Industry News
£1m scholarships for talented pupils
Posted on 5th July 2007
Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay has announced that he will offer £1 million in scholarships to attend a private school to students from poorer backgrounds.
Having already donated money to build a new sixth form boarding house at Merchiston Castle School, the Conservative party supporter is to assist a number of talented pupils with their tuition fees, the Scotsman reports.
Andrew Hunter, headmaster at the school, said: "I am delighted to see this partnership between a leading philanthropist and Merchistonian with the present Merchiston."
Lord Laidlaw attended the school between 1956 and 1960, before moving on to Leeds University where he achieved a BA in Economics, the newspaper states.
The news follows a report by the Sutton Trust which found that from a list of 500 people considered to be leaders in their fields, 53 per cent had attended independent schools.
According to the trust, little has changed since a similar study was conducted 20 years ago which found that 58 per cent of such figures had received private education.