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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think private schools should be banned?

933 replies

BethanyBoobs · 31/03/2014 22:40

Why should someone have a better education just because their parents have money? Why should someone have a better chance of getting into university because their parents paid for their education? It makes me feel uncomfortable that people can buy their kids an upper hand when it comes to education.

I feel the same way about private health care too.

IMO private schools should be banned. Everyone should have the same chances when it comes to their education.

OP posts:
TruffleOil · 01/04/2014 13:32

Maybe after you ban the private schools, you could pass a law forcing the defectors from the private sector to pay their previous school fees to their new state school?

Migsy1 · 01/04/2014 13:33

I'm not actually convinced that private schools are any better but they are certainly less socially diverse than state schools. I don't care how people spend their own money but what I do care about is the government spending public money on selective education which is bought into by the use of private tutors, expensive houses and pushy parents. Ban state grammar schools please.

Nosleeptillbedtime · 01/04/2014 13:34

Yes.

NancyJones · 01/04/2014 13:34

Yes, Impatient. I agree! Parental input will always be the biggest factor especially at primary. That's why there's never going to be the level playing field that many people think would exist simply by banning private education. Unless you moved to a complete lottery system then state schools in some areas are always going to be dealing with very different challenges to stats schools in other areas which will dramatically affect their performance.

racmun · 01/04/2014 13:35

How would banning private schools raise money for the state sector? Or are you suggesting more tax?

Some children will always be advantaged, some are naturally more intelligent, some have more intelligent parents who can help them with their homework & exam revision, some have more well off parents so can pay for an advantage. Sone have a combo of the three.

Some poor children have no chance to succeed regardless of what other children are in their school achieve. How will banning private school help them?

morethanpotatoprints · 01/04/2014 13:37

Here's a novel idea.
Lets ban no schools and stop being jealous of people who have something we don't.
Your children are entitled to an education. All children receive an education, where is the problem?

hickorychicken · 01/04/2014 13:37

YABVU.
If I could afford it I so would. Money buys better and why Wouldn't you want a better education for your children? Hmm

Doodledumdums · 01/04/2014 13:39

My reply may be ridiculous in YOUR opinion Grennie. Just like the idea in the OP is ridiculous in mine.

For the record, my DS will be attending state Primary because there is no way we could afford private school. Having said that, we will be moving house shortly to enable him to get into a better one. Or should that be banned too because it's unfair?

YoDiggity · 01/04/2014 13:41

Banning them would mean we can use the money to throw into state schoolig and make them better.

What money? Whose money? People who pay school fees have already paid their tax, they get no tax breaks to pay for school fees, and private schools do not get any money from the public purse.

How, exactly, do you propose we magically divert all this money that some well-off people might hypothetically have been spent on school fees, if only there were not banned? Confused

Nataleejah · 01/04/2014 13:41

I'd happily send my kids to a private school if i could afford it. However i can't so i don't worry about it.
But what upsets me the most is the inequality between state schools. That people are forced to lie and cheat to get their children into a decent school.

GooseyLoosey · 01/04/2014 13:44

It is a fact of life that some people have more than others, unless you are advocating a truely socialist state, this will remain the case.

If you abolish private schools, the result will not be equality. Wealthier parents will move closer to better schools, pushing up house prices. They will devote their time and resources to those schools, making them better schools etc.

I have worked hard to get what I have as has DH. Are you saying that I cannot choose to give my children what I perceive to be an advantage? Does that also mean that I cannot buy them more books than poorer children or read to them more than illiterate parents?

If you were starting from a point of general equality, there might be some merit in this suggestion, but starting from where we actually are, it would achieve nothing.

TruffleOil · 01/04/2014 13:45

I would really like to know the answer to YoDiggity's question above.

wordfactory · 01/04/2014 13:45

grennie I agree that comparing an education to cars etc isn't useful.

But I do think comparing education with shelter and nutrition is not too far off the mark.

All DC are entitled to these things. A decent society should aim to ensure all do receive those things. But at no point do we think it necessary to ensure all DC receive the same shelter or nutrition.

Why not? These things have every bit as much impact on the outcomes of DC as education.

Why are posters not calling for equality in these resources?

Odaat · 01/04/2014 13:46

For starters the wages private school teachers are on is higher! So ban the schools, cut that cost. Yes, parents pay for the schooling - but taxes etc also pay a lot towards private schools bein run in general; so it is quite easy to see banning these schools would generate more money that we could then use to better state schools / make more state schools.

I am sorry, but I really am suprised this simple reasonin seems so confusing to some of you... Then again, we often only see what we want to see...

Doodledumdums · 01/04/2014 13:47

Yes i'd like to know the answer to YoDiggity's question too.

Odaat · 01/04/2014 13:50

I have just answered it?

If that isn't a sufficient answer , how about you go ask a teacher who works in a state school? Or how about you google it!? Crikey , we live in a naive world ...

TruffleOil · 01/04/2014 13:50

For starters the wages private school teachers are on is higher! So ban the schools, cut that cost. Yes, parents pay for the schooling - but taxes etc also pay a lot towards private schools bein run in general; so it is quite easy to see banning these schools would generate more money that we could then use to better state schools / make more state schools.

What are you talking about here?

wordfactory · 01/04/2014 13:50

odaat private school teachers are not paid by the state!
Are you in France? I know that's the case there.

Here, the teachers wages come out of school fees.

Lucylouby · 01/04/2014 13:50

As a teenager I used to kind of agree with you on this. It always seemed ally unfair that you could pay for a better education than I was getting. But as an adult, i would happily pay for y children to be educated if we could afford it. We are lucky the primary schools where we are, are really good, but the secondary has just gone to academy status after its last couple of ofsted reports, it's weakly struggling and I worry about my child a secondary education. I also wonder which school all the privately educated children would be sent to, it's not as easy as fitting them in the local school, all our schools, bar one, which had the worst ofsted until very recently, are full. All child's deserve a good education and if parents are willing to pay for it, they should be given the option. At least there is more money in the state education pot per pupil if some of them are educated privately (although I know it isn't quite as straight forward as that).

Private health care is the same, I wish we could afford private health care, but we can't, but I don't begrudge those who can afford it. Money does buy you better things. It's unfair to the poor, but it's the way it is.

NancyJones · 01/04/2014 13:50

But the private school teacher wages are met by the fees, surely? There is a valid argument with regards the superann issue but that does also allow for fluidity of movement between the two sectors which brings lots if benefits both ways and would be hampered by changing things in that respect.

I'd really like to know what else you are referring to?

Doodledumdums · 01/04/2014 13:51

Actually, you haven't.

And why would asking a teacher who works in a state school help?

Yes, we do live in a naive world....

YoDiggity · 01/04/2014 13:52

I'm sorry I must be very very thick indeed (probably as a result of my crap state education) but odaat I do not understand your explanation at all. You are going to have to break it down slowly for me - I am a simple soul.

Iseesheep · 01/04/2014 13:53

odaat Teachers' wages in the independent sector are paid by the school, not the LEA/Government. And what public funding do private schools receive? I'd be interested to know because my kids' schools don't believe they receive any.

NancyJones · 01/04/2014 13:53

Confused I taught in state schools for close to 20yrs and I'm not sure I could answer that.

MistressDeeCee · 01/04/2014 13:53

There are 2 private schools near me and their 'results' are very good, but not brilliant. I find that quite shocking. Im not bothered about private schools and think if parents want to pay for their child's education then they're entitled to their choice. Do your best for your own DCs. Mine are at Uni they weren't privately educated, so what? They're doing well. There are many factors that contribute to your DCs getting a good education and its not solely to do with the school they attend.

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