EDUCATION POLICY
P
W
art
hat’s t
y
h
e
line?
As we enter countdown time into the next election Alice Thomson looks at
each of the three parties’ manifestos. We also ask key organisations in the
independent education sector what their key priorities are for the future
ake three men, Ed Balls, David Cameron and would have been far happier at one of Alastair Campbell’s
T
Nick Clegg. What do they have in common? “bog standard” comprehensives. His father may have
A private education. The Schools Secretary went taught briefl y at Eton, but Windsor doesn’t bring back fond
to Nottingham High School, The Tory leader memories for his son.
went to Eton and Mr Clegg went to Westminster School. Mr Cameron admits “I adored Eton,” but doesn’t want
Their schools were all founded more than 500 years ago, to dwell on the cloisters of his youth. His child, Nancy,
they grew up with masters and gowns and wall games shares a school run to a Church of England primary school
and cold showers. in Kensington with Beatrice, daughter of the shadow
So private schools could be forgiven for thinking education secretary, Michael Gove.
that they might have an easy ride whoever wins the next Westminster Under School would be so convenient for
Election. They nurtured these future leaders, now their Antonio and Alberto, Mr Clegg’s sons, but he prefers to
offspring should repay their love and attention, they should walk his boys to their local Roman Catholic primary in
feel grateful for their Oxbridge places, their grasp of Putney every morning and was heavily criticised by Liberal
history and the broad education they received at these Democrats for even suggesting that he might allow them to
ancient institutions. go to a private secondary school.
Certainly not. Mr Balls can’t bear to put his Oxford Gordon Brown, who went to his local high school
College in Who’s Who, certainly not his school. He has in Kirkcaldy, sends his son to a state school around the
made it clear that he loathes the private school system and corner from Downing Street. If the Labour party could
✒
“If the Labour party could have its way, private schools would have disappeared in
the last decade but instead, the number of children going to private schools has
increased under the last government to slightly more than seven per cent”
WWW.FIRSTELEVENMAGAZINE.CO.UK SPRING 2010 FIRST ELEVEN 33
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