Eton’s ‘woke’ headmaster deserves praise, not criticism

Simon Henderson is levelling up education in the North by helping young people in deprived areas get into the best universities

Over the past few months, I have watched the attacks on the headmaster of Eton College, Simon Henderson, with increasing incredulity.

Rather than briefing against him, his Old Etonian detractors would do better to ask themselves what role they believe Eton might play in today’s world and then celebrate what its headmaster is trying to achieve at the school.

It looks to me as though Mr Henderson understands that, if Eton wants to retain its relevance as one of the country’s leading educational institutions, then it cannot live in the past, operate in isolation, or become detached from the challenges that society faces.

Instead, Eton needs to open its eyes and open its doors and proactively engage with the world around it – and it seems to me that is just what he is leading Eton to do.

I met him recently because he is the first head of any leading independent school to have shown any interest in improving education in Dudley, my home town and where I served as Labour MP from 2005 to 2019.

It’s not just a passing interest, either – Eton has committed to opening a brand new school in the town with an explicit ambition of using its expertise to help local young people get into the very best universities, as well as supporting the 11-16 schools in the town in a host of ways. And he is putting the school’s money where its mouth is: under Mr Henderson’s leadership, Eton has committed to investing £1million per year in perpetuity to support this venture.

Young people in Dudley have as much potential as anyone, but have been denied the opportunities pupils in elite schools and more prosperous areas have taken for granted for decades. We have a brilliant local academy trust and the best college in the country, so things are improving, but with Eton’s help, we will be able to do much more and do it more quickly, too.

Eton is doing the same in Middlesbrough and Oldham, as well. In the process, Mr Henderson has developed partnerships across the political spectrum, building friendships with Labour, Conservative and independent politicians in these areas.

In a recent interview, Henderson said Eton has been looking to make a bigger contribution to the state sector for some time, adding “we genuinely see ourselves as a charity for the advancement of education”. And it is certainly true that under his leadership, Eton is paying more than lip service to its role as an educational charity. Consider the drive he has led to widen access to Eton itself, with a sharp increase in pupils on free places – now more than 100 and rising fast.

And consider the change in attitudes that he has led within Eton itself. Mr Henderson’s detractors say that he is “woke”. Eton’s recent inspection report said that: “Many pupils and staff commented during the inspection that the school had become a much kinder, more tolerant and more respectful place in recent years. The change is due to the direction provided by the school’s senior leadership ... to address issues such as homophobia, misogyny and racism ... on a practical level, this has resulted in pupils who show a greater respect for others, regardless of background, culture, tradition or sexual orientation.” It went on: “Pupils are outstandingly socially aware and make an excellent contribution to the life of the school, the local community and the world beyond.” That sounds pretty good to me.

And thanks to Mr Henderson’s work in Dudley, local youngsters will get a better education and Eton’s pupils will find out what life is like for less fortunate people in a poorer part of the country. I think that’s to be applauded, not criticised.