One of Scotland’s dirty little secrets is its private schools. While its elites have a tendency to say how egalitarian the country is compared to heartless England, those who can afford to often opt out of the unreformed and struggling state system. If they live in Glasgow they will send their children to one of a handful of selective fee-paying schools, such as “Hutchie”, or Hutchesons’ Grammar.
It is entirely understandable to prioritise advantages for your own offspring, especially when the modern world is so competitive. Many of us have done it. But the charge of hypocrisy applies when those who benefit from the advantages and become politicians don’t try to extend opportunity as widely as possible through genuine educational reform, as Tony Blair (Fettes,
