James Tooley | |
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 James Tooley at theInstitute of Economic Affairs in London on 25 February 2015, after his talk entitled "50 years after EG West's 'Education and the State'." | |
| Born | July 1959 (1959-07) (age 66) |
| Education | Kingsfield School University of Sussex University of London |
| Occupation(s) | Educator, scholar |
| Employer | University of Buckingham |
James Nicholas Tooley (born July 1959, in Southampton, England) is a professor of educational entrepreneurship and ofeducation policy at theUniversity of Buckingham.[1] In July 2020, Tooley was appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Buckingham, succeeding SirAnthony Seldon from 1 October 2020.[2]
Tooley's family moved to Bristol where he was educated atKingsfield School, Kingswood.[3]
Tooley holds a PhD from the Institute of Education,University of London,[4] an MSc from theScience Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, and first class BSc honours in Logic and Mathematics, also from theUniversity of Sussex. He began his career as a mathematics teacher inZimbabwe (1983 to 1986), before moving to theNational Foundation for Educational Research in England in 1988. He held short-term appointments atSimon Fraser University, Canada, and the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, while completing his PhD. His first post-doctoral position was with theUniversity of Oxford's Department of Educational Studies, under ProfessorRichard Pring. From Oxford he moved to theUniversity of Manchester in 1995; at the same time he also created the Education and Training Unit at theInstitute of Economic Affairs in London.
Tooly was professor at theUniversity of Newcastle upon Tyne, where he directed theE. G. West Centre.[5][6][7][8] For his research on private education for the poor in India, China and Africa, Tooley was awarded the gold prize in the firstInternational Finance Corporation/Financial Times Private Sector Development Competition in September 2006. From 2007 to 2009, he was founding President of the Education Fund, Orient Global,[9] and lived in Hyderabad, India. He is currently chairman of education companies in Ghana (Omega Schools Franchise Ltd) and India (Empathy Learning Systems Pvt Ltd) creating low cost chains of low cost private schools. He also holds an appointment as an Adjunct Scholar at theCato Institute[10] and serves on the Advisory Council of theInstitute of Economic Affairs[11] as well as on the Academic Advisory Council ofCivitas: The Institute for the Study of Civil Society.[12] He also serves on theBoard of Visitors ofRalston College, a start-up liberal arts college inSavannah.[13]
James Nicholas Tooley is a professor of educational entrepreneurship and ofeducation policy at theUniversity of Buckingham.[14] In July 2020, Tooley was appointed as the new Vice-Chancellor of theUniversity of Buckingham, succeeding SirAnthony Seldon from 1 October 2020.[15]
In October 2024 it was announced that Tooley had been suspended as Vice-Chancellor of Buckingham University because of serious allegations which had been made against him. He was reinstated in January 2025 after an investigation found that the allegations were not substantiated. The investigation was carried out by Joseph O’Brien KC, who at the same time investigated Tooley’s allegations that his suspension was due to opposition to his political views and his belief in free speech and academic freedom. O’Brien found that Tooley’s allegations were without merit.[16][17]
Tooley is best known for his work on low cost private education. He began this work in 2000, having discovered for himself the existence of low cost private schools in the slums of Hyderabad while doing consultancy for the International Finance Corporation. A major research programme was subsequently undertaken between 2003 and 2005, funded by theJohn Templeton Foundation, exploring the nature and existence of private schools for the poor in India, Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya and China, and comparing public and private provision for the poor. This research is reported in a range of books and publications, includingThe Beautiful Tree: a personal journey into how the world's poorest people are educating themselves (Penguin, New Delhi, and Cato Institute, 2009). His work has also been profiled in documentaries for the BBC and PBS: for the latter it was featured alongside the work of Nobel LaureateMuhammad Yunus andHernando de Soto Polar.
The basic findings of the research show that in urban and peri-urban poor areas (slums and shanty towns) in India and the African countries studied, the majority of schoolchildren are in low cost private schools. After testing 24,000 children, it was found that children in the low cost private schools significantly outperform children in public schools, after controlling for background variables and the school choice process.[18][citation needed]
In 2017 Tooley announced plans to open a low cost private primary school inDurham, England.[19][20] The school opened in 2018.[21] AnOfsted report in 2019 rated the school as "Good".[22]
Tooley's work has also explored the role of government in education from philosophical and other theoretical perspectives.[23] This has resulted in academic articles challenging the work of philosophersHarry Brighouse andAdam Swift, and in the major bookE. G. West: economic liberalism and the role of government in education (Continuum Library of Educational Thought, 2008).
The following are the major awards won by Tooley:
The following are the books and monographs published by Tooley:
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