Mike Small is a freelance writer, co-editor of Bella Caledonia and editor of Newsnet Scotland (see: http://newsnetscotland.com/politics/1256-educational-apartheid and http://www.opendemocracy.net/authors/mike-small ).
Mike Small on Educational Apartheid in the UK (2010): “In 2003, 84% of senior Judges in England and Wales were educated at independent schools, as surveyed in 2003 by law firm SJ Berwin. This is especially significant considering that just 7% of all British children are educated at independent schools. If you want to talk about an educational apartheid this is it, the basis for maintaining the political elite and the core of the British establishment.
A report last year by the Sutton Trust showed that pupils from private schools make twice as many applications to the UK's leading universities as state school teenagers with similar A-level or Higher results. The report found that teenagers educated privately were three times more likely to apply to leading universities - including Edinburgh and St Andrews - than those at further education colleges.
Apartheid means 'separate development', the separation and segregation of groups in society. We have educational apartheid here and now.” [1].
[1]. Mike Small, “Educational Apartheid”, Newsnet Scotland, 18 December 2010: http://newsnetscotland.com/politics/1256-educational-apartheid ).