For a party supposedly in favour of widening access this move will make independent schools more elitist and less accessible to those from poorer backgrounds. That will be met with dismay by those parents whose sons and daughters have been in receipt of increasingly generous bursary support,” she said.

John Edward, director of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, said: “There is no need for an investigation as nothing has happened. People who think schools are going to reduce bursaries have got the wrong end of the stick.”

An OSCR spokesperson said: “Bursaries and other ways of helping with the effect of fees charged are among a number of factors we have taken into account when looking at the public benefit provided by fee charging schools. Information on this can be found in our Meet the Charity test guidance. We cannot give any view on what the effect of a reduction of bursaries would be in a particular case — that would depend on the overall picture of evidence in that particular case.”