Eton College headmaster slams Labour plan to abolish private schools

Pupils at Eton College hurry between lessons, wearing the school uniform of tailcoats and starched collars
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Sean Morrison @seanmorrison_24 September 2019
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Eton College’s headmaster has slammed Labour’s plans to abolish private schools, saying they will not benefit children left behind by the education system.

Simon Henderson, who became head of the world-famous private school four years ago, said there was a battle on the way to ensure a future for private education.

He said in an interview with the Guardian newspaper that his historic college, which was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI, must make its case for survival by showing it is a “positive force for good”.

Mr Henderson said there was inequality in the education system and supported Labour’s ambitions to improve the lives of children across the country, but said “abolishing excellence” was not to the direction that should be taken.

It comes after Jeremy Corbyn’s party approved a motion calling for funds and properties held by private schools to be "redistributed democratically and fairly" to other schools.

Labour delegates approved the motion, which said such a commitment should be included in the party's next general election manifesto.

Shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said a future Labour government would scrap the "tax loopholes" which benefit private schools in its first budget 
PA

This would include withdrawal of charitable status and "all other public subsidies and tax privileges", including business rate exemption.

The Eton head said: “I don’t think that by abolishing some of the best schools in the world, by confiscating and redistributing their assets, that we are going to improve the life chances of young people who have been left behind by the education system.”

Mr Henderson told the same newspaper that he instead advocated increased partnership between private and state schools.

Under Labour’s motion universities would have to admit the same proportion of private school students as in the wider population, currently 7 per cent.

The vote in favour of the motion came after shadow education secretary Angela Rayner said a future Labour government would scrap the "tax loopholes" which benefit private schools, in its first budget.

Addressing the Labour Party conference in Brighton, Ms Rayner said she will task the Social Mobility Commission - which the party would rename the Social Justice Commission - with "integrating private schools".

She added: "We will set that commission to making the whole education system fairer through the integration of private schools.

"Myself and John McDonnell will set out further steps the Labour government will take, but I can say today that our very first budget will immediately close the tax loopholes used by elite private schools and use that money to improve the lives of all children."

The motion on private schools, moved by Battersea Constituency Labour Party, said conference believes Labour "must go further" than the 2017 manifesto to challenge the "elite privilege" of private schools who "dominate the top professions".

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