Avoiding the S-word

One story in early January concerned a school in Sheffield which (allegedly) proposed to drop the word “school” from its title.

The problem, it said, was that the word "school" came with a bundle of unwelcome connotations.

I say allegedly since, after the original piece attracted significant criticism, a subsequent story described the first as “utter tosh".

“Of course we wouldn’t have banned the word ‘school’,” says the offending headmistress;   “as far as the children are concerned it’s a school, and it says ‘school’ on our chequebook.”

But then, the story was never about absolutes.    It was about marketing.    Calling it a “place of learning” said head Linda Kingdon in the original piece, will “bring the school (or place of learning) closer to real life”.

Laughable, says a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Plain English.    “This is the whole political correctness agenda.    Using unfamiliar words instead of a simple one like ‘school’, will get in the way of children’s ability to learn,” she said.

Even the local MP seems unimpressed.    “I just don't think the case has been made to drop the word school to a place of learning”, says Richard Caborn.    “I don't know why they have done it”.

Sure, for anyone who lives off the fat of government funding, such an issue might be dismissed as esoteric, or just plain gimmicky.

But in the private sector, names matter.    Arguably the single most important marketing tool a provider has is his brand name.

Dfferent providers in the private sector settle on a wide range of names, from school to college, company, academy, bureau, institute, or centre, or avoid the issue altogether with a name like associates or group, or training or tuition services;   each, presumably, in the minds of its owners at least, meeting a particular market need or opportunity.

And, like it or not, the word "school" does have a mixed resonances.    The Greek word from which school is derived, schole, meant leisure.    Nowadays, for children and teachers alike, school means almost exactly the opposite.    And the verb "to school" has overtones of discipline and strictness which do little to add to its appeal.

16th January, 2009
Sources: Quodlibs 321 & 323

Links

Initial Reports: The BBC (retrieved 09-02-2009)
Utter Tosh from TES (retrieved 09-02-2009)

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