September 30, 200817 yr New education 'underclass' is leading to a 'posh and chav' divide between schoolchildren, warns top fee-paying head By Laura Clark Last updated at 9:50 PM on 29th September 2008 Comments (6) Add to My Stories The emergence of an education 'underclass' is leading to a 'posh' and 'chav' divide between schoolchildren, a top fee-paying head has declared. The Reverend Tim Hastie-Smith warned that distrust and suspicion between state and private schools was fuelled by 'false perceptions'. In a keynote speech to the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, he called on fellow independent school heads to do more to combat 'stereotypical' views and tackle the emergence of an 'underclass' in deprived communities. The Rev Hastie-Smith has called on independent schools to do more to break down stereotypical views and tackle the emergence of an underclass They should attempt to form closer links with state schools, particularly academies - Government-funded 'independent' schools often set up in less advantaged areas. Mr Hastie-Smith himself is to quit his headship of Dean Close School in Cheltenham to become head of an academy in Kettering. 'There is a real opportunity for the relationship between independent and maintained schools to be stronger than it's ever been,' he said, 'to strip away the distrust and suspicion that has accrued over the decades.' Young people from different backgrounds were often more divided by the false perceptions of 'a stereotypical "chav" and "posh" divide' than any real differences in their values, he said, citing research by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. 'The report challenges all of us to do what we can to break down these divides,' he said. However, a desire to avoid the 'nannying' influences of Government interference was preventing many independent schools from forging closer links with state comprehensives, he said. The 'vast bureaucracy' involved in being the sole sponsor of an academy put many off, he warned.
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