08 February 2010
Dr Anthony Seldon, at the haysmacintyre annual Schools’ Conference in London, called for all major parties to put into their election manifestos at least £10 million per year for boosting state/independent school partnerships.
Dr Seldon, who is Master (headmaster) of Wellington College, said that the greatest wasted opportunity in schools today is the very limited dialogue which continues between state and independent schools, despite heroic efforts by individual schools to partner each other.
The sum of money he says should be committed is not even the annual budget of a single large comprehensive and is a third of the amount put into building academies, yet is as much as the government has put into funding state/independent partnerships over the last 10 years. The independent sector currently spends several millions of pounds from its own funds on partnership activities and it should not be bearing this cost without government support.
The Labour government has put its toe into the water, he argued, and helped to show the way, “but we need a full body immersion. Both sectors have so much to learn from each other and so much to give each other. Teachers, pupils, parents and governors have everything to gain from working more closely together, but it needs to have funding and it needs to have positive and active encouragement from government”.
The climate has changed for the better since 1997, he said, in a broad ranging speech which examined government education policy over the last 10 years, and considers where it should go over the decade.
“Partnerships, including the formation of academies by independent schools, are the way forward. The Charity Commission has made the wrong choice by advocating bursaries, which has taken us back to the 20th century rather that forward to the 21st. Bursaries pluck out top children from state schools, demoralising state schools in the process and damaging relations between both sectors rather than encouraging them. It was an error.”
He advocates that whichever party wins the general election, it should encourage the formation of federations between state and independent schools, with each independent senior school forming a federation with six state schools (there are approximately 600 independent senior schools and 3,300 state secondary schools). These federations should meet regularly to exchange ideas on school improvement and breaking down barriers. “The independent sector has much to learn from the state sector about teaching and learning, and the state sector has much to learn from the independent sector about pastoral care, the house system and discipline, and developing the all-round talents of each child,” he says.
“Over 300 partnerships have been funded by government since 1997 at a cost of £10 million. This has helped greatly to break down barriers between both sectors and shown the potential of partnership. However, we need to go far, far further if we are to improve education for all and if we are to build a more socially inclusive nation in the 21st century.”
For further information:
Jan Stannard, 07710 171704 or Wellington College, 01344 444101 or
Noble Hanlon at haysmacintyre, 020 7969 5548, nhanlon@haysmacintyre.com
About haysmacintyre
haysmacintyre, Chartered Accountants and business advisers, works with over 550 charities and not for profit organisations in the UK and overseas. Our services include the full range of audit, tax, VAT and comprehensive advisory services. Our multi-disciplinary specialist team has extensive sector experience working for a diverse range of charities. We are based in one location which ensures an integrated and comprehensive approach to our clients’ requirements.
haysmacintyre, is a leading advisor to the independent schools sector and our portfolio includes over 100 schools throughout the UK and many of the governing bodies and professional associations. We support the sector through the conference and seminars we provide for governors, heads and bursars, our annual benchmarking survey and other publications.
About the haysmacintyre Schools’ Conference
Now in its 17th year the haysmacintyre annual schools’ conference is one of the preeminent conferences in the independent schools sector. The conference, aimed at Chairs of School Boards of Governors and Finance Committees, Governors, Heads and Bursars, was attended by over 200 delegates. The event provides a forum for representatives to meet and to discuss current and common concerns that all independent schools encounter.