North East backing for new private university

Feb 8 2010 by Nicola Juncar, The Journal

vate higher education, following complaints about impersonal teaching and oversized classes at many traditional universities.

Bernard Trafford, headmaster of the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle and former chairman of the HMC, said: “I don’t think you’ll find many parents who are happy that at age 18 their children go to university and get four hours’ teaching a week.

“When they paid school fees, they got a lot more. I can see an awful lot of independent school pupils would see this as an attractive alternative. It would be all about dependable quality and high accountability to the people paying the fees.”

David Willetts, the shadow universities secretary, said he would welcome the setting up of the institution if the Tories came to power.

“A more diverse university sector, with a range of organisations delivering higher education, is no bad thing,” he said.

The plan is at an early stage, but at least two multi-millionaire backers have already been approached about funding the set-up costs.

The provisional idea is for the university to be named after Edward Thring, a 19th century educationist who founded the HMC and was headmaster of Uppingham school in Rutland.

It would offer arts, science and medical degrees to about 2,000 British and overseas students.

HMC schools, whose 243 members include Eton, Winchester and St Paul’s, would provide governors and help to design the curriculum.

The HMC is to study Mr Kealey’s plan in more detail in the next few weeks.