To think it’s hard for a middle class child to attend a working class school?

That’s one perception of it, I guess.

I taught in a very working class high school. Just a handful of middle class children. One was very popular; most were bullied. And yes, I know that's something the school should stop, but I was a brand new teacher and fairly ineffective to do much in the face of a wholly ineffective senior management team.

I then taught in an independent school full of middle class children. A very small number of working class children. They weren't bullied at school (although it's relevant that bullying was dealt with very effectively at this school).

One however was horribly bullied on his way home by the kids in his estate. He lived in the roughest estate of a notorious town. Thankfully the Head eventually conceded that he didn't have to wear his blazer all the way home - ridiculous that this needed permission!

The underlying tone of this thread is WC kids are not as clever as MC kids.

Just from reading a lot of threads on here from parents with kids in private and “good” schools. Seems to be a lot of elitism in private schools. “My dad earns £5M and your dad only earns £100K” sort of thing. A lot of competition between parents. - which you don’t really get in the slums of the pit towns.

Who has said that WC kids can’t be clever?

Middle class isn't posh though?

Sounds like something else is triggering the bullying.

The assumption on this thread is WC kids are thick. And MC kids are clever. That is not true. But that's MN for you.

I can imagine a lot more bullying happens in private schools than it does state schools.

You can imagine anything you like, but unless you have actual evidence from a reliable source to back it up this statement is meaningless.

It's not about being clever though . It's about aspiration and valuing education, the effect of deprivation and multiple other factors. The postcode areas with highest university attendance send 75% of young people to university. In the lowest regions it's 15%. Clearly there's some major differences. The truth is very few young people from deprived backgrounds attend university and those that do it's likely to be a less academic university. Whereas for middle class kids it's assumed they will go to university and unusual if they don't.

I went to a predominantly working class state school in a deprived area which is an ex mining town. I still live in the town.

We aren’t aliens. We aren’t hostile. Life in our town isn’t hard for “middle class” children or adults. Far from it!

& I can imagine a lot more bullying happens in private schools than it does state schools.

It doesn’t surprise me. I just don’t think any of them went to my comp.

WC or MC, going to university is not an indicator of intelligence any more, if it ever was. Attendance has expanded massively since the 1950s. That’s not the same as saying people have got cleverer.

Yes, it can be hard. Teenagers want to be like each other so it's easier to be with similar people. Someone confident could be fine but someone of a more shy disposition less so

It may surprise some of you to learn that a lot of WC kids are just as clever as MC kids. Imagine that. There's also a fair amount of WC kids who go to university. Now I know some of you would like to keep university for your MC kids but they even let WC kids in these days,

Their accent (not that it's necessarily posh but it isn't exactly the same as everyone else).

What has degree of poshness to do with anything! A friend of mine was bullied at his north wales comprehensive just for being middle class & clever. Beaten up, hair set on fire etc. He’s very successful now though.

Is this off the back of your other thread, leaving for central London?

Lol you can't be THAT posh if you're living in a deprived ex pit town where you're literally the only middle class family in the entire school. I'm sure he'll be fine. Or just move to somewhere else?

I think it’s difficult being in a minority or outlier at any school - whether that’s due to class, ethnicity, gender, extremes of intelligence at both ends of the scale, ASD, SEN, disability, refugee status etc. Some schools are more inclusive and embracing of difference than others.

I live in an affluent area but it's rural. Everyone mixes easily.

I had my life made an absolute misery for being the “posh” kid at a very working class secondary. It absolutely does happen, and in my experience incipient anti-bullying policies do exactly nothing to prevent it, and schools aren’t remotely interested in dealing with it.
I’m sure it also happens the other way around as well.

Going by the bullies who weighed in immediately, I think that child might have a tough time if some of the comments on here are anything to go by

My DC was fine in a very WC midlands primary school. I didn't make any friends amongst the other parents though. Not sure why. Maybe because I'm from the south and my accent can be perceived as posh? Maybe I just looked unfriendly or different?

Moved to a MC area for the secondaries and moved him. Made loads of friends very quickly and he did fit in better and had a lovely group of friends.

Perhaps the OP thought she was going to stir up a lot of negative comments about VAT on private schools and found none. It seems a common theme on other threads today.

Yes “posh” is extremely subjective!

My dc got bullied for being posh. We very much are not so.