Join The Spectator and special guests for a gripping debate on the future of private schools. Toby Young, Spectator columnist and founder of the West London Free School, will team up with historian David Starkey to take on veteran broadcaster and author David Aaronovitch and political commentator Stella Tsantekidou. Locking horns over one of the most divisive questions in education today, they’ll go head-to-head over whether private schools are a stain on Britain’s conscience.

Private schools sit at the heart of Britain’s education divide, with even senior Tories branding their influence ‘shocking’ and ‘morally indefensible’. While wealthy families buy access to elite teaching, better grounds and more extra-curricular activities, many state schools are left grappling with chronic underfunding, staff shortages and various crises post-Covid. Critics say it’s time to scrap private schools altogether, with the introduction of VAT on fees hailed as the first strike. However, supporters warn such moves risk wrecking academic excellence and dragging the education system down with it.

Join us and have your say in what promises to be a lively evening of debate.

If you can, please download The Spectator app before the event.