Tony Little, the headmaster of Eton College, has given an interview (£) to the Times’ Alice Thompson and Rachel Sylvester. It’s a curiosity. On the one hand, Little is extraordinary: a local boy who won a bursary to Eton in the ‘60s. On the other hand, he is emblematic of how the headmasters of the ‘great public schools’ have become representatives of their schools rather than hands-on managers.
The interview reads like a sales prospectus for a philosophy of education. Little talks about the value of encouraging each boy’s talent to the full. Eton teaches 9 modern languages and coaches 30 sports. There is time in the school day for drama, music , art and debate. Teachers are involved in the pastoral care of pupils long after the classrooms are plunged into darkness; it’s part of their generous and comfortable deal.
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