To think State education is really poor?

Can you un-grasp us then ?

Who said that private schools run 2 years ahead? Maybe the top ones do but most run pretty much in line with state. For most parents the point of private school isn't results and that's what people outside of the private sector don't grasp.

With the private schools curriculum being 2+ yrs ahead, they should be able to walk into a grammar easily!

No KPIs associated with this claim right?

Cambridge University has just scrapped its state school admission target, because they realise that looking purely at school type is not the best way of attracting the best students.

https://liveapp.inews.co.uk/2024/05/16/private-schools-claim-labours-tax-plan-will-trigger-a-special-needs-catastrophe/content.html

Your idea of no private to grammar won’t happen and like it or not parents with funds use top grammars well

That will increase with the Labour VAT policy you are keen on

I never said they would walk into grammars. No DC does, whether from state or private. However private parents would have the resource to increase chances through tutors etc.

Outreach programs are already happening and I don’t see why they can’t do that. Unis are now looking at whether applications are from state or private.

Clearly this won’t happen so those in top grammar areas will see even greater competition

No simply replying to the presumption that all kids leaving private schools would walk into all the grammars.🙄

Wow talk about prejuduce?!
So no private school DC would be bright enough for grammar 😆. OK then
So let us keep our thick DC at private school without VAT and remove the burden from the state.

And grammars are doing outreach programs with state schools and changing exams to help with this. Maybe they could also look at only accepting applicants from state schools.

Many of the grammar exams are easy to tutor for. Pupils at schools who prep for the state 11+ stand a better chance of getting in. Our private prep had pretty much a 100% pass rate for the nearest grammar.

And what about the vast majority of people who don’t live in a grammar area?

Assuming they’re all bright enough for grammar which they won’t be.Some grammars do access programs now anyway focusing on the less wealthy and state.

Plus the tax payer will have to fund their places when now the parents do that.

Anyone relying on top grammar, which can get good results, will face greater competition to get in with the VAT policy in place

Except most of the country doesn't have the privilege of living in grammar areas 🙄

It’s comparing apples and pears though isn’t it?

It’s a very nuanced and subjective choice. Here the state option is decent so on balance we felt private was not worth it for our robust NT quite academic girls. The state schools are full of teens like them. It’s cool to do well.

But it’s not equivalent to a private school - they are very different offerings.

TheaBrandt · Today 11:45
Think it’s a myth that the “better” state schools are equivalent to private. Even the better state schools cannot compete with private schools

Really? But other posters are saying the state schools where they live are greatly superior to the local private schools.
(As others have said, if that’s the case then why bother abolishing private schools - of the parents want to waste their money then it’s up to them).

It is obv misleading to compare ‘state’ to ‘private’.

State schools could range from eg. an all girls grammar (grammars are always selective using the 11+), or it could mean a mixed, sink comprehensive in an inner city.

They are not comparable. So saying I went to state school could mean it was sort of almost private or it could comprehensive / academy crap. Obviously I’m Bot saying the teachers or kids are. They just need more investment. Where is it?

They ran a good sales pitch and you fell for it.
why won’t they tell you your child is 2yrs behind on their “curriculum” ? Do you do any extra work with your child at home?

My kids are at top state grammars. We pay for private 1-1 specialist support for select subjects and activities. They are thriving, high achievers and happy.

Think it’s a myth that the “better” state schools are equivalent to private. Even the better state schools cannot compete with private schools. There is less funding obviously/ they can’t boot out troublesome children easily as the local private schools can (and do) / in cities the demographic is always mixed - my builders and cleaners girls go to the same school that mine go to.

I’ve worked in three independent schools and went to another. I’ve also worked in three state grammar schools. The grammar schools offer almost everything the independents did and the overall quality of education was absolutely equal. Just facilities that are not quite as plush - no swimming pool, sports pitches more limited, etc. and class sizes a bit bigger (but doesn’t make that much difference for the kids when behaviour is overall good). I agree that even a very good comprehensive is not going to be ‘the same’ as an independent because, even where the independents are less academically selective, what they have in common with grammars is that they are a narrower and self-selecting segment of society - they are able to specialise in their niche. I wish we could have a wider variety of ‘specialist’ schools as another PP mentioned - grammars, technical schools, SEND/SEMH - with plenty of opportunities for students to ‘flow’ between them as appropriate (e.g. kid goes to grammar but isn’t thriving in the faster pace but could go to SEND/SEMH setting either temporarily or more permanently without it being seen as lesser or as ‘failure’; or kid goes a more practical/technical route initially but was a late developer academically and wants to move to grammar for GCSE/A Level.)

😂 quite