The great Westminster School auction is drawing to a close, with parents and alumni still frantically bidding on everything from school signet rings at £221 to a holiday in Uruguay for £12,000.
The annual fundraising auction has already created controversy because 22 unpaid internships were among the lots. Nick Clegg announced two years ago that he wanted to stop young people from managing to get internships just because their parents had “whispered in the ear” of the right person. But at Clegg’s alma mater you don’t have to do any whispering at all — you just need to donate to the school.
Among the internships, a week’s work with a criminal barrister is currently the most competitive at £800, although several placements have quietly disappeared. Westminster’s head, Dr Stephen Spurr, explains that “awkwardly for us, a very small minority of our donors, with the very best of intentions, have made offers that were later found to be in conflict with their organisations’ rules and have subsequently had to ask for them to be withdrawn”.
He was at pains to stress that, regarding the work experience, “each donor was also asked if they would be willing to provide two places — one to be auctioned and one for the Great School to pass along to a pupil at one of our partner state schools — and we are very pleased that several have chosen to do so.”
But not every parent is solely obsessed with their child’s professional advancement. Some are just as happy to spend £750 on six hours of longboard lessons. The most popular item? The chance to “have your name etched into the very fabric of Westminster School” with a named paving stone going for £21,000. Looks like the old school spirit is alive and wealthy.
