Boarding school boys rule Britain, at what cost?
The Politics Show
The New Statesman
4.2 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 22 April 2024
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In March, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, published his memoir - A Very Private School. This recounted, in devastating detail, the abuse, both mental and physical, that he had been subjected to at his elite prep boarding school. The brutality is laid bare.
For centuries in the UK, a private education has been the pathway to opportunity. Today those who attended private schools are five times more likely to hold top jobs in politics, the judiciary, media, and business.
Boarding school boys in particular, who represent less than 1% of the population, have been in charge of the country for most of the past 14 years. But at what cost? For both the survivors of these institutions and for the whole country.
Read: A boyhood built on fear, The price of private education
LISTEN AD-FREE:
📱Download the New Statesman app
MORE FROM THE NEW STATESMAN:
❓ Ask a question – we answer them every Friday
⏰ Get our daily politics newsletter every morning
✍️ Enjoy the best of our writing via email every Saturday
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Listen. That's the sound of nothing happening. |
| 0:05.8 | To us, it's the sound of success. |
| 0:09.0 | It means your systems are secured, your vulnerabilities eliminated, your business stronger, and all is quiet. |
| 0:18.2 | Because we've stopped a cyber attack before it even starts. |
| 0:21.3 | SRM, your first call. before it even starts. |
| 0:26.0 | S.R.M. your first call for cyber security. Search your first call to find out more. |
| 0:34.0 | The new Statesman. Statesman. |
| 0:35.0 | In March, Charles Spencer, |
| 0:39.0 | the 9th Earl Spencer published his memoir, A Very Private School. |
| 0:45.0 | This recounted in devastating detail the abuse both mental and physical |
| 0:51.0 | that he had been subjected to at his elite prep boarding school. |
| 0:55.0 | The brutality is laid bare. |
| 0:57.0 | For listeners not so familiar with the private school system, a prep school in the UK is for children |
| 1:05.9 | age seven or eight through to 13 years old. |
| 1:09.6 | For centuries in the to hold top jobs in politics, the judiciary, media and business. |
| 1:25.7 | Boarding school boys in particular who represent less than 1% of the population |
| 1:31.1 | have been in charge of the country for most of the past 14 years, but at |
| 1:36.0 | what cost for both the survivors of these institutions and for the whole country. I'm Hannah Barnes and you're listening to the new statesman podcast. To speak about all this and more I was joined by the writer and poet laureate between 1999 and 2009 Andrew Motion and the author Richard Beard. |
| 2:11.0 | Both Andrew and Richard have written for the new statesman on boarding schools |
| 2:14.8 | and Britain's relationship with these institutions. And you can find the links to their |
| 2:19.2 | pieces in the show notes. |
| 2:22.7 | Similar to Charles Spencer, both Andrew Motion and Richard Beard |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The New Statesman, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The New Statesman and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.