Class Warfare
"Private schools offer 41% more tree shade than state schools in England"'Analysis reveals stark socioeconomic divide, with schools with highest free school meal eligibility having fewer trees.'https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/jul/16/private-schools-more-tree-shade-state-schools-englandNot only is the whole commissioning and intention of such an article and its underlying basis, so typical of the Guardian, and hilariously puerile, but the thought of how the so called analysis was carried out is jaw dropping.The intention is to show the unfairness of the private school system in comparison to that of the state and generate cries of "shame".But were the survey results produced by Lewis Winks, the environmental social scientist who led the research arrived at by visiting every school ?He must have done as he shows that there is a measured 41% advantage in tree cover for private schools.Note the precision of his measurement.And what does the fact of 'free school meal eligibility' have to do with it ?No mention of course of the geographical and demographic factors that probably were the deciding reasons as to the original placement of the schools.And are we to believe that Wimbledon High School for Girls on the main traffic route from the town centre to the Village is advantaged in this regard over Rickards Lodge Girl's school at the heart of leafy residential Wimbledon Park ?This just goes to show the lengths some will go to in order to foster a class war albeit it shows them up as being ignorant in the basis of their research methods.And who funded this piece of pointless 'academic' work ?The taxpayer of course.Lewis Winks is a freelance writer, researcher and campaigner focused on cultural and social transformations, engaged research, environmental advocacy, and rights of access to the countryside.He works at Exeter University.And can obviously cannot find anything more important to spend his time and our money worrying about.
John Hawkes ● 18h0 Comments