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Former minister "hopelessly outdated", says private school head

Posted on 23rd October 2008

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An independent school head has hit out at views expressed by the former deputy prime minister.

According to the Daily Telegraph, John Prescott has criticised private education for exacerbating the divide between the classes.

In a forthcoming BBC series Prescott: The Class System And Me, he argues that those who attend independent schools are not doing so purely for the better provision at the institution, but also for the chance of securing a better career in the long run.

But headteacher of Rugby Patrick Derham, who appears in the programme, criticisies Mr Prescott's views as "hopelessly outdated", suggesting they have "no bearing on reality".

"The classic view he has, that only rich kids come to schools like this, is simply untrue," he added.

Rugby is currently planning to raise £30 million in a bid to provide more bursaries for disadvantaged pupils, notes the news source.

It has recently been reported that the popularity of grammar schools, to which Mr Prescott also objects, has been on the increase due to rising private school fees.