Fair Representation

Read any mainstream news article about independent schools and a number of things are almost guaranteed.

If the article mentions a particular school, there will be an instant reference to its fees: St Aloysius, a private day school charging £4,000 a term. Better still if it’s a boarding school, the numbers are larger: £30,000-a-year Greyfriars. If there’s any whiff of scandal, former pupils are referenced – the grander the better: whose alumni include Tory grandee, Sir Montague Carmichael and actress, Dame Camilla Lumley.

The article is also likely to be accompanied by an image of the impressive frontage of a large, gothicstyle building; an ornate quadrangle or a pupil in idiosyncratic uniform comprising at least one of the following: a boater, a bow tie, breeches, knee socks, tails, some form of knickerbockers.

This is how news editors like to portray, or think this is how the public view, independent schools. These are, of course, stereotypes and not ones that I recognise having spent 26 years working in independent schools in London, Cambridge and Newcastle.

Let’s be clear. Independent schools sell an expensive product that, on the face of it, will not be affordable for many families. However, it is not true to say that all independent schools are only attended by children from fabulously wealthy and privileged backgrounds. The reality of the independent sector is somewhat different to the lazy and loaded stereotypes peddled in the media.

Many independent schools are more diverse and accessible than imagined or portrayed. The sector is more aware than it has ever been – certainly during the period of my career – of its social responsibilities.

There are around 2,600 independent schools in the UK educating just over 600,000 children, roughly 80% educated in schools that, like Newcastle School for Boys, are members of the Independent Schools Council (ISC).

One in 13 pupils at ISC schools receive some form of financial assistance. Like many schools, Newcastle School for Boys does not have large endowments to draw on but through careful financial management and the support of one or two local donors, we work hard to make our education as accessible as we can through the provision of means-tested bursaries and scholarships.

It is also often assumed that children who attend independent schools are all super bright. The reality is that only about half of all ISC schools are academically selective and about a quarter of the remainder have academic selection only for some age groups. Newcastle School for Boys is in this latter category. Recent demand for places has exceeded the number available meaning that entry into our Senior School, in particular, has become increasingly selective in the past few years. For now, entry into our Junior School is currently a little less selective.

Over 15% of pupils at ISC schools have special educational needs and/or a disability (SEND). At Newcastle School for Boys, this figure is 17%. Our Support for Learning staff at our Senior and Junior Schools do fantastic work supporting the achievements of these boys and making their experience of school a positive one. Again, demand for places can present a challenge. It would be wrong for us to admit boys who would be unable to access our curriculum successfully or whose needs we couldn’t meet. An increased demand for places for children with SEND appears to have arisen, at least in part, out of the funding shortfalls in the maintained sector. The economies of scale pursued to alleviate those shortfalls has created larger schools and classes leading to children with specific needs feeling lost or overwhelmed.

ISC schools are generally smaller than their maintained sector counterparts. At now just over 400 boys from ages three to 18, Newcastle School for Boys is slightly larger than the average size of around 300 pupils. It is rare that any of our class sizes exceed 20 boys. Overall school and class size are important factors in being able to meet the learning and personal development needs of all children, including those that are more vulnerable or who may face particular challenges.

Newcastle School for Boys, like most other independent schools, is very aware of and committed to its social responsibilities. We are keen to work in partnership with the maintained sector and its schools and to seek to make the excellent education we provide as accessible to as many boys as we can.