Another mild stooshie in the newspapers this past week about private education. I've lost track of the statistics, but it seems a lot of people in the Cabinet went to private schools (public schools, as they are called in England, though I'm not sure why) and then went on to 'elite' universities. So did large numbers of senior civil servants, lawyers, doctors, MPs, even journalists. This means that a lot of very bright people from comprehensives are never given the chance to shine, since the products of elite schools and universities tend to favour people from the same background as themselves (PLU, Margaret Thatcher used to call them: people like us) and so the inequality and lack of opportunity go on from one generation to the next.
If you think this is not true, let me refer you to the problem of getting women into higher level jobs. Same problem, same inability by the men to come up with a solution for creating equality of opportunity - and yes, the men do control the solution.
I could shake my head sadly and say: that's a shame but it happens mainly in English circles. We don't have that problem in Scotland. If hardly anyone in England goes to a private school (7%? 6%?), even fewer do in Scotland. About 3% of young people, maybe. I was talking to someone yesterday whose grandchildren are at private schools in Glasgow. The grand daughter aged 9 lives in Thorntonhall and goes to school at Craigholme. The travel is doable. The grandson aged 7 lives in Kilmacolm and attends Dairsie House (an offshoot of Hutchie). This is such a ridiculous journey the boy has to stay with his granny 2 nights a week so he can go to the swimming and the cubs. Listening to the reasoning of the granny, I came to the conclusion the parents know exactly why his travelling is acceptable and what they are buying. They're not bothered if the kid is academic. They want the name of the private school on the application forms for university and for jobs. And they want the kid to have contacts.
Well, it's always been like that, I hear you say.
And thank goodness for the state system of education in Scotland, I also hear you say, except that we're kidding ourselves if we think state education today is the great leveller our parents hoped it would be. In areas of Scotland, houses for sale are advertised as being 'in the catchment area of' followed by the name of a secondary school that appears every year in the top 10 of the highest-achieving schools (in terms of exam results) in the land. People pay silly money to buy a house in these catchment areas. If they can't afford a house, they have been known to lie about their real address or send the wean to live with a granny in P7 to be sure of getting him or her into the desired secondary. There have been court cases over this. And I'm not just talking about leafy East Renfrewshire and East Dunbarton here. Most cities and even some towns have the same divisions: Inverness, Dundee, Aberdeen, Stirling, Hamilton, Perth - and more.
The argument seems to be if you can get your child into a school with a good reputation, expectations will be higher and your kid will be pushed. So does that mean your kid in a school that isn't one with a high reputation will suffer? Well, in one way: there may be a lack of 'like minds' in your child's school if some families have moved away to be in the catchment area of a 'good' school. On the other hand, I've rarely met a teacher who didn't rise to the challenge of pushing a child to learn more and your child will benefit from that, whatever school they are in.
Sometimes I think the only truly comprehensive secondary schools in Scotland are furth of the cities and the Central Belt: schools in the Western Isles, Highland region, Argyll, Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders have schools where most kids go to the local school. I exclude places like Moray and Aberdeenshire - god knows what goes on there.
I'm reminded of a friend's son who decided he wanted to go to Cambridge - no, his parents didn't know why either. He got in after a lot of fuss because he was very, very clever and despite the fact the college didn't really recognise his qualifications. At the first dinner in college, he was introduced to the head man (provost? chaneil is agam) who asked him what school he was from. 'Shawlands Academy', said the young man proudly. The heid bummer looked puzzled: 'Don't know that school,' he said. 'Is that part of Glasgow Academy?'
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