Alun Jones’s comments (Labour accused of class war by top private school head, 31 December) about the sacrifices that parents make to send their children to fee-paying schools would have carried more weight had the article included the cost of sending a child to his school, St Gabriel’s in Newbury, for their entire school career. According to the school’s website this would cost more than £170,000 per child – putting the average cost (£21,000) that other relatively well-to-do parents might incur moving into a catchment area into perspective.
It is revealing, as the rich line up to protest about being asked to make their contribution to society through independent schools sharing their resources, or those living in the most expensive houses in the country paying a new mansion tax.
The suggestion that most people, through sacrifice, can afford a privileged education for their children is ridiculous – the majority have no choice about where their children are schooled and the privileged don’t even want to share a portion of the advantages handed to them on a silver tray. “We’re not all in it together” might have been a better headline for the article.
Diana McAuley
Whitstable
• You report that the new president of the Girls’ Schools Association, Alun Jones, has accused Labour of class war because of its plans to limit tax breaks for independent schools. Why is it relatively common to find the term “class war” in statements made by the rich and privileged attacking leftwing ideas and policies, while it is rare to find the phrase used about rightwing policies and ideas? Surely it is stating the obvious to say that the current government is waging class war on the poorest members of our society through unremitting cuts to public services? This asymmetry demonstrates clearly where power lies in Britain.
Jennifer Coates
Emeritus professor of English language and linguistics, University of Roehampton
• The people conducting a class war via the education system are the Letwins, the Maudes and co, all of them privately educated, and Alun Jones, who believes that free Latin lessons and occasional access to his playing fields will resolve the problems created by the educational divide. Let them play croquet.
Alan Shelston
Bowdon, Cheshire
• Of course! It’s so obvious when it’s pointed out. Private schools are clearly the victims in a class war. Thank you, Alun Jones. A further benefit of that splendid headline and copy is that it reminded me of my favourite Guardian letter (published on 20 June 2008), incidentally illustrating the importance of Mr Jones’s Latin classes. The correspondent referred to a local private school sending out a request for payment of fees, asking for “£X be paid per anum”, and one parent writing back that he would prefer to pay through the nose as usual.
John Airs
Liverpool
• So, a “top” headmaster who runs an elitist school for the children of the rich is participating in yet another attempt by the wealthy to dodge their share of taxes. Private schools are very successful businesses and they should be stripped of their charity status and taxed as fairly as possible, because they can afford to pay. Let’s hope Labour is ready to face the challenges and deliver on this one.
Prebendary Neil Richardson
Braintree, Essex
• So the Guardian considers the remarks of the president of the Girls’ School Association to be front-page news. I would have thought the immortal words of the late, lamented Mandy Rice-Davies were an appropriate and sufficient response.
John Wilson
London
.png?w=600)
