Eds-letter

For some, having to put together an article for the school magazine is a chore; another piece of homework to do. For others, it’s an opportunity to write about things that matter to them, and a source of real enjoyment. School magazines certainly carry their own air of nostalgia, as you flick through the pages remembering names and faces and that school trip to the trenches. But, asks Katherine Whitbourn, is there still a place for the traditional school magazine in the social media age?

For The Spectator’s editor Fraser Nelson having a child take the Eleven Plus exam — used as a device to select pupils for grammar and private schools — is a crash-course in the secret rules of English life. He writes his guide to what he wishes he’d known before his son chose to have a go at it. Plus, William Cook reminisces on his school days, and explains why — despite what you think at the time — the ‘cool teachers’ are the ones you will later remember with contempt, not affection. Martha Terry examines the ever-changing subject of gender dysphoria, and asks how schools are reacting to the phenomenon. And Madeleine Silver asks whether the rise of flexi-boarding is a fad, or something that’s here to stay.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Spectator Schools, and look out for the next one, in March 2020.

Camilla Swift, Editor