New call to open up private schools to poorer children

Published on Sunday 19 July 2009 22:15

CLAIMS that social mobility will be improved if disadvantaged children have better access to private education have been supported in Scotland.

A report by former Labour Cabinet minister Alan Milburn states that opening up private schools will help end the "closed middle-class shops" in some professions, including medicine and the senior civil service.

His observations come at a time when pressure is being put on independent schools south of the Border to justify their charitable status by being more open to giving places to children from poorer backgrounds.

Last October, the Scottish charity regulator also criticised four private schools for not doing enough: Merchiston Castle in Edinburgh; Hutchesons' in Glasgow; Lomond in Helensburgh; and St Leonards in St Andrews.

But Scottish Conservative schools spokeswoman Liz Smith said yesterday: "Since then, there has been significant progress and schools are improving opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"The social mix is helping social mobility as well as improving the schools." Earlier this month Peter Sutton, headmaster of Ardvreck School in Crieff, called on the Scottish Government to help pay for more boarders at schools to help improve social mobility.

He said: "The Scottish Government, in partnership with Scottish Enterprise, could provide the funding, or perhaps an industry figure or a local philanthropist."

In his report, Mr Milburn says opening up private schools would combat elitism as well as providing opportunities for British talent to be developed properly.

"Such elitism is unjust socially. And it can no longer work economically. Our success in a globally competitive economy relies on using all of our country's talent, not just some of it."

However, his report has been taken as an admission that social mobility has declined since Labour came to power in 1997.

The Conservatives pointed out that the assisted places scheme – under which bright children who could not afford to go to fee-paying schools were provided with free or subsidised places – was abolished by Labour when it came to power in 1997.

And an SNP spokesman added: "The problem is that Labour have failed to tackle inequality, and social mobility has if anything declined."