Former private school pupils 'over-represented' in top jobs at BBC says education secretary

Edinburgh-born Gove, a former pupil of the expensive privately run Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, followed by a brilliant academic record at Oxford University, was brought up by a Labour Party-supporting Aberdeen fish merchant who had adopted him as a baby.

He left Aberdeen after being one of 130 journalists sacked by Thomson Regional Newspapers following the infamous year-long NUJ strike at Aberdeen Journals in the late 1980s. During the dispute Gove was prominent on the picket lines as an office-bearer of the NUJ chapel at the wealthy newspaper company which also publishes the Aberdeen Evening Express, and is now owned by Dundee-based newspaper publishers DC Thomson.

The kenspeckle Gove, who had been president of the Oxford Union and a debating star there, went on to freelance for the BBC, STV, Channel 4 and then joined The Times in 1996, ultimately, rose - in a meteoric career to be assistant editor of The Times. His journalist wife, Sarah Vine writes for The Times.

Paton’s report from yesterday’s The Times CEO summit in London continued: “Mr Gove insisted that radical reforms were needed to give children from poor backgrounds access to a decent education. In a speech to business leaders, he called on companies to play their part by sponsoring a new generation of academy schools.

“The comments come just days after a study showed that deprived pupils in the UK were less likely to achieve good exam results than those from most other developed nations. Figures from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development showed disadvantaged pupils from countries such as China, Japan, Korea performed much better at school.

“Mr Gove insisted that the UK had ‘moved backwards relative to our competitors which are more likely to educate all pupils to a decent standard. What makes it worse is our education system is becoming more unequal’, he said. ‘The blight has been it has educated the elite effectively but there is a long tail of under achievement’.

“Mr Gove reportedly picked out the BBC and The Guardian as examples of traditionally left-wing organisations dominated by former private school pupils. English cricket and rugby union are also overloaded with privately-educated players and officials, he suggested.“

Gove’s comments follow a wide-ranging study by the Sutton Trust charity that found independent school pupils dominated top jobs, despite accounting for just seven per cent of the population nationally.

They represented more than half of leading positions in the judiciary, politics, media, and medical profession and among company chief executives, it was claimed. Former private school pupils took up 54 per cent of top journalism jobs.

Paton added in his report: ”Mr Gove said: ‘If you look at every realm of success you will see children from private school over-represented’. He also quoted figures showing that just 40 out of 80,000 pupils eligible for free school meals currently go on to Oxbridge. The number is equivalent to the total being enrolled every year from leading private schools such as St Paul's School for Girls, Westminster and Eton, he said. “

Speaking at The Times CEO Summit in London, Gove also called on business leaders to back his education reforms by sponsoring academies.

He said companies had a duty to intervene following high-profile attacks on school standards by leading figures such as Sir Terry Leahy, the former head of Tesco.

“Some of the most eloquent and despairing comments about the school system comes from business leaders,” he said. “Young people, many very bright, aren’t ready for work. My challenge to business is don’t despair. And don’t leave it to politicians.

“New schools are being opened by entrepreneurs. If you believe that this country can dominate the 21st Century like it dominated the 18th, 19th, and 20th, the question I ask to you is: are you going to be involved, or are you going to walk away?”