Legal News
Charity Urges Government to Fund Private School Education for Children from Poor Backgrounds (18 January 2012)
Date: 18/01/2012
An education charity has urged the Government to pay for intelligent children from poor families to attend private schools. Sir Peter Lampl, who chairs the Sutton Trust, claimed that leading private schools should be open to children whose parents are unable to afford the cost of tuition fees. He has called for a revival of the grant scheme designed to subsidise tuition fees at day schools. However, a Government spokesperson has claimed that the Government’s priority was to fund the improvement of state schools. Sir Lampl stated that over two-thirds of children’s places at independent day schools were funded by the Government until 1976, when the grant scheme was abolished. He has told of how private schools fail to be open to those who are unable to afford the fees.
Sir Lampl claimed that a study by the Sutton Trust revealed that the majority of individuals in top jobs had attended private day schools. Sir Lampl said that the Sutton Trust had met the cost of carrying out a seven-year pilot study at a private girls’ school in Liverpool. During the study, Belvedere School accepted the brightest of children, with free places for one-third of pupils from families on a low income. The other parents were required to pay fees according to their level of need. Sir Lampl claimed that academic standards increased at the school as a result. A Department for Education spokesperson welcomed Sir Lampl's contribution but maintained that the Government was not considering his idea.
Duncan Lewis’ childcare law solicitors work with parents, guardians and the authorities to safeguard children’s rights.