To think State education is really poor?

Private schools aren't the issue. The issue is chronic lack of underfunding of the stare sector. Labour have successfully created class warfare on this one in a populist policy. They just want to create the Them V Us divide and sadly people buy into this without digging into the details and facts.
Labour should be looking to improve state education with a sustainable policy through income tax. That is the only way of raising standards in state schools.
They aren't saying that they will do this.
6500 new teachers is about 0.25 of a teacher per school and does nothing to stop the attrition rate.

All that will happen is that bursaries for lower income families will end and private schools will become for the trulybwealthy only. Thus actually increasing the inequality gap.
A >10% reduction in DC going to private school = £0 net income from VAT.
Labour know all of this but they don't care.
If they were truly bothered about improving state education then they would be talking about ring fencing income tax, but they aren't.
VAT policy will add an additional 16,000+ students to the state sector this September 2024 at a cost of 100m+. The policy is already costing the treasury more before they’re even in power! Where is the extra budget coming to fund those 16,000+ places and more expected in next couple of years?

Why would someone who appears to strive for fairness wish to unfairly discriminate when it suits?

“Something needs to be done about private education to stop the inequality”.

I know let’s gets rid of any possible access to private schools for lower earning families while at the same time leave the people who we have an issue with to continue with their elitist education and by definition become even more elitist.

Great plan Baldrick!

Ok then clearly state pupils with the same grades need to be made the priority in all job and uni applications. After all they’ve achieved the same in dire circumstances so are clearly far superior candidates.

No the biggest cause of inequality in this country is private education. A teeny tiny rich proportion of the population can afford it or £££££ housing.

The best most wide sweeping way of increasing equality is to do something about private education. The Tories have done zilch and change needs to happen.

You do realise that this policy will accentuate the current inequalities while at the same time removing opportunities for lower earning families in both the state and private sectors.

Its hard to think of a policy whose aims are so far removed from its inevitable outcome.

Many schools rated “good” are far from desirable. The bar is set pretty low.

The reality is that a huge number of state schools are not places where you would choose to send your child if there were other options. I fully appreciate state school parents defending the system because they feel any criticism reflects badly on them which of course isn’t the case.

Parents of state school children are perfectly entitled to give their school money to make up the difference of they’re not happy with the level of funding.

If that is the case then state pupils should clearly always be made a priority in applications for top jobs and all uni applications. Clearly it’s a bloody miracle they get any qualifications and that should be recognised. A state pupil with the same results as a private puil is clearly a far higher achievement. 🤔

No not really. Private education causes huge inequalities. The fewer the better. It is about time it’s recognised and I hope labour do something about it.

The majority aren’t bad. That is a ridiculous thing to say. Nearly 90% are rated good or above by Ofsted which isn’t easy to achieve.

Many would close. And funding won't increase in the state sector. Places at good schools will decrease as private school parents move into catchment. Lose-lose.

It isn't acceptable but when state schools get 1/3 of the funding per pupil that private schools get you can see why

Very misleading. 16 children in a class compared with 32 are going to need double per head funding just to provide the teacher. And not all independents charge x 3 what a state school receives per head .

There are several private schools round here that get far worse results than the local state schools. Far worse.

Some private schools are good but some really aren't, same in the state sector. And many in both are a mixed bag.

I agree and you’re right about everything. It’s the gvt who need to invest in schools and teachers. Books, clubs, pay more etc. But they never do.

Threads like this make me so sad. My kids are in state, I work in state and we work really, really hard. When people criticise state schools, I feel like they are criticising the children and the staff in turn. It's not our fault the government serves education of funding.

My kids are doing so flipping well and that is all down to their incredible teachers, all working at the top of their professional game with zero budget and terrifying members of the public to deal with every day.

To all those children at fancy schools - I hope you enjoy your facilities and selective cohorts and I wish you all the best. In the meantime, here's to all the state schools doing their best with what they've got. And especially all those year 6s, 11s and 13s and their exams.

My DD went to a so called top uni from state schools. She had higher A level grades than many of her privately educated new friends. What they had was contacts which led to internships. DD got everything on her own merit. I’m even more proud that she got where she has when her primary was in special measures for several years.

😂 not quite. Bit of both..

The Higher Education Funding Council (Hefce) tracked 130,000 students beginning degrees in 2007, looking at schooling, background and ethnicity.

It found on some measures state pupils were significantly more likely to get a 2:1 than their private school peers.

The Independent Schools Council highlighted figures in the report, external showing that 67% of independent school pupils achieved a 2:1 or above, compared with 62.3% of state school and college pupils.

But when students with the same A-level grades were compared, the results were different. Of those students who achieved ABB at A-level, some 69% of students from independent schools went on to gain 2:1 or a above compared with about 77% of students educated at state schools.

Well the school I went to was crap, and still is. Some clever kids scrape through - so of course they will be successful at uni, they got through that state quagmire of crap.

Obviously not all state schools are bad. As I said in my original post. But frankly, a majority are and everyone knows it. It’s not just about academic results either.

Except they’re not crap as they fill unis and provide students who do better at uni than privately educated students.

Its the quality of teaching that counts not waterproof overalls and many teachers in the private sector wouldn’t last 2 minutes in the state sector.

I work in a state primary. It’s a ‘Good’ school and the staff work hard and the children achieve well. Those that struggle are given lots of extra support. What’s crap is the funding procedure and the slow higher needs funding system to help those children.
My DC are early 20s and went to state everything. Both got great gcse and A level grades and went on to good universities and got good jobs. Home is a big factor. Some parents do t talk to their children, don’t help children to practise their reading or times tables etc and expect school to do everything.

Primary education is pretty good. My DD's was very good. Secondary is woeful.

They should be funded to the same level as primary.

There are five primary feeder schools and one secondary in my area.

Three primaries are religious therefore better funded.

How are Labour planning to do that?

Yep. Close them down and make all schools better!!

Quite. Labour started closing grammar schools also - preventing bright kids from wc backgrounds from having that opportunity, now a ridiculous VAT on private school fees. So no Labour are the opposite of education education education. The only education policy they’ve talked about is the VAT, therefore penalising many pupils (from state And private). We know absolutely nothing about what they will do if they come to power. Continue making facilities ‘gender neutral’ maybe 🤢. So more girls will try to stop going to the toilet. Etc.

We need them and the tories to tell us how they’re going to improve the state sector. Improve sports, drama, music, art. More books. Teacher incentives. But nothing.

So I agree OP. State schools are crap, mostly. Obviously not all, there are some good grammars (shocker, who knew?), and primaries can be excellent. But the state secondaries, academies comprehensives, generally crap.