Steven Toy
Accuphase newbie
This is a tough one and I can see lots of arguments on both sides.
For
We get to widen the field of candidates for top positions in industry, finance, civil service and politics. Currently too many are drawn from a very narrow field of candidates who attended independent schools.
Why is this a problem?
Just because your parents are wealthy does not mean that you are bright. The process of prep school > common entrance 13+ exam (with lots of coaching on the side) > top public school (more coaching) > better exam results at GCSE and A Level than your level of innate ability would perhaps otherwise afford > Oxford > PPE > drop the E in year 3 cos it's too hard > BA (Hons 2:1) is one which regularly churns out mediocrity with a posh accent.
Look at Boris Johnson (sorry about that!). He knows how to.use a thesaurus when writing or reading from a script. Otherwise he waffles.
I read that he failed to give correct answers to the following three IQ test questions (they test innate critical thinking):
1) A house has 4 sides all facing south. What colour is the bear?
2) If at 8 PM you wind up your alarm clock and set it for 9 AM, how many hours sleep do you get?
3) If I have 5 apples and you take 2 apples, how many apples do you have?
My wife got one of these correct immediately. I got the other two. Boris got none. He waffled.
The answers are as follows (if you are interested):
1) White. It's a polar bear. You are on the North Pole. My wife got this one.
2) if you have to wind it up it is a 12-hour analogue clock with hands. You will get one hour of sleep at best.
3) 2. It is a language comprehension not an arithmetic question.
I guess if your critical thinking is not up to it but you have the right accent and ruffled, dyed hair you can always lie and bullshit your way through life.
JRM once said that if you attended a state school you were "as thick.as a plant pot."
Even if you went on to get a first at Oxford in economics without the leg-up.
The widening of the field of entry to top positions is a compelling argument in itself.
The other argument is that, over time we can get rid of the entitled ruling class without having to use guillotines. If young Alexander was educated at the same school as Kyle, his Dad Stanley might care a bit more for the funding of state schools. Kyle would get to benefit too.
Against
Soft power.
Almost half of all students in independent schools come from overseas. They often go on to become leaders in their country of origin having been turned into anglophiles and anglophones. Example, the former PM of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva went to Eton.
If we scrapped charitable status for these schools they could be a nice little earner for the Treasury.
Removing charitable status could possibly make them even more elitist, however. Only the ultra-wealthy and not the moderately wealthy could afford them.
If independent schools were abolished in the UK, would they not simply be moved abroad, say, to Switzerland, taking tax revenues with them?
On the basis of the above plus any additional arguments I haven't thought of, what say you?
For
We get to widen the field of candidates for top positions in industry, finance, civil service and politics. Currently too many are drawn from a very narrow field of candidates who attended independent schools.
Why is this a problem?
Just because your parents are wealthy does not mean that you are bright. The process of prep school > common entrance 13+ exam (with lots of coaching on the side) > top public school (more coaching) > better exam results at GCSE and A Level than your level of innate ability would perhaps otherwise afford > Oxford > PPE > drop the E in year 3 cos it's too hard > BA (Hons 2:1) is one which regularly churns out mediocrity with a posh accent.
Look at Boris Johnson (sorry about that!). He knows how to.use a thesaurus when writing or reading from a script. Otherwise he waffles.
I read that he failed to give correct answers to the following three IQ test questions (they test innate critical thinking):
1) A house has 4 sides all facing south. What colour is the bear?
2) If at 8 PM you wind up your alarm clock and set it for 9 AM, how many hours sleep do you get?
3) If I have 5 apples and you take 2 apples, how many apples do you have?
My wife got one of these correct immediately. I got the other two. Boris got none. He waffled.
The answers are as follows (if you are interested):
1) White. It's a polar bear. You are on the North Pole. My wife got this one.
2) if you have to wind it up it is a 12-hour analogue clock with hands. You will get one hour of sleep at best.
3) 2. It is a language comprehension not an arithmetic question.
I guess if your critical thinking is not up to it but you have the right accent and ruffled, dyed hair you can always lie and bullshit your way through life.
JRM once said that if you attended a state school you were "as thick.as a plant pot."
Even if you went on to get a first at Oxford in economics without the leg-up.
The widening of the field of entry to top positions is a compelling argument in itself.
The other argument is that, over time we can get rid of the entitled ruling class without having to use guillotines. If young Alexander was educated at the same school as Kyle, his Dad Stanley might care a bit more for the funding of state schools. Kyle would get to benefit too.
Against
Soft power.
Almost half of all students in independent schools come from overseas. They often go on to become leaders in their country of origin having been turned into anglophiles and anglophones. Example, the former PM of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva went to Eton.
If we scrapped charitable status for these schools they could be a nice little earner for the Treasury.
Removing charitable status could possibly make them even more elitist, however. Only the ultra-wealthy and not the moderately wealthy could afford them.
If independent schools were abolished in the UK, would they not simply be moved abroad, say, to Switzerland, taking tax revenues with them?
On the basis of the above plus any additional arguments I haven't thought of, what say you?
