ETIQUETTE SCHOOL

Looking every inch a successful American board-room executive, Spencer finished his lunch of saut‚ed salmon before carefully lifting his champagne glass in a toast to the other diners. Dressed in a blue blazer, white shirt and dark trousers, he thanked them for coming and signalled the waiters strategically placed around the private dining room to serve the dessert. A typical scene at an executive lunch. But Spencer is only 9, about the same age as his dining companions, who are dressed to the nines. He and his sister McKenzie, 10, along with three boys and five girls, had got a place in an etiquette class at the exclusive Hotel Bel-Air in Beverly Hills, California.

The crash courses in polite, or some may say precocious, behaviour are held four times a year, and the waiting list stretches to next summer as Hollywood executives, actors and CEOs from around America try desperately to get their children on it. The youngsters learn how to behave when faced with the sort of situation in which the well-heeled may find themselves, including how to introduce their parents to the Queen or the Pope.

The Petit Protocol class was given by Diane Diehl, known as the Miss Manners of international etiquette. At this class were, among others, Juliet, 8, granddaughter of Berry Gordy Jr, the creator of Motown, Joaquin, 6, the son of an actor who appeared in Gladiator and The Bourne Supremacy, and the children of a powerful Hollywood agent. Oh, and my daughters Abigail, 10, and eight-year-old Sophie, who got in because of their "cute" English accents.

Diehl, the daughter of a top-ranking military officer, travels the world teaching business leaders how to behave abroad, but included youngsters after being begged to do so by parents who did not have time to hammer home the finer points of behaving. One of her first customers was a wealthy New York executive who rarely got to eat with his son because of work commitments. When he did so, the boy's table manners disgusted him so much that he booked the etiquette class that day, and within a few weeks his son was whizzing his way to the East Coast.

First lesson at the Bel-Air was how to present your parents to the Queen. One child wore the crown while two others played daughter and mother. Then there was a lesson on what to say if a telephone caller wants to speak to your parents when they are away for several months, leaving you with the nanny and the staff. Never give out personal information when someone calls, says Diehl; tell the caller that your parents are unavailable and take a message.

One girl, misunderstanding the example, put up her hand and said that if she does not know the identity of a caller, she just looks at one of the CCTV monitors in her home. Sitting in rows of four, the children were well behaved and well dressed, and seemed to understand the finer points of the early lessons. One girl, who was attending the class for the third time, was wearing a fur stole and a pink, 1950s-style dress, and had French polish on her toes. Sitting with her legs crossed at the ankles, she looked as though she already hosted her own dinner parties.

The lesson on how to write a thank-you letter revealed that several of the class had personalised stationery. Spencer proudly told the class that he had his own wax stamp from England with S on it. Robyn Allyn, Spencer's mother, said that she wanted her children to feel comfortable in formal settings. Allyn, whose husband is a personal manager to the stars, said: "We have always eaten out in fine restaurants that have multiple knives and forks on the table, so it is good for them to know what to do. It can never hurt to know how to behave." The children were taught how to use a napkin, hold a glass of wine and how to cut food.

Diehl looks to Britain for examples of good behaviour, believing that manners have declined in recent years in America because of the lack of respectable role models. "The English wrote the book on civility," she says, "and these lessons are about having respect for other people. As children become more comfortable with their surroundings, so they will become more charismatic. "This was an exceptionally good class. The boys always come dragging their feet, but end up enjoying it. Our office receives calls from parents around the country desperate for their children to attend."

Does the course work? Since the class, my children remember more often to take their elbows off the table. And on the flight home a Virgin stewardess said that I had the politest children she had ever seen. I stopped them from telling her about the classes. "Years of hard work," I said.

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Britain: PRIVATE SCHOOLS PULLING FURTHER AHEAD

Oxford's attempts to rid itself of its reputation for giving preference to the "old school tie" have been dented by new figures showing it admitted almost twice as many Old Etonians last year as in 2001 . The number of pupils from Eton and other leading independent schools such as Westminster, St Paul's and Winchester have surged despite efforts by the university to boost its state-school intake. While the overall proportion of state-school pupils has edged up slightly at Oxbridge, elite private institutions have notched up the greatest gains. The main losers have been less prestigious independent schools.

The figures suggest Gordon Brown's outburst seven years ago against the "privileges" represented by Oxford has been counterproductive. The chancellor claimed it was an "absolute scandal" that Oxford had rejected Laura Spence, a talented Tyne-side comprehensive pupil. He said the university was "reminiscent of an old-boy network".

While the elite schools insist their success is down to their teaching, Labour critics say Oxbridge has not done enough to encourage state-school pupils. Barry Sheerman, Labour chairman of the Commons education select committee, blamed the universities for failing to broaden their intake. "Oxford and Cambridge shouldn't be seen as finishing schools for Eton and Westminster," he said.

The new data, released under the Freedom of Information Act, give a snapshot comparison between 2001 and 2006. Both universities reduced their independent sector intake by only 177 in that period. The top-performing schools have achieved spectacular gains. In 2006, 70 pupils from Eton were offered places by Oxford, compared with 38 in 2001. At Westminster school 52 pupils received offers from Oxford, up by 14 from 2001. There has also been an increase at Cambridge, although it is less marked. North London Collegiate school won 20 places there in 2006, compared with 17 in 2001; St Paul's school won 23, compared with 21.

The top school for Oxbridge last year was Westminster, where 60% of the upper sixth won offers from Oxford or Cambridge. Stephen Spurr, the head-master at Westminster, believes Oxbridge is not biased but is searching for the brightest applicants to maintain its position in the world rankings.

Tony Little, Eton's head master, said he told pupils that a place at Oxford or Cambridge had to be earned. "There is no golden road. The clever dilettante doesn't wash for Oxford now, if it ever did. We go far beyond the syllabus required for exams."

Geoff Parks, director of admissions at Cambridge, denied the university was failing to give due credit to state school applicants. "The best independent schools are stretching their most able pupils," he said. "There are ways in which state-school pupils are not as well guided as applicants from independent schools. State schools have had to deal with a shortage of qualified maths and physics teachers. They have also been dropping languages."

Source

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL schools should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the poor and minimal regulation.

The NEA and similar unions worldwide believe that children should be thoroughly indoctrinated with Green/Left, feminist/homosexual ideology but the "3 R's" are something that kids should just be allowed to "discover"

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