Old boys and girls from boarding schools dominate the top professions partly because they have not had to waste valuable study time on long commutes, according to leading head teacher.
Martin Reader, chairman of the Boarding Schools’ Association (BSA), said pupils at residential schools have an advantage over their peers because they have dozens of extra hours every month to perfect their ‘passion’.
He also said boarders are less likely to spend their free time ‘hunched over screens’ because of the camaraderie of the school community and the one-to-one help they get from staff.
Martin Reader, the head of the private Cranleigh School in Surrey, said that boarding schools provide advantages to children
And many boarding schools are also now able to completely eradicate online bullying by simply banning smartphones for younger age groups, he said.
It comes after former education secretary Justine Greening suggested employers should discriminate against alumni of top private schools like Eton because they are ‘not as impressive’ as those with the same grades from struggling comprehensives.
She said bosses should use ‘contextual admissions’ to see how privileged youngsters had been in their education.
Mr Reader, who is also head of the private Cranleigh School in Surrey, said it was no secret that boarding schools provided many advantages for children.
Speaking at the BSA annual conference in Brighton yesterday, he said: ‘What sets a boarding education apart from all others is the time that we have with the children, and the time they have with each other.
‘When people question why our schools dominate the nations’ sports, creative and performing arts, the professions and politics, it is because they have had time to do those things and time with experts to coach them.
His comments come after Education secretary Justine Greening (pictured) suggested that employers should discriminate against boarding school pupils
‘Why sit in a car or on a train or a bus for 45 minutes twice a day, or in a bedroom by yourself hunched over homework or a screen?
‘You could be spending those hours rehearsing for a play, having a band practice, spending more time mastering your musical instrument or your goal shooting technique, spending more hours perfecting that painting, debating or discussing politics or science or history – whatever is your passion.
‘Or, perhaps more importantly, real face-to-face, social time, not always virtual socialising.’
The BSA represents 550 boarding schools, including some of the most elite private institutions as well as a number which are state-funded.
Mr Reader said all of his schools pride themselves on encouraging children to pursue extra curricular activities in their evenings and weekends.
And at Cranleigh, sixth formers are expected to do 15 hours per week of extra study outside of lessons.
He said that for many children in modern Britain, a long commute to school is inevitable because they cannot get into their local school.
Some parents considering boarding have even mentioned this as a motivating factor, he added.
‘There are some good things about commuting to school,’ he said.
‘It’s independence, and some children have no alternative.
‘But wouldn’t it be better if they were able to spend that time doing lovely things?
‘Why waste that time on a commute?’
Mr Reader said boarding schools are also an ideal place to tackle social media, which can distract pupils from studies and cause online bullying.
At Cranleigh, all pupils aged 13 are banned from having smartphones, and this has eradicated all cyberbullying for that age group, he said.
‘A smartphone was not designed for a child,’ he said.
‘We use to get an incident a week of something unpleasant for that age group but now we’ve had nothing.
‘Children that age are not mature enough for it.
‘We restrict alcohol and cigarettes as a society because they are addictive, so why not restrict something as addictive as a mobile phone.’
Smart phone use is gradually phased in for older children – alongside special lessons about how to stay safe online.
Sixth formers have no restrictions as they are thought to be mature enough to use phones appropriately.
He added: ‘We have and many of our schools have restrictions on social media either through controlling WiFi, controlling the apps they can use, and encouraging them to spend more time with each other, doing activities where they’re not using social media. It’s beneficial.
‘It encourages kids to spend real time with each other, not virtual time with each other.
‘What we have done is be equally illiberal for everybody. It has helped parents. One of the hardest things about being a parent is that your child says “everyone else has got one”. There is a pressure.
‘So it’s helpful when we’re all in this together.’
Mr Reader also responded to Miss Greening’s comments yesterday.
He said: ‘We need social mobility in this country. But businesses have to make their own decisions about what is right. It is not for government to tell businesses who is the right person for them.
‘There is a real danger in constantly talking about privileged children and underprivileged children. Let’s just talk about children.
‘I want to see more social mobility. But we can’t dictate what a company should do.’