The pandemic puts a strain on elite private schools

The pandemic puts a strain on elite private schools

Aug 2nd 2020

IN SEPTEMBER, WHEN pupils return to Strathallan, an independent boarding school in Perthshire, Scotland, they will find the school a little different. Their temperatures will be taken each morning. A one-way system will steer them around the sprawling campus. Socially distanced lessons will be conducted on laptops, both to stop the passing of hand-held papers and to ensure that any pupils who have to be isolated can still take part.

As Mark Lauder, Strathallan's headmaster, cheerfully explains these measures, he acknowledges that the school's space and money make them possible. Most of the 560 pupils“”aged from nine to 18“”have their own bedroom; sport and other activities can take place in the 153-acre grounds; most of the staff live on the site. Significant investment has been made to upgrade the Wi-Fi this summer, ensuring that there's enough bandwidth to keep the pupils online. Although the school has taken a financial hit due to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Lauder is confident it will stay afloat. But to do so it is likely to have to adapt further, and not all elite schools will manage that. "Before covid struck,“ Mr Lauder notes, "we already knew the market was reshaping. This is a