or... an opportunity for children of all backgrounds

... but Isobel Tobias , head of Redmaids High School, hit back at the MP’s comments, describing them as ‘disappointing’

THE head teacher of one of Bristol’s leading private schools has said the comments of one of the city’s MPs who said fee-paying schools ‘damaged’ Bristol society were ‘disappointing’.

Isabel Tobias, the headteacher of Redmaids High School, said she ‘fervently disagreed’ with the comments of Karin Smyth, who caused controversy with her analysis of the issues of education in Bristol.

Her comments sparked a fierce debate in South Bristol and the headteacher of one of those private schools, the all-girl Redmaids’ High School, disputed Ms Smyth’s position.

In a message to parents, Isabel Tobias hit back at the MP’s view that private schools ‘deprive young people’ and that their ‘very existence actively encourages the underfunding of our state schools’.

She outlined how the school offers ‘a number of 100 per cent means-tested scholarships to students from the maintained sector’, and how the school has a special partnership with Oasis Academy Brightstowe, which grants ‘up to two fully-funded sixth form places to girls every year’.

“And we run inclusive opportunities at the school,” she said.

“For example, students from local state schools are invited to our annual free Women in Careers Conference every May.

“I would argue that Ms Smyth’s opinions of the independent sector are somewhat outdated and misguided.

“Her belief that parents send their children to private schools ‘for the list of contacts they’ll leave with’ is hugely short-sighted.

“Yes – networking is a key part of any school community, state or otherwise. But if she were to come in and meet our students, I think she would agree that the school’s real legacy is that students leave us as well-rounded and adjusted young women, confident to be themselves and make a positive impact on the world,” added Ms Tobias.

One of the accusations levelled at Bristol’s large private school sector by the Labour MP was that it was elitist – effectively pulling the city’s wealthiest and most privileged children into a system which perpetuated that privilege and opportunity, while depriving the rest of the city’s young people of opportunities and access to that network.

Ms Tobias, whose school charges up to £14,430 a year per pupil, said she disagreed.

“She also claims that private schools are ‘exclusively for the rich,’ which again, is not true,” the head-

❝ I would argue that Ms Smyth’s opinions of the independent sector are somewhat outdated and misguided Head Isabel Tobias

teacher said of Ms Smyth’s words.

“The parents that send their children to Redmaids’ High come from all kinds of backgrounds and situations. Many make big sacrifices to ensure that their children receive the education that they believe is right for them.”

Ms Smyth called for private schools to lose their charitable statuses which, in the next five years, will enable them nationally to avoid paying around half a billion pounds in tax.

Ms Tobias said ‘an attack’ on private schools would make funding of the state school sector worse.

“In my opinion an attack of inde- pendent schools is not the way to address any shortcomings in the country’s maintained education system,” she said.

“In fact, it would be far more likely to actually make this situation worse. Independent Schools Council (ISC) data suggests that the nearly 2,500 independent schools in the UK contributed £13.7billion to the UK economy in 2017, generating £4.1billion of annual tax revenues (equivalent to £129 per UK household) and supporting 257,000 jobs.

“Furthermore, independent schools save the taxpayer £3.5billion every year by providing places for pupils who would otherwise be expected to take up a place in the state-funded sector,” she added.

Ms Tobias said she hoped Karin Smyth would visit Redmaids, just like two of Bristol’s other Labour MPs have already.

“I would be delighted to welcome Karin Smyth to visit our school as several of her colleagues such as Thangam Debbonaire and Darren Jones have already done,” she said.

“I believe she would gain a better understanding of what it is that we offer the community rather than assuming our impact is a negative one,” she added.