KEY POINTS:
LONDON - Old fashioned lessons in table manners, how to tie a bow tie and waltz at a wedding have been revived at an English private school.
Brighton College has begun teaching its first year high school students the importance of good manners and social etiquette skills in the hope of preparing them for later life.
The 13-year-old students will spend a year learning the finer points of everything from writing formal letters to behaving at dinner parties, ballroom dancing and giving up your seat on the bus for the elderly.
Classes are held for 45 minutes, once a week and also include practical lessons on ironing, boiling an egg, sewing buttons and erecting a tent.
Development director David Gold said the college, which has a student exchange program with Christ Church Grammar in Perth, was inspired to introduce the lessons after a recent report found that too many graduates were lacking in manners.
As a result, many school and university leavers were unsure how to behave when they entered the business world or had to attend formal events.
"Our deputy headmaster Simon Smith felt there were certain things that used to be taught at home and today, with the modern lifestyle, aren't anymore," Mr Gold said.
"We got talking about it and thought there would be teachers at the school that could cover these things.
"But to make it a bit more fun we have introduced lessons on how to waltz and tie a bow tie and for the girls there are lessons in how to apply subtle makeup."
Mr Gold said he believed that while the college's students were generally polite, the fast pace of modern life meant some had missed out on being taught a range of social and practical skills by their parents.
"We think it's important that when they leave here they are able to do things such as cook for themselves, for example," he said.
"But it's also about being prepared for the world after education.
"There will be some people who think it's elitist. But we want students to leave Brighton College and be able to mix in any social circle, whether it's having dinner with a high court judge or the woman who serves dinner in the canteen."
Outside the classroom, a group of about 12 students will be invited each week to dinner parties hosted by the headmaster, Richard Cairns, at his home.
They will be expected to write a formal acceptance note upon receiving their invitation and a thankyou letter afterwards.
While at the party, students will learn when the appropriate time is to remove their jackets and go to the toilet as well as how to politely deal with food they don't like and work out which knife to use.
So far, the classes have gone down well with the students.
"They feel this is something a bit different and something their mates aren't doing and certainly their parents are welcoming it," Mr Gold said.
- AAP
