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Private school head demands the return of assisted places
Tim Ross23 Jan 2009
Bright children whose parents cannot afford a private education should have their fees paid with public money, a leading headteacher said today.
Barry Martin, head of the independent Hampton School, called for a revival of the assisted places scheme that Labour abolished as too “elitist” in 1997. He said such a move would help more working-class students enter highly selective universities like Oxford and Cambridge.
Mr Martin was speaking after his boys' school topped this year's Evening Standard league table with the best A-level results in London. On average, Hampton pupils achieved nearly five A-grades each.
But independent schools have been under mounting pressure to prove they do not operate as “exclusive clubs” for children of the rich. New charity laws require they exist for the wider “public benefit”.
At the same time, ministers have criticised Oxford and other highly academic universities for failing to take more working-class students. Mr Martin said a solution would be to “open up the schools that are doing really well”.
“We would be very open to a system whereby the Government funded places here so we could open the school up,” he said. “But we would have to have the right to select boys who are suitable to benefit from what we have to offer.
“If we want the universities to be taking people to read demanding academic subjects from a wide social base, then we have got to have a wide social base going through the system.” Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government established the assisted places scheme. By the mid-Eighties, some 6,000 pupils a year were enrolled on free or subsidised places. In 1997 Tony Blair scrapped assisted places and invested the money saved in cutting primary school class sizes.
Mr Martin warned Hampton was prepared to consider ditching
A-levels if new rival courses offered a better preparation for university. The Cambridge Pre-U diploma and International Baccalaureate may be suitable for some pupils, he said. At the moment, however, A-levels are doing their job for Hampton boys — a record number of whom secured offers from Oxbridge.
“A-levels have undoubtedly changed,” Mr Martin said. “What's gone amiss in the recent past is that with the expansion of the number of people getting A-grades, it has not been possible for really bright kids to differentiate themselves.”
He welcomed reforms including tougher A-level questions, an ex-tended project and a new A*-grade.
But he criticised suggestions that top universities may ignore the A* for political reasons. There are fears a disproportionate number of private school pupils will achieve A*.
Reader views (13)
To Mr Bowes;
Your comment is both misguided and unfair. "Only taking the most promising candidates" is the only way to keep them promising. I can assure you that without Hampton to crack the whip when I first joined I would have easily sunk into laziness and mediocrity. And at what point does he claim to be helping "the average student"? He is helping the gifted but disadvantaged students who would otherwise acheive nothing close to their abilities.
"Hampton School will do everything in its power to weed out students that will not achieve its high standards". Quite frankly, no. No it doesn't. Other independent schools may cull as much as 10% every year and have minimum grades after GCSE and AS. In my year, we have lost 2 people in 6 years, and that was because they were disruptive and exceptionally lazy (in my opinion, we should cull many more this way). So if you didn't make the entrance exam, unlucky, if you were later forced out, that is a spectacular acheivement.
Describing Hampton as an "assembly line" is just plain wrong. I genuinely love the school and dread the day I leave; Hampton is more of an organism than a machine, and the individual comes far, far before exam results.
"A secret society"?? I'm not going to justify that with a response. And I cannot help but wonder if we are even talking about the same Barry Martin here. He has been my headmaster throughout my time at the school and is universally liked.
I'm sorry, but what you have written is incorrect on every level.
- Ben Swan, L6th Hampton Student, Kingston, UK, 20/01/2011 21:23
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The call to help the less privileged children of the U.K by Mr. Martin is fake and elitist in its own right. Only taking the most promising candidates is not going to help the average child in the U.K. Do they want to help a child or let an extremely talented child help them in achieving even higher results at the academic year’s end.
Hampton School will do everything in its power to weed out students that will not achieve its high standards.
I am one of these children and would advise parents about the secret elitism of the school.
Schools are meant to be compassionate and caring to the individuals needs but Hampton school is more like a giant assembly line, with a cut throat quality control system and Oxbridge being the final product.
I later went to a state school and even with double the class size and less teachers, I still received a more personal schooling experience with all the extra help that I needed.
There are wonderful teachers at Hampton school but its elitist heads and directors have made one of England’s finest education facilities into more of a secret society then a school. Mr. Martin remains one of the vilest men that I have been so unlucky to meet and I hope for the children’s sake a compassionate and caring individual will take his place in the near future.
- Mr Bowes, Hampton U.K, 30/11/2010 12:32
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Today we recieved a letter from Truro School to offer our daughter an assited place at Truro School; she did exceptionally well in her entrance exam and is an ideal, all round candidate. We applied for a place in the belief it MAY be worth up to full fees but have only been awarded 20% off, which we still can not afford and hence she will now not be able to go. We are a normal working class family who wanted our daughter to have the best education possible. It makes me so cross to learn some rich parents play the system and manage to acquire free places!!! We are left frustrated and deflated. Assisted places do NOT always mean free places; especially in our case.
