Search

The origins of the charitable status of elite schools in England is a neglected topic. This article reconstructs the debate on the funding of schools which led to the establishment of the Charity Commission in 1853 and argues that it was the obdurate refusal of the Anglican Church to surrender its control of secondary education which first delayed reform and then forced the compromise which resulted in the major public schools remaining outside the direct control of the new Commission. In conclusion, it argues that decisions which were taken in the mid-nineteenth century continue to resonate today, allowing elite schools catering for some of the richest families in the land to continue to operate as registered charities and benefit from significant financial support from the State. The article carries the implicit suggestion that this is but one of several controversial contemporary issues which might benefit from more detailed historical contextualisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers the idea of imperialism as part of the educational philosophy of private schools in Great Britain in the 19th and early 20th century, particularly within the schools known as endowed public schools. Those schools were thought by imperialists to develop the sort of individuals who had the virtues and skills required to be successful administrators of Great Britain's colonies. It is noted that the most successful heads of those public schools in that period were themselves avid imperialists and firm believers in the mission of developing future leaders of the colonies. The creation and commemoration of the national holiday Empire Day is examined for evidence of songs, ceremonies and other propaganda devices through which this belief was communicated to the public at large.

The article examines social conditions at the private schools known as "public" schools in Great Britain in the mid-19th century, focusing on the role of sports in school life. Quotations from memoirs of school life written by graduates are cited as evidence that harsh living conditions, poor and inadequate food, frequent corporal punishment and inadequate supervision leading to endemic bullying and other problems were common features of these self-consciously elite schools. Sports, particularly rougher sports such as rugby and soccer, were often developed as an alternative outlet for the fist-fighting among students which was a notable feature of life at the public schools until at least 1850. The Marlborough School is used as an example of the upper class public school of the period.