Home Archived Letters: ‘School profit’ summer debate isn’t clearcut Back Letters: ‘School profit’ summer debate isn’t clearcut 14th August 2009, 1:00am Professor John Howson Share Letters: ‘School profit’ summer debate isn’t clearcut https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/letters-school-profit-summer-debate-isnt-clearcut Copy Link Original paper headline: School profit debate is grist to MillThe debate about schools operated for a profit is not a simple yes or no issue (Summer debate, August 7). After all, there is much of our education system that is already run for a profit: textbooks, computers, supply staff and transport are all provided to state and fee-paying schools by companies who set out to make a profit.The essential difference between these services and schools is that there is no requirement for a universal service, and the companies can, and sometimes do, go bust.John Stuart Mill rightly said that the role of the state was to see its citizens were educated, but not necessarily to do the education themselves. But during the past 100 years of mass education, for-profit schools have hardly flourished in Britain. Might this be because there is little or no profit to be made in running the actual schools?Professor John Howson, Education Data Surveys, London. Want to keep reading for free? Register with Tes and you can read two free articles every month plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters. Register Log in Keep reading for just £1 per month You've reached your limit of free articles this month. Subscribe for £1 per month for three months and get: Unlimited access to all Tes magazine content Exclusive subscriber-only stories Award-winning email newsletters Subscribe now Read more Career clinic Professor John Howson • 24th August 2012 Career Clinic Professor John Howson • 17th August 2012 Career clinic Professor John Howson • 10th August 2012 Career Clinic Professor John Howson • 3rd August 2012 Recent Most read Most shared How our trust improved its inclusion and SEND offer Leadership 19 September 2024 5 practical steps our school took to boost attendance Leadership 19 September 2024 School literacy experts are disappearing, yet we need them more than ever Teaching & Learning 19 September 2024 Schools must not use Ofsted logos for this year’s judgements News 17 September 2024 Teacher pay scales 2024-25: what will your salary look like? Analysis 29 July 2024 How to fix the primary maths curriculum Teaching & Learning 18 September 2024 DfE urged to review curriculum panel over Oak links News 18 September 2024 Call for Ofsted ‘transparency’ over board minutes News 17 September 2024 How to fix the primary maths curriculum Teaching & Learning 18 September 2024