Quaker Schools in England: Offering A Vision of an Alternative Society

Abstract

A straw poll about Quakers taken in a university cafeteria is likely to bring a variety of responses. Replies are likely to be prefaced with some form of qualification that admits a lack of detailed knowledge but some impressions tend to come up time and again, something about pacifism, social responsibility, and the invariable joke about porridge. There will be a mixture of impressions about beliefs and behavior in society, and dietary habits, a plainness of appearance, and, more deeply, a seriousness and thoughtfulness in lifestyle. (The official Web site, Quakers in Britain, however, makes it clear that Quakers are not as serious as they sometimes appear, that most do not wear black all the time and some do not even eat porridge every day.) However, even among university coffee-drinkers who have a built-in propensity to critique, the sincerity of this very small religious group is rarely, if ever, questioned. However, to understand the position and role of Quaker schools in England, it is necessary to have an awareness of the reality of Quakerism today. (Interestingly, while recently there are perhaps signs of membership growth, Burnet (2007) has written about what he terms the failure of Quakerism in Scotland).