Research by Kent University and the LSE has concluded that former pupils of independent schools earn 30% more than pupils from schools in the maintained sector."Private schools do indeed have a substantial impact on earnings later in life."The study, which analysed data on 10,000 people from the British Household Study who went to school in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, found that 20% of the pay gap was due to better exam grades and 10% to family background.
"Private schools do indeed provide benefits for some individuals above and beyond those that accrue through qualifications and access to good universities. Whether these benefits come through 'old boy networks', 'old girl networks', through superior careers advice systems, or through unmeasured broad competences that are not captured by formal qualifications, we cannot say."I am sure that the many parents who are making huge sacrifices to invest the £15,000+ per annum in their child's education will find these data reassuring.
That Independent Schools give young people a competitive edge should not surprise us. Our schools are committed to a broad view of education that extends beyond the narrow confines of the National curriculum and the examinations specifications. It is an education that still provides opportunites for leadership through the Prefectoral system and the Combined Cadet Corps, teamwork in School Plays, competition on the games field; articulacy in the debating society and challenge on expeditions. In other words, our schools are teaching the very skills that employers value [see the National Employers Skill Survey - 2007].
No comments:
Post a Comment