The Mail on Sunday

Critics called ‘old white men’ as parents f ight war of words

- By Sarah Oliver

A WAR of words has broken out among Eton parents about headmaster Simon Henderson and his moves to change the culture of the £42,500-a-year school.

When he sacked popular English teacher Will Knowland over an online lecture questionin­g ‘current radical feminist orthodoxy’, Henderson was accused of implementi­ng a progressiv­e ‘woke’ agenda and suppressin­g free speech.

But one mother got in touch with The Mail on Sunday to insist that Henderson was supported by most boys, arguing that the recent public criticism was driven by Old Etonians rather than current pupils.

‘Those complainin­g are mostly old, white men,’ she said. ‘The students who are actually there are almost unanimousl­y supportive of Simon.

‘I don’t think he is trying to screw with tradition for the sake of it, but it will be a problem for Eton if it doesn’t get more progressiv­e than it’s been in the past.

‘The episode with Will Knowland is complicate­d but this row seems to have grown from that into some kind of referendum on Simon’s headship.

‘If I phoned up my old school and said “it’s time for the head to go”, absolutely nobody would care. Why are Old Etonians any different?’

But another mother att acked reports the head is supported by a silent majority of parents, describing them as wide of the mark.

Pupils who signed a 2,600-name petition demanding Knowland’s reinstatem­ent had done so of their own free will,’ she added.

‘I am sick of the boys being used as pawns in this PR game being run by the school,’ she said. ‘The headmaster knows how to divide to conquer and this appears to be his strategy.

‘The boys were not manipulate­d into signing the petition. The signatorie­s stand united in their condemnati­on at the sacking of one of the most . . . respected beaks [teachers].’

And she is anxious about the impact of Mr Henderson’s progressiv­e views on her sons.

She said: ‘I am concerned that boys at Eton are no longer being affirmed for just being boys. They are exposed as early as their first year to a programme on “Identity” which involves attending half-day workshops given by an organisati­on whose mission values are “Gender Transforma­tive” and “rooted i n women’s experience­s, voices and scholarshi­p”.

‘To my knowledge only one member of staff has attended the workshops. They are held in private. As a mother I am extremely worried.’

 ??  ?? UNDER SIEGE: Eton head Simon Henderson
UNDER SIEGE: Eton head Simon Henderson

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