Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Rockfreak must be in his seventh heaven this weekend with the publicaton of a new book which not only seriously opposes public schools, one of his favourite topics, but also cites, as a symbol of all that is wrong, no less a person that Dennis Silk - Old Blue, Senior Grecian, first-class cricketer, Warden of Radley, etc, etc. The review is in the Telegraph (which fact alone probably makes Rockfreak freak out) and the book is 'Sad Little Men,' by Richard Beard, Harvill Secker, 287pp, £16.99.

Amongst others, the book alleges that former public school boys are far more likely to be divorced as well as to commit suicide, although I know of no properly authenitcated study in either sphere, and, in any case, far more likely than whom? I know of a number of divorces (not including me, I am happy to say), but to the best of my knowledge public schools were not in any way responsbile. (My favourite was where one of our officers divorced his wife and cited no less a person than the Assistant Chaplain-General as the correspondent. The case was undefended, which says it all). I have known four people who took their own lives - all for entirely different reasons and all extremely sad - but only one of those went to public school, the other three did not - but what does that prove?

It always seems to me that these critics are barking up the wrong tree. If public schools produce a higher standard of education then surely what needs to be addressed is to raise the standards in other schools.

Anyway, having read the lengthy review I shall not be buying the book - it simply rehashes everything that has been said before, but I am sure Rockfreak will enjoy it.

David

I'm aware of this book by Richard Beard (although not having read it) which has been flagged up elsewhere than in the Telegraph. And indeed the criticisms of it that he doesn't produce enough solid evidence for his allegations. On the matter of Dennis Silk, I wonder how many people on this site will have caught that fascinating fly-on-the-wall TV documentary which started off many decades ago (when Silk was Warden of Radley) which started off focusing on a clutch of Radley's sixth formers and then came back to them many years later to see how they'd turned out.

The bit that interested me was when Silk, perhaps unaware that the cameras and mike were still on, asided to someone in respect of the private schools: "Of course, it's not fair". And then the footage of him and his wife, watching the election results on TV in the 1980s, and hoping that Thatcher would win. Presumably because he knew that she wouldn't touch the private schools, by endorsing "parental choice" (ie the choice that only 7% have). And which enabled her and the wealthy Dennis to pay to send their preternaturally thick son Mark to Harrow. What a hypocrite - Silk, that is. And of course the Thatchers.

The reason that the state schools struggle is because Cameron and Osborne have massively cut costs for all state provision, and since Michael "Gradgrind" Gove was Education Secretary the schools budget has been cut too, along with the reduction of the curriculum to a core (forget music and arts unless you can pay for it) and of course this is after Margaret Thatcher started selling off the school playing fields. This is in contrast to Christ's Hospital where non-academic facilities seem to proliferate (a new-looking indoor bouldering wall being a recent addition) and where the list of dedicated sports, arts and music coaches is as long as your arm. Of course they can't pay for it which would account for the begging letters and the onset of 26% fee-payers and the school now being touted as an "international boarding school". And as for the boarding side of it. Well you only have to look at the psychologically damaged people who get to run the country - Johnson, Rees-Mogg, Cameron, Osborne. Three are Bullingdon boys and the other is often described as the Minister for the 18th Century.

Good old rockfreak, so consistent, always someone else to blame.
Yes, I did watch the Radley series. I also visited Radley and met Dennis Silk on several occasions. Why rockfreak should cricise Dennis and wife for watching TV to see the election reults and Thatcher winning escapes me - after all, they were entitled to their political beliefs, as, indeed, is rockfreak.
David