When it comes to qualifications, English schoolchildren have more choice than ever. Everyone knows about GCSEs and A-levels, yet few pay much attention to the alternatives, such as the International Baccalaureate and the International A-level. Why are these alternatives overlooked? Because they are the preserve of independent schools. The independent sector has the great advantage
The best of today’s boarding schools are a welcoming, stable home from home, says Fergus Llewellyn – but with opportunities that home might not offer ‘I f schools are what they were in my time, you’ll see a great many cruel blackguard things done, and hear a deal of foul bad talk. But never fear.
For many years, The Spectator has cheered on the Conservative party’s plans to reform Britain’s state education system. As our country hurtles down the international league tables, it is clear that something must be done to fix our schools. We can no longer compete with countries that once regarded us a role model. And what
The gulf between state education and independent schools grows wider every year, says Fraser Nelson – just look at the results Why choose private education? For years — including five long ones spent at boarding school — I was convinced there was no good answer to this question. For my family, it was an obvious
James Forsyth reviews the week in politics The last thing any politician wants to be seen as at the moment is a defender of the political status quo. So this week we have had Alan Johnson’s call for PR and David Cameron’s ‘power to the people’ speech. The Prime Minister is expected to lay out
The Spectator guide to grammar schools 2009 Your guide to using the tables An independent education can, and often does, lead to a head start in life for those fortunate enough to experience it. For parents, grandparents and others involved, it is a big decision. From prep to sixth form, an independent school education for
The Spectator guide to independent schools 2009 Your guide to using the tables An independent education can, and often does, lead to a head start in life for those fortunate enough to experience it. For parents, grandparents and others involved, it is a big decision. From prep to sixth form, an independent school education for
The Spectator guide to independent schools 2009 Your guide to using the tables An independent education can, and often does, lead to a head start in life for those fortunate enough to experience it. For parents, grandparents and others involved, it is a big decision. From prep to sixth form, an independent school education for
An introduction from Matthew d’Ancona, editor of The Spectator The Spectator is a proudly humanist journal. Since the days of Addison and Steele, co-founders of the magazine in its first incarnation in 1711, we have championed the civilising power of learning: not only as a route to employment, but as a path to pleasure. It
‘If you are sending your child to an independent school because you think this somehow guarantees a place at a top-quality university, then as things stand, you may be taking a bit of a gamble,’ says Vicky Tuck, head of Cheltenham Ladies’ College. ‘If you are sending your child to an independent school because you
‘Although enquiries about and acceptances of private school places appear to have increased slightly in recent months, we won’t really know if the recession has started to bite until September. ‘Although enquiries about and acceptances of private school places appear to have increased slightly in recent months, we won’t really know if the recession has
Yet the first UK school to specialise in dyslexia, as well as dyspraxia and Asperger’s Syndrome, opened its doors in 1946, when spelling and reading problems were dismissed as ‘word blindness’. Now one of only 20 special dyslexia schools in the country and with just 90 places on offer, the independent, co-ed Frewen College in
It is usually not enough merely to be able to afford to send a child to an independent school. Many fee-paying senior schools operate a form of selection, and admit pupils only upon the successful completion of the Common Entrance Examination, or an equivalent. The exam is particularly popular among boarding schools, and is intended
Independent schooling is an expensive business with fees typically ranging from about £10,000 a year for a day school to more than £25,000 per annum for boarding. Multiply that over the 11 years of a pupil’s compulsory schooling, add the number of children in your family, and tot up all the extras — such as
El Vino is the celebrated, even revered, wine bar in Fleet Street. Lawyers and the crustier type of journalist drink there, usually selecting wines from the old reliables: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne. Château Thames Embankment is Rumpole’s soubriquet for their house claret, and very good it is too. But El Vino now has several other branches,
There is something wonderful about this time of year, when fairly often the sun is shining. We make British, mock-rueful remarks to each other: ‘Yesterday was summer, I suppose!’ or ‘Well, if this is global warming, let’s have more!’ Sometimes we even have spells when we find it uncomfortably hot, days when there is no
A visit to the London International Wine Fair is, paradoxically, a sobering experience. With about 30,000 different wines on show, it is impossible to sample more than a minuscule number — the worst anyone can be accused of is binge-sipping. The stallholders want you to try all their wines, even if there are a dozen
I’ve been reading an intriguing article by Miles Thomas in the Psychologist magazine. It’s called ‘On Vines and Minds’, and it discusses many of the ways in which our brains determine the experience of drinking wine. I’ve been reading an intriguing article by Miles Thomas in the Psychologist magazine. It’s called ‘On Vines and Minds’,
The budget has hit wine merchants and drinkers quite hard. Those of us who like a sophisticated slurp are paying the price for those who drink themselves senseless on Friday and Saturday nights, and turn our town centres into a hellish version of the passagio. But it is important to keep standards up. If we
Time for our annual offer of Château Musar from the excellent folk at Wheeler Cellars, sister company to Lay & Wheeler. Time for our annual offer of Château Musar from the excellent folk at Wheeler Cellars, sister company to Lay & Wheeler. Once again you have the chance to place your order for the luscious