Report

Independent schools: what does the public think?

This report from UK think tank Civitas looks at public support for the right of independent schools to exist.

Civitas’s Commission on the Future for Independent Schools is currently undertaking a major programme of research on independent schools and their role in England today. We are hoping to contribute to the public discussion by providing a balanced review of how these schools fit into the education system and society more widely, as well as a constructive long-term vision for their future.

As part of the Commission’s ongoing work in this area, we have commissioned nationally representative polling in order to understand in detail how independent schools are seen by the British public. The results of this polling are outlined in this report. Our results reveal that there is strong public support for the right of independent schools to exist, and the right of parents to choose an independent education for their children if they can afford to do so. Seventy-two per cent of respondents said it was ‘right’ for parents to send their children to private schools – more than seven times as many as the ten per cent who said it was ‘wrong’. Strong net agreement was seen in every population sub-group, including Labour, Lib Dem, and Conservative voters; adults of every age; and in every part of England, Scotland and Wales.

These schools are widely perceived to offer a better educational experience than state schools, with the public believing that independent schools provide better teaching, facilities and support to pupils. 62 per cent of respondents believed that private schools are better than other schools at getting students into good universities and 50 per cent believe the standard of teaching in private schools is higher.

However, independent schools are not viewed wholly positively. The public overwhelmingly does not believe that independent schools merit charitable status or tax exemptions, and most often associate them with the words ‘exclusive’ and ‘elitist’. Negative sentiments (‘exclusive’, ‘elitist’, ‘snobby’, ‘entitled’) were associated with independent schools roughly three times as often as more positive ones (‘aspirational’, ‘valuable’, ‘exceptional’, ‘leading’).

According to our polling, the policy that would have the most impact on how favourably independent schools were viewed was if more children were enabled to attend them via bursaries and scholarships. 48 per cent said this would make them view private schools more favourably. This would have more of an impact than removing tax exemptions for independent schools, or investing more in state schools.

All in all, these results suggest a mixed public attitude towards independent schools. Respondents support the principle of independent education. However, there is a keen sense that the benefits of independent education could be more widely distributed.