The New Meritocracy : A History of UK Independent Schools 1979-2014

**A fascinating and in-depth analysis of how the independent schools sector has transformed itself in a single generation** Independent schools have always attracted controversy. Many in society take issue with the high level of privilege they enjoy. Yet in recent years, what was formerly a scarcely regulated field with sharply varying standards has seen a revolution in methods and results. Independent schools now exert an extraordinary reach and influence upon Britain’s professional and political elites. The fact that many of these schools are wealthy and privileged goes without saying; less understood is the vastly superior level of education they now offer. In __The New Meritocracy__, Mark Peel examines how independent schools have benefited from competition, and raised their game in manifold ways. He is also candid about the new problems facing these schools, from the sad decline of sportsmanship on the field (arising from a "win-at-all-cost" attitude that has migrated across from professional sport) to the issue of mental health problems resulting from high pressures placed on students. In this remarkably thoroughly researched analysis of an under-examined topic, Mark Peel offers a multi-faceted portrait of the state of the sector over the last 30 years. He evaluates its many considerable strengths, its future challenges, and shows how what was once seen as an outdated wing of the Establishment has transformed itself into a formidable engine of modern education. This is the story of how Britain’s independent schools were transformed in a generation.** In Britain, independent schools have always attracted controversy. Many take issue with the high level of privilege they are perceived to enjoy. But in recent years, the sector has undergone a revolution, turning outdated institutions with sharply varying standards into meritocratic powerhouses. In *The New Meritocracy: A History of UK Independent Schools 1979–2020* , Mark Peel explores the changes that have taken place in this sector, its many considerable strengths and the challenges it may face in the future, as the gap between this and the state sector continues to grow. It offers not only a comprehensive recent history of private schooling but also many lessons for the future, and merits a place on the bookshelves of professional educators and anyone with an interest in education and British social history. Praise for *The New Meritocracy: A History of UK Independent Schools 1979–2020* : **‘A timely and important assessment of the role private schools now play in public life in Britain ... Essential reading for anyone interested in the development of education in Britain today’ - Magnus Linklater,* The Times* ‘A definitive account of the contemporary independent schools, both in their educational context and in the wider psyche of the nation’ - D.R. Thorpe, leading political biographer** **Mark Peel** attended Harrow School and Edinburgh University before teaching History and Politics at Fettes College in Edinburgh for twenty-five years. Besides contributing to the *Oxford Dictionary of National Biography* he has written eight books on cricket, politics and independent schools, one of which, *England Expects: A Life of Ken Barrington* , won the 1993 Cricket Society Literary Award. The story of how the independent schools sector was transformed in a single generation. In Britain, independent schools have always attracted controversy. Many take issue with the high level of privilege they are perceived to enjoy. But in recent years, the sector has undergone a revolution, turning outdated institutions with sharply varying standards into meritocratic powerhouses. The New Meritocracy explores the changes that have taken place in this sector, its many considerable strengths and the challenges it may face in the future, as the gap between this and the state sector continues to grow. A timely and important assessment of the role private schools now play in public life in Britain Essential reading for anyone interested in the development of education in Britain today -- Magnus Linklater, columnist, The Times The best things in education cannot be measured. They can be described though, and Mark Peel has done that well in his account of late twentieth-century schools -- Sir Eric Anderson, former Head Master and Provost of Eton College A definitive account of the contemporary independent schools, both in their educational context and in the wider psyche of the nation -- D.R. Thorpe, leading political biographer 'An apt description and evaluation of the last thirty years within the sector by a man who really knows it from the inside [...] As ever with Peel the book is cogently written and describes its subject with not only sympathy ... but in addition with a cutting assessment of what will be required of it in the future.' - Limping Towards the Sunrise, blog Independent schools have always attracted controversy. Many in society take issue with the high level of privilege they enjoy. Yet in recent years what was formerly a scarcely regulated field with sharply varying standards, has seen a revolution in methods and results. Independent schools now exert an extraordinary reach and influence upon Britain's professional and political elites. The fact that many of these schools are wealthy and privileged goes without saying; less understood is the vastly superior level of education they now offer. In The New Meritocracy Mark Peel examines how independent schools have benefited from competition, and raised their game in manifold ways. He is also candid about the new problems facing these schools, from the sad decline of sportsmanship on the field (arising from a 'win-at-all-cost' attitude that has migrated across from professional sport) to the issue of mental health problems resulting from high pressures placed on students. In this remarkably thoroughly researched analysis of an under-examined topic, Mark Peel offers a multi-faceted portrait of the state of the sector over the last thirty years. He evaluates its many considerable strengths, its future challenges, and shows how what was once seen as an outdated wing of the Establishment has transformed itself into a formidable engine of modern education