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Ms Santer said the primary school, where fees start at £7,258, charges less than it costs the government to put a child in state school "saving the government a lot of money".

Sarah said the county council was having to pay up to £8,000 a year to transport her daughter to the nearest available state school after she withdrew her from a private school.

Lincolnshire County Council said it had received 36 applications for state school places from pupils who were formerly at private schools, but it had not recorded the reasons for this.

Lisa said moving her daughter from a state school where she "found class sizes a challenge" to a private school had been a "big financial strain".

This year, Royal Grammar School High Wycombe was the only state school among the 16 competing for the showpiece under-18 title.