How do Britain’s private schools reproduce privilege?

An hour-long panel discussion bringing together key scholars and activists to mark the launch of Emma Taylor's new book, An Elite Education: how privilege is produced in a private school. The discussion will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A inviting questions from the audience. 

It is no secret that the alumni of Britain’s elite schools remain disproportionately represented in positions of power and influence. But what is it about these institutions that gives their students such a lasting advantage? 

Drawing on an in-depth ethnography of one of Britain’s most prestigious private schools, Emma Taylor's new book, An Elite Education, explores how these institutions cultivate the dispositions that propel students into elite universities and professions. Central to the book is the concept of ''audacity'', a carefully nurtured sense of privilege that is often mistaken for merit. Beneath the formal façade of architecture, traditions and rituals lies a complex web of everyday interactions through which students learn to assert themselves without fear of consequence.

This event will examine how such taken-for-granted dispositions continue to shape access to opportunity and the reproduction of privilege in Britain.

• Emma Taylor, Lecturer in Education at King’s Academy, the education development centre at King’s College London, and author of An Elite Education. 
• Tiwa Adebayo, an experienced journalist, broadcaster and former financial services professional who currently works at Bloomberg News. 
• Annette Lareau, Professor (Emeritus) in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the award-winning books Unequal Childhoods, Home Advantage, and Listening to People. 
• Lee Elliot Major, Britain’s first Professor of Social Mobility at the University of Exeter, and an Associate at LSE's Centre for Economic Performance. He was awarded an OBE for services to social mobility.
• Chaired by Mike Savage, Professorial Research Fellow at the International Inequalities Institute.

All welcome

Those particularly interested in how private schools shape access to opportunity and the reproduction of privilege in Britain