In Defence of Private Schools

I’m curious about Holland. From what I know the private schools there are primarily used by expats not the Dutch, yet they have a high standard of state education. Why does it work so well that they don’t opt for private education?

@Wayland1 I don't think it's all about class sizes. Teaching methods and curriculum are also very important. Of course they are. And the Finns have invested in and encouraged higher level training of their teachers.
Still interested to know about the Finns who came here to learn about private schools....

Way I would disagree, because between the school and the job is the university and often work experience. So I do think there is a 'connections' thing going on.

(For full disclosure, I went to a top girls independent school, but chose to send my DC to local good comp.)

Not all private schools are Eton. It is an extreme case. And the current shower of shites all left there 30+ years ago.

There are plenty which are filled by normal, average children from normal, average families My DS school for example, getting on for half of the kids have parents who are self-employed tradespeople who have done well in their business (roofers, builders, electricians etc) and have chosen to invest in their children's education. They are not 'toffs'. They are people who want education to provide more than just academic outcomes, they want the access to sports, the arts etc, to open up opportunities which they didn't get for themselves. When state schools can give the same all round offering nationwide, that will be the time to get rid of private schools.

Private schools are excellent at polishing turds, I'll give you that.

There is little to choose between the state girls school and the private girls school in our city. The state has marginally better results.

I think it’s bollocks that Finnish people are coming over here to learn how private schools do it..Their system is poles apart and based on a very different ideology! Including long periods of play time, advocating learning through play, tiny amounts of homework, learning how to read at a slower, later date, no streaming and hardly any testing.

The Finns have highly funded state education because they’re smart enough to understand the link between higher taxation and improved public services. Unfortunately the great British publish think you can pay fuck all in tax but still have a functioning health service and a well funded education system.

The elite in this country have a (very) vested interest in keeping everyone else uneducated. You only have to look at the current desperate situation and read the comments on line to see how successful their policy has been.

I’m sick of the “politics of envy” bullshit. It’s not envy it’s desperate inequality and it stinks.

Of course a choice can be unethical

Ha you believe that!? 🤣

I've decided a state monopoly on education does not raise standards - especially in a system where each minister for education has a big impact. I just feel that something outside of politics is an essential reminder of what education should be.
I also support home education so i have to support private education as another form of arranging your childs education.

How is parental choice unethical? There are many parents like us, who have remortgaged modest homes to the hilt, because that is what we wanted for our children. Our neighbours on the other hand, take multiple holidays a year, and chose to spend their recent inheritance on a fancy extension and a top end car.... it’s called choice!

If state schools had a maximum class size of 25 most private schools would go out of business.

But it's ironic that Finns often come to the UK to learn from what our best private schools are doing. That is very interesting. Which Finn's and when? Is there a research paper / report about that? I'd be interested to read it.

So what you need to abolish is 'the old boys network' and maybe with it a very few top public schools, not every private school in the country.

I'd go for encouraging meritocracy for entering into influential professions (hence comment above re no unpaid internships etc)

And part of the Finnish success, has been down to massively improved funding, class sizes of 20 etc.. and if the state needs to accommodate the many thousands of children that are being privately educated, (in spite of paying taxes like those who don’t), it will have an even bigger burden than before. Labour lunacy at its best!

The fact that state schools are not producing many great leaders is not the fault of Eton

I don't see Eton producing great leaders either.

I hate private schools, they are utterly unethical. I don't know what the solution is, but they don't sit right with me at all.

Hilarious. They get to the top because of bias not talent as any fule knos

Just another bonkers desperate policy from Corbyn and his cronies who will try anything to get votes. It's pathetic.

I think anyone arguing in favour of private schools is on pretty shaky ground atm considering the unholy mess the Eton clique have got us into

I think fewer people would use private schools in some areas if state schools were better. Ditto SEN provision.

I also think that you'll never stop people paying for private tutors to top up state education.

However, if 'the rich' were all forced to send their children to state schools then the interested and well off parents would be in a position to help those schools improve. Though it might just push up prices in catchment areas so 'the rich' would still end up in better schools (unless you are going to stop people donating to schools/PTAs). The very rich would just send kids abroad instead potentially.

There is more to be said for abolishing grammar schools which due to tutoring culture unfairly act against lower income families.

I think continuing to encourage universities to do contextualised offers, and banning companies from offering unpaid internships would be preferable.

How would getting rid of the independent sector improve state education? What does removing it do that directly makes state schools better? Improving the state sector requires significant investment, not an influx of another 600k children.