OF LONDON
saturday november 29 2014 | thetimes.co.uk | no 71367
The best show on Earth Tracking the northern lights Travel, pages 52-53
GARETH FULLER / PA
IN THE NEWS Oil companies plunge after Opec decision Billions have been knocked off the market value of leading oil companies as investors took fright at Opec’s decision to leave the cartel’s production quota unchanged. The rout came as Saudi Arabia ended a turbulent Opec conference in Vienna on Thursday with a pledge to block moves to cut oil production, raising the prospect of prices falling below $70 a barrel as the kingdom refused to play its traditional role of balancing global supply. Page 63
UN misses ebola target The spread of ebola is continuing to outstrip UN efforts to bring the outbreak under control in West Africa. Agencies will fail to meet Monday’s deadline for hitting targets because of a shortage of beds and burial teams. Page 62
Mosque bombs kill 64
High notes Canterbury Cathedral’s first all-girls’ choir rehearses its Dancing Day concert, a choice of ancient and modern Christmas music to be sung in the nave next Friday
Top head attacks parents
‘Affluent neglect’ is blighting children’s lives Nicola Woolcock Education Correspondent
Parents at Britain’s leading private schools are terrified of their children’s failure and how it will reflect on themselves, one of the country’s top head teachers has said. Clarissa Farr, head of St Paul’s Girls’ School in west London, also accused high-achieving parents of “affluent neglect”, where children were not shown enough attention in the evenings. In a series of outspoken comments Mrs Farr said that many parents showed a “frenetic anxiety” and re-
fused to accept their child coming second. She warned that children were growing up unable to cope with failure as a result. “Their children will succeed above all and they’re not at all on board with the idea of school as a community, learning to come second or that learning to give ground is an important part of education,” she told a workshop at the Girls’ Schools Association conference. Mrs Farr’s school charges up to £22,500 a year. Entry is by competitive examination and interview, and the school says that it fosters academic excellence and high aspirations. The
difficulties of dealing with some affluent parents were revealed in a session she led on the challenges faced by heads running city schools. She said: “Parents have very high aspirations — they have a kind of ticking, frenetic anxiety — even the ones who are delightful to deal with are on edge because they haven’t really got enough time to have the conversation they’re trying to have with you. “Anything that might result in success not happening for their son or daughter, in however small an arena, they’re very frightened of.” Such “snowplough” parents cleared all obsta-
cles from their children’s path and tried to boost their self-esteem at all costs, Mrs Farr added. Their children were left over-protected and unable to cope with failure. Some parents saw school as a “bespoke, consumer service”. She said: “Again at the more extreme ends I’ve certainly noticed an increase in the expectation among parents that what is arranged for their daughter will be specific and bespoke. If she happens to speak a language that you don’t offer, it will be expected that you provide tuition. Something that shocked Continued on page 6, col 4
At least 64 worshippers were feared dead after bombs rocked a mosque in Nigeria during Friday prayers. The attack bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram extremists. Gunmen opened fire on anyone fleeing the blasts. Page 36
Son’s remains returned The remains of an American soldier who was wounded in one of the bloodiest ambushes of the Vietnam War and later vanished into enemy hands have been returned to his mother and brothers after 47 years. Page 62
Sleeping beauty is back An avant garde painting, Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, was returned to Hungary after 89 years thanks to Gergely Barki, an art historian, who spotted it in the background of the film Stuart Little while watching with his daughter. Page 35 Buying The Times overseas: Belgium €4.00; Bulgaria BGN 7.50; Cyprus €4.00; northern Cyprus YTL 10.50; Denmark DKK 40; France €4.00; Germany €4.00; Gibraltar £2.50; Greece €4.00; Italy € 4.00; Luxembourg €4.00; Malta €4.00; Morocco MAD 55; Netherlands €4.00; Norway NOK 55; Oman OMR1.50; Portugal €4.00 (CONT.); Spain €4.00; Sweden SEK 55; Switzerland CHF 7.80; Turkey YTL6.50 ; UAE AED11