It has been a hugely difficult and challenging month for parliament, but Sir Peter Lampl is hopeful that social mobility could prove to be the big winner.
Theresa May
Theresa May’s first speech as Prime Minister paid particular attention to the country’s social mobility issues. She said that her new government will be “fighting against the burning injustice” that “if you’re at a state school, you’re less likely to reach the top professions than if you’re educated privately.”
Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust, said he was “heartened” by May’s commitment to social mobility in her first statement.
“She was absolutely right to highlight the importance of ensuring that everyone should get as far as their talents can take them,” he told the independent.co.uk.
“Anyone should be able to become a minister, regardless of social background. It is good to see so many more comprehensive and grammar-educated cabinet ministers, reflecting the schools attended by 90 per cent of children.
“But these figures remind us how important it is to make sure young people from low and middle income backgrounds also have access to the best schools and the best universities that will enable them to get to the top of so many of our professions which remain largely the preserve of the privately-educated.”
Cabinet
Sir Peter Lampl’s charity the Sutton Trust analysed the educational backgrounds of Theresa May’s new cabinet and found that only 30% were privately educated, the lowest proportion since Clement Attlee’s first cabinet in 1945.
The Prime Minister’s appointments illustrate her desire to make the country more socially mobile.
Justine Greening
Justine Greening, who attended Rotherham comprehensive, has been appointed as the new Education Secretary. Greening has been a supporter of the Sutton Trust in the past. At the launch of Sutton Scholars back in 2014 she said: “Social mobility can transform the lives of this country’s young people. It’s also critical for Britain’s future, socially, politically and economically.”
You can read more from Ms Greening’s speech here: http://www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/justine-greening-welcomes-sutton-scholars/
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