By Gavin Mackintosh-
An initiative to abolish private schools in the Uk is being endorsed by Labour shadow ministers.
Under the campaign group called ‘Labour Against Private Schools, advocates of the drive want to see independent schools in England merged with the state school sector.
The move will mean that putting limits are placed on pupils’ entry to universities and also allow private schools’ assets to be used by the state education sector. The radical group is pushing for an “abolish Eton” debate at the Labour Party’s conference in Brighton next week, with many frontbenchers backing the move.
Among its strong supporters are shadow chancellor John McDonnell,(pictured) party chairman Ian Lavery, shadow secretary for workers’ rights Laura Pidcock and shadow treasury minister Clive Lewis. Other strong backers include Labour leader Ed Miliband is also behind the plan, as are MPs who are part of the Commons’ powerful education select committee: Lucy Powell and Ian Mearns.
If the vote passes in Brighton, a motion to withdraw private schools’ charitable status, business rate exemption and “all other public subsidies and tax privileges”, and redistribute their endowments, investments and properties “democratically and fairly across the country’s educational institutions” will become party policy in the event of winning a general election.
UNEQUAL
“We know that our society is grotesquely unequal, and part of the reason for that is because of the inequalities in education, particularly in private schools, where large amounts of money are spent on a privileged few,” Mcdonnels said in a statement.
That means stripping them of charitable status, putting limits on pupils’ entry to universities and allowing private schools’ assets to be used by the state education sector.
The group is pressing for an “abolish Eton” debate at the Labour Party’s conference in Brighton next week, and a host of frontbenchers are backing the move.
6.5% of pupils in the Uk are privately educated, and most have high quality access to guidance counsellors.