Those at top public schools 94 times more likely to be UK 'elite'
Alumni from nine UK public schools are 94 times more likely to become part of the country’s elite than those who attend other schools, according to research by the London School of Economics, drawing on biographical data in the reference work, Who’s Who. The study, based on unprecedented access to 120 years’ worth of data, found that the Clarendon schools, Charterhouse, Eton, Harrow, Merchant Taylors’, Rugby, Shrewsbury, St. Pauls, Westminster and Winchester, continue to produce 10% of those with entries in the publication. Such schools have traditionally educated just 0.15% of UK pupils aged between 13 and 18.

The enduring power of the old boy network has been laid bare by a study that found alumni from nine leading public schools are 94 times more likely to reach the elite than those who attended other schools.

Granted unprecedented access to all 120 years of biographical data in Who’s Who, researchers from the London School of Economics calculated that the so-called Clarendon schools, which include Eton, Harrow, Rugby and Westminster, continue to produce nearly 10% of entrants. This is despite those schools having traditionally educated fewer than one in 500 (0.15%) of pupils aged between 13 and 18.

Alan Milburn, the chair of the government’s social mobility commission, said it showed the lengths Britain had to go before it ceased to be an “elitist nation”.

While the Clarendon schools’ power was found to have diminished since the country’s establishment guide first published biographical data in 1897, they still hold “extraordinary power”, according to the study.

Highlighting that the two key politicians on either side of the Brexit debate – David Cameron and Boris Johnson – attended Eton, it said the elite schools, which also include Charterhouse, Merchant Taylors’, Shrewsbury, St Paul’s and Winchester College, continue to exert a “profound influence”.

The researchers also observed that the decline in the Clarendon schools’ powers stalled over the past 16 years.



The joint lead authors, Aaron Reeves of the International Inequalities Institute at LSE and Sam Friedman of its department of sociology, said: “Although the Clarendon schools have not always been the best performing schools in the country, they have consistently remained the most successful in propelling their alumni into elite positions.

“Clearly their power lies beyond simple academic excellence and is likely rooted in an extensive extracurricular education that endows old boys with a particular way of being in the world that signals elite male status to others.”

Some entrants to Who’s Who are included automatically upon reaching a prominent position – such as MPs, peers, judges, senior civil servants and heads of public bodies or large arts organisations – while others are selected by advisers.

For the paper, published in American Sociological Review, the researchers split the sample into five-year birth cohorts to allow comparison over time. During the period analysed, the Clarendon schools were male-only.

Among those born in the 1840s, approximately 20% of those in Who’s Who had attended one of the Clarendon schools. In the most recent cohort, 8% had attended a Clarendon school. Women constituted only 23% of the most recent cohort, although their presence has grown steadily over time.

Milburn said: “Of course the best people need to be in the top jobs – and there are very many good people who come from private schools. It’s the degree of dominance that is wrong. Few people believe that the sum total of talent in Britain today resides in the 7% of pupils who happened to attend a private school. Britain has a long way to go before we cease to be an elitist nation.”

A Who’s Who spokeswoman said the guide recognised distinction and influence rather than conferred it. “It is a mirror to the trends of the day, and the aim of each edition has always been to reflect society and its changes,” she said.

The authors put forward a number of theories as to why the influence of the elite schools appears to have waned since the 19th century. They include the reduced significance of – and fewer reserved places in Who’s Who for – the military and the clergy due to the decline of the British empire and the secularisation of British society.

They also point to 20th-century educational reforms that standardised qualifications and expanded access as creating a more competitive environment.

The Harry Enfield character Tim Nice But Dim is referenced in the study

The authors say the reforms have forced the elite schools to become effective producers of educational excellence. Referring to the character played by the actor Harry Enfield, the paper said these schools “may no longer provide educationally less-meritorious alumni, epitomised by the caricatured comic figure of old boy Tim Nice But Dim, with the same guarantee of a future elite position … Whereas Tim Nice But Dim could have conceivably become a judge in 1916, he may only become a lawyer in 2016.”

Nevertheless, the proportion of new entrants in Who’s Who from Clarendon schools and the 209 independent schools in the elite Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference (HMC) has remained relatively constant over the past 16 years at 8% and 30% respectively, the study found. Alumni of “other” HMC schools are 35 times more likely to be a member of Who’s Who than those who went to non-HMC state and private schools.

While Oxbridge graduates have always comprised between 30-40% of the Who’s Who entrants, the authors found that Clarendon alumni who went to Oxford or Cambridge universities continue to be approximately twice as likely to reach the elite as Oxbridge graduates who went to other schools.

Conor Ryan, director of research at the Sutton Trust foundation, said the study highlighted the need to “ensure that access to the best schools and universities is not restricted to those from better off backgrounds.

“Doing so has a major social and economic cost, and prevents talented people from low and middle income backgrounds achieving their potential, and making a full contribution to modern Britain.”

The HMC chair, Chris King, accused the authors of criticising excellence. “This research shows the consistent quality of these schools through times of change in society and government policy,” he said.

“It is wrong and illogical suggest the richness of their extra curricular provision ‘signals’ male status; in fact it is the essence of a rounded education and helps develop resilience, team work and appreciation of others’ points of view.”

He added that independent schools were increasingly sharing teachers and facilities with their state counterparts.

Old boy network: Who’s Who entries from the ‘top nine’ schools

Boris Johnson (Eton)

Moved from Eton to Balliol College, Oxford, to study Classics. Served as president of the Oxford Union. Once won an award for a limerick in which he referred to President Erdoğan of Turkey as a “terrific wankerer”.

Nick Clegg (Westminster)

Went to Cambridge University in 1986 to study Archeology and Anthropology. Worked briefly as a journalist before moving into politics. Quickly ascending the ranks, he was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in 2007.

Stephen Glover (Shrewsbury)



Educated at Shrewsbury School and Oxford University, he worked at the Daily Telegraph before going on to co-found The Independent in 1986.

Sir Alan Duncan (Merchant Taylors’)



Following an education at Merchant Taylors’ and St John’s College, Oxford, he began his career as a trader. Elected to parliament in 1992, the current minister of state for Europe and the Americas has served in ministerial positions since 2003. His Who’s Who entry says he is a member of the Beefsteak Club.

Salman Rushdie (Rugby)



Educated at Rugby School and then King’s College, Cambridge, the Booker prize-winning novelist was knighted in 2007. His 1981 novel Midnight’s Children is included in the Penguin Books list, Great Books of the 20th Century.

Benedict Cumberbatch (Harrow)



After seeing him perform in numerous plays while at Harrow, his drama teacher is said to have referred to him as “the best schoolboy actor” he had ever seen. He has to date been nominated for awards including five Emmys, four Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Golden Globes.

George Osborne (St Paul’s)



Left St Paul’s in 1990 to attend Magdalen College Oxford. Finding it difficult to break into the ranks of journalism, he opted for a political career instead (before eventually returning to the media as editor of the Evening Standard).

Cathy Newman (Charterhouse)



After a degree in English at Oxford she became a journalist, starting at the Independent and making her way to become a presenter on Channel 4 News. Her Who’s Who entry says that she is a member of Soho House and enjoys watching Agatha Christie adaptations.

John Whittingdale (Winchester)



The former culture secretary studied economics at University College, London after leaving Winchester. He lists his interests as cinema and music.

Beatrix Willimont