THE two leading independent schools in Worcester say they have no objection to new rules which require them to show they offer a "public benefit."

The Charity Commission has published guidance on what the nation's 2,500 private schools must do to satisfy new laws which require them to prove they are offering benefits to a wider public, in order to retain their charitable status - which is worth £100 million in tax breaks each year.

The rules have been widely criticised by a number of public schools, but Tim Keyes, head at King's School, Worcester, said he supported the new laws.

"We welcome the requirement by the Charity Commission to show that we benefit the local community," he said.

"We will continue to do all we can to be a good partner to the other schools in the city who, like us, are committed to doing their best for the children of Worcester and the surrounding area.

"There are five key areas in which schools like King's must show they offer benefits related to the aims of their charity. The first is in offering means-tested fee reductions (bursaries). King's currently supports 77 of its pupils with such bursaries."

Mr Keyes said they were also required to work with other grant-making charities, open its facilities to the local community, offer educational opportunities to local children, and encourage its own pupils to be outward-looking and ready to help others.

Mr Keyes said: "We raised about £35,000 last year for charities in this area and in poor areas abroad.

"When people think of independent schools, they often think of the big boarding schools such as Eton and Harrow. It is easy to forget that a much larger number of independent schools are just like King's: former city Grammar Schools which, when they went independent, continued to be supported by government funding to allow children from poorer families to benefit from their teaching and facilities."

His comments were echoed by the headteacher of RGS Worcester and the Alice Otley School, Andy Rattue, who said: "We're very confident we would pass any test the Charity Commission is bringing in.

"I think the commission's sights mostly are on the high-fee schools. Our fees are below the average for schools in the independent sector, which we believe will be quite an important factor in their decision-making.

"RGS Worcester and the Alice Otley have always been accessible to children from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we certainly want to keep that going."

Mr Rattue said many of the facilities at the schools, such as the sports halls and the lecture theatre, are used by other local schools and clubs.

"We're part of the local community in so many different ways that we don't feel threatened by these new rules," he said. "I do support this in a way."