Minister taken to task by his old school’s headmaster

‘Rising star’ sent letter saying he is wrong over plans for employers to ask about applicant’s schooling

THE headmaster at a government minister’s former school has written him a letter attacking his “wrong-headed” proposals to force employers to check whether job applicants went to private school.

Last week, Matthew Hancock, the Cabinet Office minister, provoked anger when he suggested firms should ask questions to determine the “socioeconomic background” of job applicants in an effort to stop discrimination against the poor. Heads at some of the most selective private schools called the proposals “simplistic”.

Now, Chris Ramsey, head of King’s School, where Mr Hancock was a pupil, has written to the minister criticising his proposals. In the letter, seen by The Daily Telegraph, he said he was “dismayed” by the suggestions.

He wrote: “You must know, as an Old King’s Scholar, that having been educated at an independent school is not of itself an indicator of social advantage.”

Separately, Mr Ramsey said: “I have more justification than some in taking issue with Matt Hancock, since he is an alumnus of the school whose head I am. He’s an intelligent, charming and generous political rising star, but I think he has jumped on a bandwagon which has, to mix my metaphors, passed its sell-by date.”

Explaining why a student was not defined by their background he said: “To give two obvious examples, why should a full-bursary student from a disadvantaged background, educated at, say, Christ’s Hospital School, an independent school with a noble tradition of social diversity, be categorised with a full fee-payer at, say, Eton? Or pitted against the ‘state educated’ middle-class pupil at, say, The Judd School or London Oratory, two schools with noble and impressive traditions of high academic performance and some very wealthy people in their parent body?

“The minister’s suggested approach – the use of ‘school type’ as a spurious proxy for ‘advantage’ – may be wellmeaning, but it is shallow and thoughtless. If he had suggested that application forms should ask candidates to clarify whether they are black or white, or male or female, there would quite rightly have been outrage. What he suggests is no less wrong-headed.”

The Provost of Eton College, Lord Waldegrave, has threatened to quit the Conservative Party over the proposals and other members of private schools have now also spoken out.

Julie Robinson, general secretary of the Independent Schools Council group of schools, which includes St Paul’s, Eton and Winchester, said: “We feel it creates a new form of discrimination because it is assuming that school type is a proxy for advantage and life isn’t that simple. There are many factors that contribute to how successful someone is.”