from Financial Times 20 March 2009
An article exploring the decision-making processes that parents face when choosing a school for their child. The article asks “If money were no object, would it be better to send your child to an independent, or a state school?”
The article sites mtmconsulting’s Missing Million Report and School Fees Payment Survey to provide an idea of the sacrifices made by parents in paying for independent education. mtmconsulting senior consultant Dick Davison is quoted as saying, “parents value ‘holistic’ education, and many of the most valuable things that go on in schools aren’t measurable.”
The article is copied below, or click here to read the article on the Financial Times website
Making the right choice: Which school is ‘best’?
By Ross Tieman
Published: March 20 2009 17:07 | Last updated: March 20 2009 17:07
Choosing a school for one’s child must be one of life’s toughest decisions. The consequences can last a lifetime – for one’s offspring – and have enormous effects upon their wealth and happiness.
The data on which to base a decision are incomplete – even academic league tables such as our own are only a partial measure of a school’s “success” in preparing pupils for adult life – and money, or the lack of it, may limit the range of options.
But if money were no object, would it be better to send your child to an independent, or a state school?
On the face of it, evidence in favour of independent schools looks strong. Independent schools educate only 7 per cent of children in the UK, yet they dominate our rankings. Parents who have the financial resources also vote with their pockets.
According to studies by MTM Consulting, a specialist adviser to independent schools, almost a quarter of families who can afford the fees send one or more children to independent schools.
They are therefore spending a lot of cash to buy a private-sector service in preference to one that, in theory, is available free from the state. These parents clearly believe they are buying some added value.
Research by the Sutton Trust found that pupils from independent schools are remarkably over-represented in some professions. For example, three-quarters of judges and 42 per cent of office-holding MPs attended independent schools.
Professor Francis Green, of the University of Kent, in collaboration with colleagues at the London School of Economics, where he is a visiting professor, sought to discover whether independent schools really conferred lifelong economic benefits to more than a select group of pupils.
Their conclusion was un equivocal. In a forthcoming paper, to be published in the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society, they reveal that “employees who have been at private school earn around a third more than those graduating from state schools”.
The “premium” was bigger for the post-1960 cohort, suggesting the “success gap” had widened. But, adjusting for family background, the post-1960 premium was reduced to 20 per cent. When they adjusted for qualifications too, males achieved a 6.6 per cent earnings premium, and females a premium of 5.5 per cent.
So, crudely put, pupils of independent schools earn more because they tend to get better qualifications, but also because the schools give them something else which adds about 6 per cent to their earning power.
As the authors remark, the nature of this “extra” value awarded by employers is unclear. The authors wondered whether it might be higher self-esteem, or contacts and friendships.
The shortcoming of such analysis, as the authors point out, is that it relies on historic data, at a time when independent schools, their state rivals, and the labour market, are changing fast. What was true in the past might not be true for those leaving independent schools today.
Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, says: “If you look at independent grammar schools, about half the variation in performance is about educational talent” and correlates with family background and the professions of parents. “Another 15 per cent is linked to the qualities of the staff and head teacher.”
But are the academic pass-rates of school leavers, or even lifetime earnings, really good measures of a school’s success? Anthony Seldon, Master of Wellington College, is an outspoken advocate of a more ‘holistic’ education.
“Only a very small minority of parents want their children to be successful at all costs,” he says. “Many more want their children to be happy and come out as rounded, decent kids who will go to a good university.”
This view appears to dominate parental choices. Only 15 per cent of children at independent schools, are boarders. Research by MTM Consulting suggests that many parents would sooner have their children living at home and place a high value on being able to take them on interesting holidays and family activities.
Dick Davison at MTM says: “Good examination results aren’t everything. Parents value ‘holistic’ education, and many of the most valuable things that go on in school aren’t measurable.”
So, what does all this add up to, when it comes to choosing a school for your child, money no object? In sum, most parents consider academic success desirable, but secondary to assuring their child’s happiness and personal development, and continued residence within the family.
The advice from educationalists about how best to choose a school within those parameters is remarkably consistent: learn as much as you can about the schools which are viable options, and trust your instincts and those of your child.
“Of course, it is important to give parents data, but most parents and most children will make the decision based on intuition,” says Wellington’s Dr Holden.
While the independent sector has more of the best-qualified teachers, the best facilities, and is often strong on extra-curricular activities, “there are great teachers in both sectors”.
In both state and independent sectors, Dr Holden says, “The best schools will be developing all the talents that children have, in music, sport and so on, and also getting the best grades in the right subjects for your child. The best schools teach your children how to lead a happy and balanced life.”
Parents, says Professor Smithers, need to “think about what would be good for the child”, and evaluate schools in that light.
Trust your own reactions to the head, to the staff, and to all that you see and hear, says Dr Holden. “Emotion is five times more important than reasoning. It is a question of whether the child and the parents feel at home.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009
