Read: Social mobility could be the next hot-button issue - and smart firms would be wise to act now
Here’s a game for your next tedious Zoom meeting. Take a look at those attentively nodding heads and ask yourself: how many went to an ordinary school?
By ordinary I don’t mean a comprehensive so exceptional that the local estate agents memorise its catchment area. I mean the rest. The average to poor ones. The bog standard, if you must. The sort of places where most kids are educated.
If you’re – say – a BBC senior manager the answer will be: not many. Less than half of them went to non-selective state schools; 28% were privately educated. Naturally, the BBC chooses to share this sort of information. Most don’t. If you work at – say – a City firm the figures may be similar, but prudently unpublished, and they might be about to matter a little more.
Cabinet minister turned social mobility activist Justine Greening and the Conservative MP Robbie Moore launched a fresh push on the issue this month. Some firms are recruiting differently. Journalists are starting to pay attention.