The newspapers have over the past few months been, quite under tasty daily, consumed by the twin challenges of COVID and Brexit. However, occupying a good many column inches, and opinion pieces in the broadsheets, has been the saga of the case of the Eton teacher recently dismissed over a talk which he ultimately didn't deliver to pupils at the prestigious school.
For those of you who may have missed it, the issue revolved around an online talk written and presented by Will Knowland, an English teacher at the school, entitled “The Patriarchy Paradox”. After concern was raised around its contents, chiefly around some rather eyebrow raising assertions of the roles of men and women in 21st century society, the Headmaster repeatedly asked the teacher to take it down from his YouTube channel; the teacher refused and was subsequently dismissed. Cue a quite extraordinary furore which played out over a couple of months in the newspapers and other journalistic organs.
What is it about this case that merited such attention and reaction? Inevitably, much of the explanation for the response is wrapped up in the word, indeed the concept, of Eton itself. No other school in the country, probably even the world, has such a power to demand attention in such a way; whether it likes it or not, Eton has a brand recognition within the industry something akin to what Manchester United or Coca-cola enjoy in theirs.
The case itself scarcely merits much attention. The talk itself was hardly the intellectual triumph some hailed it as; it is still available to watch on YouTube but, to spare you the time, it is something more likely to be produced by a clever sixth former to provoke a reaction from his classmates than a serious academic work. The school received legal advice that the material contravened elements of the Equality Act; despite this the teacher insisted on keeping the talk online and the rest felt somewhat inevitable. In most schools this would scare let have troubled the local newspapers.
But this is Eton, so there is an outcry. A school which has educated so many of the powers that be, an institution which is emblematic of the establishments, a school which educated its pupils in the “effortless superiority” so many of them will need as they glide through their careers in politics, the civil service and the media (sometimes at the same time). For its admirers, it’s a school that provides a world-leading education, facilitating the development of our natural leaders and forging the networks they need for their future lives; to it detractors, it is the emblem of privilege and entitlement, which puts mediocre intellects in positions which they would be denied in a properly meritocratic society. Either way, these perceptions of Eton encapsulate an element of British society which is as readily identifiable as cricket on the village green or afternoon tea and in the 21st century, is as anachronistic.
There is no doubt that many of Eton’s pupils are hugely privileged by any measure. The assumption that they are all identical, junior versions of, say, Jacob Rees-Mogg is as outdated as his top hat. Public schools such as Eton are changing and have changed. This isn’t because of an outbreak of “wokeism” from trendy teachers who are bringing down the enemy from within; it’s because attitudes from our young people and their teachers reflect the values of the world around them. Much of Eton’s supposedly woke agenda would not look out of place on any school’s PSHE curriculum and it, like many of its fellow public schools, are working hard to widen access to a more diverse range of pupils from more diverse backgrounds. Perhaps it is that which frightens elements of the fourth estate so much. For further information about Durham School, or to arrange a visit, call 0191 731 9270, email admissions@durhamschool.co.uk or visit www.durhamschool.co.uk