Harsh lessons

It was hugely disappointing that the Scotsman’s editorial should lament the abolition of private schools’ charitable status (15 December). Your newspaper has become an apologist for these institutions which are not the bastions of the charitable good works you suggest, and, indeed, promote elitism and self-perpetuating privilege which discriminates against those bright young people who happen to attend the local comp.

The much-vaunted mantra that independent schools offer free places to poor bright children so that they can excel in education is both patronising and insulting. Having spent most of my teaching life in Glasgow secondary schools, I can testify that many of my teaching colleagues could afford fabulous holidays on the back of tutoring pupils from the private sector.

To suggest those of us who oppose private education are envious of the success of these schools is offensive but many of us are angry that the bright, successful and motivated pupils we have taught have been rejected for top jobs in law, finance and the media etc because they did not have access to the old boys’ network enjoyed by private schools pupils.

Your paper would better reflect its readership if it produced editorials expressing outrage at the budget settlements given to local authorities and the catastrophic impacts it will have on all of us, irrespective of which schools we attended. MAUREEN HENRY Lammermuir Gardens, Glasgow