Businesses to fund state pupils for private schools

Chairman of the Headmasters and Headmistresses Conference, David Levin, has claimed that the plan for independent schools to ask businesses for funds could yield 1,000 places in the UK’s top private schools.

These places would be offered to talented students who want to pursue subjects such as Maths, Physics and Languages – all subjects which are under subscribed and important for the economy.

The plan is to be launched at next week’s HMC conference, with four schools having already signed up to the scheme – including St Paul’s Boys School, Hampton School, St Albans School and City of London School for Girls.

Mr Levin wants schools to offer two or three places at a 75-80 per cent discount, and to seek funding from businesses to cover the remainder of the cost.

He claims that he has raised £11.4m from business in the last 10 years, which has provided bursaries for 166 state pupils at his own school.

Mr Levin further adds that businesses would be able to gain tax relief on contributions as many independent schools have charitable status.

In order to effectively choose genuine bursary applicants, admissions staff plan to start assessing them on their aptitude for the subject and their commitment to going on to study it at university.

“To put a bright chap from an inner city school through a traditional subject in scarce supply sounds good for business, good for schools and universities, and ultimately good for the UK.”