Public schools and the public Why Eton, Harrow, Rugby and the rest thrived. With varying degrees of enthusiasm, Labour leaders have promised for the past 80 years to “do something” about fee-charging private schools. The 2019 election manifesto pledged to “close the tax loopholes” they enjoy and seek advice on “integrating [them] and creating a comprehensive education system”. This was a considerably weaker commitment than the announcement in 1973 by Roy Hattersley, then shadow education secretary, of “our serious intention… eventually to abolish private education” or the proposal from Labour’s national executive in 1943 that “all children… shall be required to attend schools provided by the state”.
Gender, education and work
The weaker sex
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“IT’S all to do with their brains and bodies and chemicals,” says Sir Anthony Seldon, the master of Wellington College, a posh English boarding school. “There’s a mentality that it’s not cool for them to perform, that it’s not cool to be smart,” suggests Ivan Yip, principal of the Bronx Leadership Academy in New York. One school charges £25,000 ($38,000) a year and has a scuba-diving club; the other serves subsidised lunches to most of its pupils, a quarter of whom have special needs. Yet both are grappling with the same problem: teenage boys are being left behind by girls.
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By Sean Coughlan
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University students in England should be given financial compensation for the disruption to their studies from the pandemic, says Sir Anthony Seldon.
The former University of Buckingham vice-chancellor said it would be right and just for students to have refunds.
Larissa Kennedy, National Union of Students president, backed his call, saying: Students deserve better than to be pushed into financial hardship.
The Department for Education said refunds were a matter for universities.
Students have complained about paying rent on accommodation they cannot use and paying full tuition fees while studying online and not having access to campus facilities.
BettFest 2021: three days of education inspiration
Bett Show
Bett, the education event, ran its first virtual show in January. Over 7,500 people from 110 countries and all parts of the education technology industry took part in three days of professional development and product discovery.
The event focused on three key themes – leadership, digital inclusion and resilient futures – and their role in shaping remote learning. Content was delivered via the Mainstage, Bett Academy and Solutions Showcases to support the different needs of the global Bett community.
Speakers on the live Mainstage included educator and historian Anthony Seldon, Twitter’s European vice president Bruce Daisley, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. The event also included a special address from the UK minister of state for schools, Nick Gibb, who recognised the vital role that education technology has played in the past year and announced initiatives to support the continuation of this.