- Kate, St. Austell Cornwall UK, 30/01/2010 19:38
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This school is an Independent not grammar !
What's wrong with giving people opportunity, some people are riven with jealousy and prejudice and over the education of children!
Why don't we all prescribe to the rubbish for all thinking!
- Harry, London, 30/01/2010 18:38
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No educational system is justifiable if it is based on the ability or the parents to pay rather than the ability of the pupils studying there. It's clear that private schools will never be abolished, as the pro-independent lobby is far too vocal and influential. At least the Assisted Places scheme gave some less well-off children the chance to benefit. Since its abolition private schools have become even more elitist. A number of London private schools have said that they are keen to offer more places to children at state primaries. My local one is Highgate, but has anyone from there been to visit my 10 year old son's primary school to look for potential children who might be recruited? Of course they haven't. The will just isn't there in many of these schools.
- Ljw, London, 30/01/2010 18:38
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At the end of the day (re. independent schools) is that independent/grammar schools perform considerably better in exams than state schools (hence why so much extra funding is needed). If you do not accept that upper-middle class people are simply more intelligent than poorer kids (as I do not) you are forced to conclude that the schools are simply better! So surely we should be opening up these schools to as many people as possible.
It is inevitable that some the system (as any will) will be abused by some clever people. However, I don't think that Mr Martin is daft enough to think we should go back to exactly what we had under Thatcher, we are to learn from those mistakes and close up the previous loop-holes (such as the issue of divorce settlements).
This is clearly a very useful and beneficial idea and more people would appreciate that if they would just climb down off their anti-independent horses! Independent schools are a phenomenally good source of education and one that we should praise not deride.
- John Winterburn, Cambridge, 30/01/2010 18:38
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He has got to be joking of course...hasn't he?
By the way, there are plenty of able A level kids in state schools/colleges who, believe it or not, don't want to apply to or go to, Oxbridge. Sane people know that there are many excellent universities where you can get a first-class educational & personal experience.
It's private schools/parents who are obsessed with Oxbridge
- Socialist, Essex, 30/01/2010 18:38
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We need to educate our children to compete with the best - for the good of the economy and the UK's future. There is no golden rule that says the State provides the best education. If the private sector can do it - so be it.
- Jeremy E, London, 30/01/2010 18:38
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hi,my nine year old son has told me he is bored with his school.after loving for the last five years,he has come to the conclusion that he needs more.Im not a mother that pushes her children,but im really concerned that he needs more.He has said could he go to our local private school he wants to go and look round,but earn next to nothing.What are the chances of an assisted place?
- Samantha Takkou, hertfordshire, 30/01/2010 18:38
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The Assisted Places Scheme should never be brought back.
I worked in the Bursars Dept of a top Private Day School
for many years when the Assisted Places scheme was in operation, and I can tell you quite categorically that what you & I perceive as working class kids, never got a look in for an assisted place. Most were middle class divorcees playing the system, you see the income from a divorce settlement was not considered as earnings so your divorce settlement could be a £1,000,000 pa but you would still be entitled to a FREE assisted place.Parents actually got divorced to secure assisted places, even though they were still living in the same family home, having cleverly converted the property into two. This was just a huge con to get FREE education for the less well off middle classes. They would actually get their accountants to telephone the Bursars Office to see how much they had to reduce their clients income by, to obtain a FREE PLACE. It was such an unfair scheme, it should never be brought back. I remember one 6th Former in particular getting a Brand new car on her 17th Birthday, whilst receiving a FREE education at taxpayers expense. There are better things to do with taxpayers money than cosy up to middle class con artists.
- Ros, London UK, 30/01/2010 18:38
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Here we go again, the Grammar Schools trying to poach those pupils with ability in order to boost their own exam stats. Of course the kids would have benefitted from that 'priveliged' education but that is not the point.
- Dhanraj, Basildon Essex, 30/01/2010 18:38
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There will always be some people who play the system, but many children have benefited greatly from the assisted places scheme. I was one of them, and my parents most certainly needed the financial assistance. It was a shame it was abolished as it meant there were pupils from all backgrounds at the school - something that was good for all of us.
- Angela, London, 30/01/2010 18:38
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This is a very good idea, that has been done at Hampton school once before. Two childrens' education fees have been raised the HSPA.
This is not to boost our own stats, as we are the best school at A levels in 2008.
So we will be doing this for the benefit of those children, whos parents are not rich enough to send their children to a public school.
This is not about getting better grades, but building a better future for all of us!
- Sam Peach, Hampton Student, Englefield Green, UK, 30/01/2010 18:38
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