Recent study confirms benefits of private schooling

On behalf of Attwaters Jameson Hill posted in Private Wealth on Tuesday, October 13th, 2020

According to research from the Bridge Group, 53% of partners at leading City law firms attended independent schools, with the figure standing at 47% for the wider associate, senior associate and partner population[1]. This data coincides with the findings in our latest Private Wealth Guide to Hertfordshire and Essex, in which we looked at how a private education improved the quality of life and career prospects of young people living in these two counties

Positions of power

The Bridge Group study also found that it takes solicitors from lower socioeconomic backgrounds an additional 18 months to be promoted to partner compared to their privately educated peers. Similarly, our Private Wealth Guide found that independent school alumni have better chances of accessing top jobs (such as solicitors, judges, doctors and politicians) and enjoy greater earning potential than their state school counterparts, adding an extra £4,500 to their yearly salary compared to their state educated colleagues after just three years on the professional career ladder.

A head start in life

We found that almost all independent school sixth formers go to university – almost double the national average – but that the advantages can be observed long before students reach university. We discovered tight links between a private education and improved career opportunities while pupils are still at school, with independent students six times more likely than their state educated peers to have had opportunities at school to connect with parents working in prestigious careers such as law, medicine, finance or accountancy. They are also a massive 4.5 times more likely to secure work experience than state educated students.

The top schools where you live

In this year’s Private Wealth Guide, we featured a selection of the very best independent schools across Hertfordshire and Essex. Essex’s best-rated independent schools include Chigwell and Brentwood Schools, as well as New Hall School in Chelmsford. For Hertfordshire, St Albans High School for Girls and The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School in Borehamwood are both recognised for the outstanding quality of their educational offer. All five schools boast a wide range of famous alumni who have gone on to build substantial private fortunes.

Confidence, resilience and ‘mental toughness’

What is more, private schools do more than offer an excellent education and career prospects. A study commissioned by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) concluded that privately educated students are more resilient, committed and confident than their state-educated peers[2]. The General Secretary of the ISC concluded that an independent school education helps to “create resilient and worldly young men and women who are ready for further study and work in adult life”.