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Guildford High School Head Marks Labour Plan To Abolish Private Schools As A Fail
Published on: 2 Oct, 2019
Updated on: 3 Oct, 2019
Fiona Boulton chair of the Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference
Labour’s proposal to abolish private schools is a vote-loser, the annual meeting of heads of the schools was told on Monday (September 30).
At the party conference in Brighton, Labour backed proposals for the schools to be stripped of tax benefits and be “integrated” into the state sector, saying children’s life chances should not depend on parental wealth.
But that is “based on ignorance and the desire to damage”, said Fiona Boulton, chair of the 300-member Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC).
Mrs Boulton, head of Guildford High School, told the conference, marking its 150th anniversary, that Labour has misjudged the public mood, proved by findings of the HMC’s own survey.
A ComRes poll of more than 2,000 people in England, Wales and Scotland, showed 68% support parents being able to pay for private education.
“This tells us that the policy of destroying great independent schools is a vote-loser,” Mrs Boulton said.
The poll showed only one in five (18%) disagreed with parents going private. More than half (56%) of Labour voters agree, as do 83% of Conservative voters and 70% of Lib Dem voters.
Nearly half (49%) support a government policy to help pay for children from lower-income backgrounds to attend independent schools. Only 27% are not in favour. Of Labour voters, 46% support this policy, with 52% of Conservative and 47% of Lib Dem voters.
A Labour spokesman said: “Of course the establishment will try to defend its privileges.”
But the party appears to have pulled back from seizing private school assets. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell played down what he called “draconian measures”.
“Everything will be done on the basis of consultation,” he said. “And often this isn’t about seizing property, it’s about having access to services and facilities.”
But there is still a commitment to removing charitable status and any tax advantages, Labour saying fee-charging schools should “pay their taxes like the rest of us”.
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Responses to Guildford High School Head Marks Labour Plan To Abolish Private Schools As A Fail
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Shelley Grainger
October 5, 2019 at 11:09 am
It’s no surprise that those who benefit from privilege leap to its defence. The point is to level up, not level down. There was never any plan to close private schools, by the way, that idea comes from poor reporting.
Taking away tax advantages by redefining private schools and opening up their intake to those of less moneyed backgrounds can do nothing but improve their standing in the community as well as improving the schools’ academic records.
To say that an initiative to improve outcomes for the many, rather than reserving the best opportunities for the few is based on ignorance and the desire to damage,’ shows Mrs Boulton’s ideological bias. It also demonstrates a profound lack of imagination.