Best Schools - The importance of sport and the opportunities on offer at independent schools

Robin Hardman writes in The Spectator arguing plans to integrate independent schools into the state sector 'would make it far harder for talented children to fulfil their potential'. In reference to the educational backgrounds of England's rugby team, he says "while well over half of England's World Cup squad did attend independent schools, many of them only did so because they were awarded generous scholarships and bursaries".

Hardman explains that there are thousands of pupils who are not lighting up the World Cup but whose life chances have been immeasurably improved by the opportunities provided by their time in independent education. The Independent Schools Council reports that its members spent over £420 million on means-tested fee assistance in 2018-19, up 6 per cent from the previous year, while a third of the most disadvantaged students at Oxford in 2018-19 had attended an independent school on a bursary or scholarship. A large number of prominent independent schools have already announced their intention to move towards needs-blind admissions, and they are raising large sums money to do so.

It has already been widely noted that re-distributing independent schools’ assets would put enormous pressure on the state sector, while also costing the taxpayer £3.5 billion each year. But it would also make it far harder for talented children to fulfil their potential. It is inconceivable that there would be sufficient funding for competitive sport to take place in a newly expanded state sector, given all of the additional financial pressures that the proposed re-distribution would entail.

Rugby is first UK independent school to set up in Japan

Rugby School will be the first independent UK school to open a sister school in Japan, with the new institution set to be opened in 2022.

The announcement follows the opening of Rugby School Thailand in 2017, which currently has 700 students on roll.

The new school in Japan will have capacity for 750 pupils as both day pupils and boarders, and is due to be built in the Tokyo area. An additional campus is being considered for Kansai, as well as an enrichment campus in Hokkaido.