How England’s top private schools came to own 38,000 acres of land

When you stroll towards the south along the River Itchen, you'll eventually notice the neatly-manicured green playing fields of Winchester College across the river. Among the rugby and cricket fields lies an open-air classroom that can fit 30 students. The rowing club is also close by, together with New Hall, which can accommodate up to 400 people in its theater.

Further ahead are the old school structures, the cloisters, and the residential buildings. Previous attendees of this school, one of them being the current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, were able to enjoy the vast 250-acre open area, which the school proudly boasts of on its website. It's an undeniably lavish arrangement, as they would all concur.

As a component of our initiative to provide Access to green areas, we have investigated the area available for our children in school – and the duration they spend having fun there. Our team of data analysts collected comprehensive details related to the property owned by the top private schools in England. Further, they utilized satellite data and different factors to determine the portion which was green space that the students could access.

We also examined the extent of open-air regions that state schools have in England and talked to professionals to address some of the problems that our youngsters encounter. According to Tina Farr from St Ebbes primary school in Oxford, "It's essential that we begin managing schools according to the principles of cultivating a healthy child. We should dedicate six hours daily to providing them with nutritious food and ensure that this is prioritized."

The Guardian has been exploring the quantity of natural areas and public spaces accessible to pupils attending elite private schools across England, as opposed to those accessible to a representative state school pupil. By utilizing space technology and information that is available to the public, we undertook a geographical review of the extent of the land owned by each school, and subsequently estimated how much of it consisted of natural and open areas accessible to the pupils.

When it comes to the amount of land accessible to students, Eton ranked first. However, Winchester may have a smaller area at their disposal, but the college's overall land holdings are incredibly significant with a whopping 8,167 acres, as per the geospatial analysis conducted by the Guardian.

Several educational institutions possess sizable amounts of land. Eton College has a total of 2,300 acres under its ownership, with Lord Wandsworth School and Stonyhurst College each possessing more than 1,000 acres. Additionally, Stowe School, Radley College, and Royal Hospital School have all either an ownership stake in or are trustees of more than 750 acres.

Actually, the top 250 schools collectively possess an astounding 38,086 acres of land, which equals approximately 59 square miles. This stands in stark contrast to the public school system where, as per the Guardian's estimations, the typical student can only access one-tenth of the available outdoor area.

Only a small fraction of England’s total number of school attendees, which is around 9 million, are enrolled in private schools. Specifically, there are only 245,000 students attending these institutions. Despite this small percentage, private school attendees are known to have a significant advantage in life. As per the 2019 report by Sutton Trust, it was found that the majority of judges, politicians, and civil service permanent secretaries in the country had attended private schools. The report revealed that 65% of judges, 44% of politicians, and 59% of civil service permanent secretaries had a private school education.

How did these schools acquire all this property? It's ironic that in many instances, the founders had a desire to provide educational prospects for underprivileged children or introduce them to the church.

The original schools in England were established over 1,000 years ago, and they were started by kings or churches. They didn't have much land or money at first. However, in 1382, Winchester College was established by William of Wykeham. This event marked a significant change as education became a popular choice for influential people during medieval times. An author of a book titled Posh Boys, Robert Verkaik pointed out this new trend.

The man named Wykeham, who came from a farming family, climbed up the ranks to become the chief builder of Windsor Castle for King Edward III. He was also later appointed as the Bishop of Winchester and Lord Chancellor. With the wealth he amassed, he decided to help impoverished students and founded New College in Oxford. He also established Winchester College, which he generously endowed with a large amount of land, including Downton Rectory Manor in Wiltshire and Eling Manor in Hampshire. Throughout the next 150 years, the school continued to receive land through purchases or donations that were spread across different regions such as Wiltshire, Middlesex, the Isle of Wight, Hampshire and Herefordshire. In the 1540s, Henry VIII gifted the college with acres of ex-monastery land in exchange for the college's land in Middlesex to expand his estate near Hampton Court Palace.

Following the legacy of Wykeham, people started to consider funding education as a noble act of charity. Some saw it as an opportunity to showcase their power, similarly to how building a church or palace would symbolize authority. While the royal family and the church were still forming educational institutions (such as when King Henry VI founded Eton College by expropriating land from different nobles), individuals who had made their own wealth started to establish schools in their hometowns. Guilds also provided educational benefits to their members by founding schools.

The Bedford school in Bedford was initially supported by William Harpur, a man from the area who worked as a tailor before progressing to become the Lord Mayor of London in 1561. During his time, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I. Harpur contributed 13 acres of land in Holborn (now in London) to the school, which proved to be a valuable asset. The school has since grown to become a prominent boarding and day school, featuring a theatre worth £6m, a music school worth £3m, and a library that has recently been upgraded with £1.8m.

A man called Robert Aske, hailing from Yorkshire, climbed the ranks of the Haberdashers Company and eventually became the top haberdasher in 1685. He left the company money to fund a school that would educate 20 impoverished members of the company. Today, the Haberdashers' Boys' school is located on a large 100-acre plot of land in Hertfordshire and charges annual fees ranging from £19,000 to £24,000.

A new wave of schools were established by religious groups who disagreed with mainstream beliefs. The Methodists were among them and they established two separate systems of schools. One focuses on providing academic education while the other comprises of schools where students pay fees. Culford is a perfect example of such fee-paying schools. It is nestled in the picturesque Suffolk countryside, boasting 480 acres of land. According to the Guardian's methodology, 409 acres of the campus is within a 5km radius. An annual fee of approximately £40,000 allows students to board at the school.

Even women were participating in this movement. Maria Grey and Emily Shirreff, who strongly supported women's education, along with Lady Stanley of Alderley and Mary Gurney, founded the Girl's Day School Trust in 1872. These Victorian women were not financially well off because the Married Women's Property Act had not been put into practice yet. Therefore, they created the Girls' Public Day School Company, where they sold shares to gather enough money to establish schools for girls.

According to historian and co-writer of Engines of Privilege, David Kynaston, British private schools have strayed far from their original purpose. They were established to benefit society as a whole but now primarily serve the wealthy as a means of maintaining their privilege. Kynaston has first-hand experience of this, having attended Wellington College himself. When his son, who attended a state school, visited Wellington College many years later, he was amazed by the vast size of the campus, something Kynaston had failed to notice before.

He explained that there are various ways in which the contrasts arise, for instance, in terms of excelling in specific sports like cricket, which state schools lack the equipment for. This leads to a wider and simpler road for those privileged children, while those from state schools face smaller and more challenging opportunities.

Kynaston expressed his opinion on the various inequalities present in the world. He identified the inequality faced by children as one of the most terrible forms of inequality. This is because the years of childhood are extremely significant in shaping an individual's life and future. There should be equal opportunities provided to every child, instead of the current unjust and imbalanced system.