Top schools defend rejecting bursary for white boys
 

Two top English private schools have defended their decision not to accept a benefactor's offer of scholarships for disadvantaged white boys.

Winchester and Dulwich colleges have declined the offer - reported to be worth over £1m - by a former pupil from both, Professor Sir Bryan Thwaites.

The schools say they do not want to put ethnic restrictions on who can benefit from financial help.

Sir Bryan says he is now looking for state schools to accept his offer.

The philanthropist, who is 96 and plans to leave the funds in his will, attended Dulwich until the start of the Second World War, and then went on to Winchester.

His parents could not have afforded the fees for him and his brother without the aid of scholarships.

Sir Bryan says he wants to help white boys from disadvantaged backgrounds because they perform worse at school than their counterparts from other ethnic groups.

Sir Bryan told the Times newspaper that this was why he wanted to make a leading education available to others and believed the institutions were wrong to reject his offer on the basis that it was based on race.

He told the Times: "I have done a lot for both schools over the years and have been closely involved in them.

"All the more, therefore, do I feel that both schools have made a strategic mistake in their interpretation of legislation."

Trevor Phillips, the former chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the Equality Act of 2010 was not designed to favour people of colour, but to ensure equality.

He told the Times that Sir Bryan's proposal simply showed he "wanted to do the right thing by families who need support".

In August last year, the rapper Stormzy announced he would fund two black British students to go to the University of Cambridge.

The star said there was "a whole bunch of academically brilliant, excellent students" who needed an incentive to aim for top universities.

In his single, Crown, Stormzy addressed some of the negative reaction to his decision to offer the scholarships, rapping that it is not "anti-white, it's pro-black".

Winchester, a boarding school which charges £13,903 per term, and Dulwich, which charges £7,082 a term for day boys and £14,782 for a term of full boarding, are among the most exclusive schools in England.

At Dulwich, there are currently 191 pupils from Year 3 to Year 13 who are in receipt of a means-tested bursary, the school said.

"The college's ambition is for 50% of pupils at Dulwich to be in receipt of fee relief through scholarships and, increasingly, means-tested bursaries. This figure is currently 30%," it said in a statement.

A spokesman for Winchester College said: "The school, in common with many universities, has outreach schemes aimed at carefully selected and under-represented communities. These schemes operate successfully and are regularly reviewed.

"The school will continue to discuss with benefactors the effective delivery of their intentions.

"But the trustees are clear, having consulted widely, that acceptance of a bequest of this nature would neither be in the interests of the school as a charity, nor the specific interests of those it aims to support through its work.

"Notwithstanding legal exceptions to the relevant legislation, the school does not see how discrimination on grounds of a boy's colour could ever be compatible with its values."

Master of Dulwich College, Dr Joe Spence, said: "We are extremely grateful to the many benefactors who support the College's bursary fund. Their generosity means we are able to offer academically able boys a place at Dulwich College.

"I am, however, resistant to awards made with any ethnic or religious criteria. Bursaries are an engine of social mobility, and they should be available to all who pass our entrance examinations, irrespective of their background."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-50947271
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I don't think it should be OK for donors to specify but to simplify I'd make that universal tbh. People can make a donation to a school's scholarship fund but then it's up to the school to allocate those funds at their discretion... none of the "I'll only donate if it goes to _____" business.

I think the schools or colleges should stay out of someone's personal decision..if people want thier money to be donated to certain individuals I don't see how that should be an issue for the college..they are after all there to further children's education and someone's personal preference to where or who gets thier money shouldn't be an issue as the college should only see it as an opportunity to give the selected child a better and further education.

Bit pathetic tbh.

Working class white boys are the bottom of the pile these days, as they're not only held back by lack of money, but they're the only group who doesn't get help from "diversity" schemes, so why shouldn't they get bursaries.

As a white person who benefited hugely from a bursary during my education I don't agree with this whatsoever.

I don't see the point in drawing a comparison between this and Stormzy. Prestigious universities are typically not diverse and he's not throwing out a bursary that denies service to anyone, he's chosen to send two people to university. Educational bursaries are not the same thing.

I'm glad they rejected his offer, Bursaries should be dependant on talent and nothing more.

Ethically and morally this was the right decision.

Because... ?

Because it's not a request rooted in racism...
I shouldn't have to explain that but I'm forgetting where I am obviously.

The 96 year old is not Dead yet
so its just a debate.


He can change his will.

The philanthropist, who is 96 and plans to leave the funds in his will, attended Dulwich until the start of the Second World War, and then went on to Winchester.

His parents could not have afforded the fees for him and his brother without the aid of scholarships.

Sir Bryan says he wants to help white boys from disadvantaged backgrounds because they perform worse at school than their counterparts from other ethnic groups.
Sounds fair to me :shrug: he just wants to help a disadvantaged group of people who don't get much help.

That's not true.... according to sociological perspective afro Caribbean boys perform poorest in educational attainment.

With the exception of Roma and Traveller children, white working-class boys perform the worst of any group in British schools
So I guess that sociological perspective is wrong.

Yes

https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures....stage-4/latest

Ah I guess there's been a recent improvement :)

Just heard this debated on LBC and Shelia Fogarty trotted out some report that puts black and white boys receiving free school dinners more or less equal when it comes to attainment. The Chinese and Asian boys are way ahead.

It’s this guys money and he can do with it as he wishes, I am sure someone will take him up on it

Don't be a honky if you don't wanna be thick like a donkey

Yeah there's only a percentage or so difference between the two groups, but only one seems to get sympathy or help up the ladder...

Sure they will I dont doubt that, racist attitudes don't bother everyone do they? Some institution will bite his lily white hand off for it.

Speaking as someone who is white, male and working class, this man is fragility embodied.

'White privilege is complete nonsense'

Says the white man.

What's a percentage point in terms of pupil numbers?...

You are deliberately skewing the point, disadvantaged children all deserve an equal chance and a help up the ladder based on merit alone.

Why is that such a taboo concept?...

I agree, and unless all financial help based on ethnicity is scrapped, there should be something for wgite disadvantaged pupils.

If he was offering it to just black boys would your attitude be the same?