UK EDUCATION
What makes a truly great school?
Is there such thing as a ‘perfect’ school? What should you look for when choosing? Sir Anthony Seldon; historian, political
commentator and author, attempted to answer the impossible question at the Independent Schools Show in London. Heather Carruthers reports.
S
peaking at the Independent Schools Show in London on the 100th anniversary of the end of WW1, Sir Anthony Seldon drew on his love of history to dispel some of the myths surrounding
private schooling.
Private schools: greedy and insular? “There is a misconception that private schools are greedy and insular, lacking in goodwill towards anyone outside the system, but this couldn’t be farther from the truth,” he said. “If we look at some of the statistics from WW1, between 10-11%
of those who joined the army were killed in action. “If you look at the statistics for those who went to independent
schools, that figure rises to 20%: 20% of those who signed up for the army from independent schools were killed in action. “It is important to remember this when we think about independent
schools and their purpose. Service and character building is such an important part of an independent school education and these statistics reflect that.”
What should a school look like? A question from the audience invited Mr Seldon to share what he would do if he started a school from scratch. “Our schools are full of people wanting to do their best,” said Mr
Seldon, “but we have lost touch with what education really means. “It has become all about mark maximisation for league tables.
I’m not saying that exams aren’t important but that education is not just about exams.” “Every year one third of children fail to meet the government’s
requirements for what it means to be successful at GCSE. I would not design an education system where one third of children are set up to be failures.”
Pressure on children to succeed Mr Seldon, a strong proponent of the International Baccalaureate, went on to discuss the pressures on children to perform in exam results and the resulting feeling of failure if they don’t succeed. “Parents often prioritise exam results over the mental health of their children,” he said, referring to recent figures from the World Health Organization, which showed that 35% of students starting university reported a mental health issue. “What matters is the child: who they are and who they want to be. You cannot inflict your own aspirations on them.” He referred to American psychologist, Professor Howard Gardner,
creator of the theory of multiple intelligence who said, “Don’t ask how intelligent a child is: ask how they are intelligent.” “All children are unique and have something of value to add,”
said Mr Seldon. “We should be educating people’s hearts, bodies and souls, not just their minds. “At the moment in schools we’re only interested in educating
people’s minds – that’s why arts education in declining.” In finishing Mr Seldon said that parents
must love their children more than they love themselves. “If a child doesn’t learn to accept themselves how they are – their strengths and weaknesses – then you are setting them up to fail. Accepting that you have done your best, that is wisdom.”
For in-depth coverage of UK school options, see our highly rated Guide to Education and Schools in the UK. Visit
bit.ly/UK_Guide.
46 | Relocate | January 2019
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