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Original poster

To wonder if you are against private schools…

657 replies

Unsrr · 02/11/2024 12:16

Why is this? As in against their existence?

I was brought up in a reasonably poor area and my education was not good. I sometimes went to the nearest private school for swimming lessons and remember being in awe of it. We have one dc now age 7 and can’t afford private but there is maybe a chance we could for secondary. I wouldn’t give it a second thought if we could make it work.

I have never felt private schools should disappear because surely that’s what we should be aspiring to? An education that is excellent (yes I know not all private schools are good and lots of state schools are better), isn’t that what we should aim for?

I feel sad that this country has now made it harder to access this education. What is the reason people are against private schools existing at all? I don’t think it can be jealousy, I think many people are genuinely opposed to it from an ideological perspective and I can’t understand it at all. Just interested really as there’s been so much talk about schools recently.

OP posts:
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Diorchristian · 02/11/2024 12:27

I agree it makes it harder for those less well off to get any decent eduction.

FloreatEtona · 02/11/2024 12:27

I'm not against them, but they vary, and there are different reasons why people have their children educated privately.
State education is fine if you are parents who live in certain areas and have been educated, and are financially comfortable, and if it suits your child.

Ednoreilojal · 02/11/2024 12:25

I think the general feeling is that all children should be entitled to a good education, not just those with rich parents. If there weren't private schools rich parents would have reason to support the state school system.

The same with grammar schools in areas which have them, the reason people are so desperate to get kids into grammar schools is because the non grammars have a bad reputation. This is largely down to the fact that the top 20 per cent of achievers go to the grammars. Which includes large proportion of better off families who can afford tutoring for 11 plus and to support their kids with educational extra curricular activities.

In an ideal world, all schools would be good and everyone would go to their closest school.

Newrumpus · 02/11/2024 12:22

I think part of it is that they are exempt from government tinkering which makes the ideological influence much less.

Screamingabdabz · 02/11/2024 12:20

Because the standard of education a child receives should not be predicated on how much money their parents have.

Comedycook · 02/11/2024 12:20

I'm against them and I went to one!

Brananan · 02/11/2024 12:19

I privately educated three of my dcs.

My thoughts are that they were head and shoulders above my local state school in every way, but I feel sad that it has to be that way.

While state schools are set up to pander to badly behaved kids and have to do the job that a decent parent should be doing then there's no way they will improve.