Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s head teacher slams ‘demanding parents’
The mounting pressure is becoming a "significant challenge."
By Chadielle Fayad
September 24 2019
Prince George and Princess Charlotte's headteacher has revealed that Thomas's Battersea is facing a "significant challenge" of demanding parents.
Ben Thomas, the principal of the private school, said the increasing school fees were raising parents' expectations and that an "I pay therefore I expect" outlook has developed amongst the school community.
"With school fees up by nearly 100 per cent since 2003, parents’ expectations are, not unreasonably, sky-high," Thomas wrote in an article for the book The State of Independence: Key Challenges Facing Private Schools.
"The days of the laid-back, hands-off, middle-class parents (if they ever existed) are long gone… ‘I pay therefore I expect’ has become a mantra."
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In addition to this, the headteacher claimed that the rising pressure from parents over entrance exams can turn students into "overanxious, overprepared young robots."
Thomas told The Times that "The independent sector is predicated on children taking high-stakes exams."
"Parents are very aware how high stakes the exams are – it’s not unusual for secondary schools to have one place for every ten children applying," he added.
"I want to encourage children to find out the answers themselves, to figure out what questions to ask and to cope with failing.
"As computers are poised to take over many of our jobs, I want to equip pupils with the skills that make us uniquely human, rather than simply to be people who have spent their entire education being made to jump through hoops."
Earlier this month, Prince William and Kate Middleton dropped their middle child, Princess Charlotte off for her very first day of school.
The royal four-year-old is now a student of St Thomas’s Battersea and is joining her big brother Prince George
Kensington Palace shared official portraits from the big day.
Thomas’s Battersea
Thomas’s Battersea describes itself as a Christian school.
They are open to children of all faiths and believes in “praise as the greatest motivator.”
Parents are told their children will be in an atmosphere which seeks positive relationships between pupils, teachers and parents.
Art, ballet, drama, ICT, French, music and physical education are all taught by specialist teachers from a child’s first day.
The school is housed in a Grade II listed building, the former Sir Walter St John’s Grammar School which dates back to 1700.
Originally published as Prince George and Princess Charlotte’s head teacher slams ‘demanding parents’
