If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!
If – Rudyard Kipling (1895)
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking a great deal about these particular lines from Rudyard Kipling’s poetic tribute to Leander Starr Jameson. His ill-fated gamble in launching the Jameson Raid, a contributory cause of the Boer War a few years later, was a pivotal point in highlighting the fact that the power of the British Empire had limits.
The legacy of the poem is incredibly impressive: lines of it adorn the walls at Wimbledon’s Centre Court; Muhammad Ali reportedly carried a copy of it around as a guiding principle; it was voted Britain’s favourite poem in 1996, gaining twice as many votes as the runner-up.
It has come to symbolise a type of Victorian stoicism, or British stiff-upper-lippedness in the face of adversity which characterised the turning point in the satirical comedy film ‘Mike Bassett: England Manager’ in 2001. Seemingly facing the sack for the first two poor performances of the national team in the World Cup, Bassett recited the poem to a baying press pack, which suddenly fell silent (along with the rest of the country) and vowed to stick to his principles, play 4-4-2 and carry on as manager, turning the fortunes of the team around and helping them to the semi-finals of the tournament.
Whilst I haven’t quite been facing the sort of pressures which an England Football Manager has this summer – and nor have I been targeted for the kind of criticism that Gareth Southgate was getting when the side were underperforming in the group stages of Euro 2024, being Principal at an independent school at present resembles somewhat of a hostile environment.
The thumping victory of the Labour Party in the election this summer brought their agenda quickly to the fore, and within that is the imposition of VAT on fees. This move was long expected, but raised surprise in terms of the timing of its proposed introduction. Part-way through an academic year, and without any kind of thorough consultation with the sector, it has caused a fair degree of alarm. School budgets had been planned and set, but have had to be hastily redrawn, parents have been informed of fee rising they may not have been bargaining for so soon and already stories are surfacing of school closures, catastrophic losses for the entire community linked to them. A recent Daily Mail article claimed that one in five independent schools ‘could close in three years.’
A lesser publicised tremor within the education sector is also developing – the poor health of many UK universities. With four in ten in deficit and a significant decrease in the amount of applications from overseas students (and the income which comes with those enrolments), there has been widespread acknowledgement that several ‘face material risk of closure’ or mergers with similar institutions. According to Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary: “The funding model for higher education is broken and needs radical change to put the sector on a firm financial footing.” Such warnings are extremely concerning, and combined with the challenges now being faced by the independent sector, it is clear that a difficult time lies ahead for education.
The response to both of these wide ranging issues, by some universities and private schools has concerned me further.
Faced with a shortfall of students, it quickly became apparent on A Level results day that universities had taken on a fairly simple strategy: enrol as many students as possible through clearing, regardless of the grades which they achieved. This means that there have been instances of students missing their offers by multiple grades, but still getting places. It means that students have been scoring U grades and still getting places. It means that students have been securing courses, without having the necessary requirements to gain access to them.
It also means that there has been, to my mind, a cheapening of A Levels, and the work which has gone into achieving them. Granted, when students are applying for jobs post degree, I’m sure A Levels will remain significant, but allowing students to move forward when there is a lack of readiness seems very risky to me, particularly given the lack of the sort of pastoral care which comes from a school or college when challenges come along for students. I fear there will be many who find the pace of university a struggle, and end up leaving with a paucity of options, unsupported and lacking in confidence.
It has also been interesting to see how different private schools have approached the impact of VAT. There was a great deal of discourse in the lead up to the general election concerning which schools could shoulder the burden most and which schools could struggle with the onset of an added tax. Keir Starmer himself, in a speech recently, regarding how the situation was going to get tougher before it got better, said that the more affluent would have to take more responsibility. The rushed through policy to impose VAT on private schools seems to contradict that entirely. Schools like Eton, which could perhaps be classified as the most affluent school in the country, is simply passing the cost of VAT on to the parents, raising their fees from £52,749 to £63,000. On the contrary, schools with far less means to deal with the rise are absorbing VAT significantly, with some passing on a 15% or 12% rise to parents. We have decided to support parents as far as we can by going even further, and it has been taken by choice rather than necessity – but it raises questions as to whether this policy is as well thought out as it needs to be in order to ensure that the richest in our society do their part to help the less fortunate.
And so, given these ‘headwinds’, it could be quite difficult to approach the start of the school year with anything other than trepidation as to the direction in which it is all going.
But, as in the lines of the poem at the head of this article, when times are challenging, one must stick to the principles one has in order to overcome, and emerge on the other side of it all in a stronger place, just like Mike Bassett did.
So what are our principles, and what must they remain?
Everything that we do must remain student-centric. I don’t think I’d be wrong in saying we are typical of many small schools. We exist because we can fulfil a need which larger schools can’t.
Whether this means closer monitoring of students, academically or in a well-being sense, then that is where we make a difference.
Whether it is the offer of more detailed feedback, or more targeted support in order to raise the skills, attainment and confidence of a student, then that is the key offering.
We must be as agile, flexible and innovative as we have been in the past in order to keep doing what we are doing – because there is no doubt as to how important that is. I’m happy to share a piece of feedback I received from a parent this year, so effusive in praise was she about how her daughter had turned things around with us:
“My daughter studied the 1-year GCSE course at Ealing Independent College (EIC) and she told me this is the happiest school she has ever attended. I remember when my daughter decided to join the EIC a year ago, I was a bit hesitant – the campus is small and it lacks of outdoor space when compared to other schools/colleges in London; but for now, after a full year studying at EIC, I would say it is an AMAZING school!!
Mr Allan, the principal, and his team, which is truly wonderful, cared for my girl from day one, not only her study but also her well-being. Given that they are a small college having a small class size, the teachers spend lots of time with every student on teaching, clarifying their questions and their revision. I am particularly impressed by the fact that the principal and most of the teaching staff know the students as incredibly well as they do.
Last but not least, my daughter got excellent grades as her GCSE results!
Once again, thank you Mr Allan & your team for giving my daughter such a wonderful year!”
This is exactly the kind of impact which I know is worth fighting for with everything that we have. It is the sort of impact which only schools of our kind can produce.
Yes, it promises to be a challenging time – but our will must remain strong, our principles and high standards adhered to. That is the way to prove our worth.