Independent school pupils say ‘network’ will secure job

MORE than two thirds of 16-year-olds from leading fee-paying schools believe a family or social connection could help get them a job, compared with just one in six state schoolchildren, a study has indicated.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) Institute of Education said that independent school pupils had “very much higher levels” of selfesteem than state schoolchildren at both age 10 and 16.

It said there was some evidence that independent schools raised the aspirations of boys and girls and the 16-yearolds felt it afforded them access to valuable networks. However, the study said the pupils arrived with social advantages or cognitive skills that were associated with greater self-esteem.

They also found some differentiation between independent schools, “with generally the older and more expensive schools having in most cases the greater edge”. More than two thirds of 16year-olds from the top fee-paying schools believed a connection could help them get a job they wanted in a managerial or professional occupation.

The team analysed data on 11,000 people born across England, Wales and Scotland who are being followed by the 1970 British Cohort Study.

Prof Francis Green, of UCL, said: “Our findings show that certain attributes, for example, self-confidence and aspirations, and advantages, such as access to social networks, are developed in private schools.”

But he concluded: “The source of private schools’ advantage remains primarily their ability to deliver better academic performance.” He said policies should therefore remain focused on narrowing the educational achievement gap, rather than on raising selfesteem among state school pupils.