in finding the term 'indie' for fee paying schools slightly cloying

[ZammoMcGuire]

its as if all the pupils wear black coats and DMs all the time

I think that if you fail to make the distinction, Zammo, you risk losing sight of the fact that our leaders disproportionately come from a very small subset of very expensive private schools. A large proportion of the middle classes at this country have had at least some private education but they still have more in common IMO with people educated in the state system than with ex-public school boys.

My son goes to an 'indie' school.
It's an indie special school so it is a fee paying school but fees have to be paid by local authorities. Rich parents cannot pay for their children to attend.

I don't mind it being called 'indie', it's shorter than 'independent' or 'non-maintained'. It's certainly not a private school though.
The uniform is navy jumpers and navy polo shirts so DS does look a bit 'indie' but saves me trying to wash out stains from white shirts!

meh independent/ public - same thing to me esp wrt politicians

I agree and like other posters I can't stand uni either.

iirc UNi started from neighbours etc - I watched it when I was at University and they said it and we didn't.

I think it's come in because people get confused by the term 'public' school.

Interesting how this thread has gone.

I pointed out the twee-news of the term "indie" on a thread a few months back and got torn to shreds.

twee-ness

IME the type of private day school I went to is full of children whose parents would be happy to put them in a state school in another area where the schools were less shit, whose parents massively struggled to find the money for the fees, but who thought it was worth the sacrifice for the academic advantage. Yes, they were mostly well-off compared to the average person, but it just doesn't compare to the kind of social advantage you buy by sending your kid to Eton or Marlborough or Rugby.

I've only heard it on here but I would assume that Jarvis Cocker would be the headmaster....

Yanbu.

It makes it sounds as if the parent is embarrassed that state schooling isn't good enough for their children. That, or they're afraid of misspelling independent.

Independent suggests non-mainstream, edgy perhaps, different. Private schools are no more likely to be any of these things than state ones.

It is confusing though, the whole system

Even state education is confusing these days, well to me anyway.
There seems to have been lots of changes in recent years.

I have always thought that Public Schools are the poshest and the ones where the really rich send their kids to be politicians or Lawyers.

I thought private/independent were those that wanted to pay/ were able and sometimes/ mostly they received a better education to what state school received.

I get confused with charity schools that charge fees, free schools, academies, grammar, ss, etc.

I know what they are basically, but couldn't hold an informed discussion on the pros and cons as either not experienced them myself, or some aren't offered in my area.

Edited my post too much and fucked my tenses up.

Has anyone disagreed yet that "indie" is cringey?

I believe Damon Albarn went to grammar, not an indie, as it happens.

(I also don't classify Britpop as 'indie', it's mainstream pop). Anyway...

lol at Jarvis cocker

i was going to nominate Ian Astbury as art teacher but he is Goth, I suppose shows age

I agree lottie - Britpop was not indie.

"indie" is a horrible word. I just think that it's written by people who are unsure how to spell indypendant inndependant independent indapindant-- indie.

YANBU.

'Indie' should be the preserve of films and music. Just call it 'school' ya eejits, no need to declare to the world what type of school you send your kids to.

99% of Britpop was a load of old rubbish.

He didn't go to Grammar he went to the local comp

¡ independiente!

Jesus and Mary Chain would be the DT department I reckon. That or PE.

I find the public school thing a bit mad. In Ireland we call private fee paying schools 'private school' and all non fee paying schools are public schools. Then again we call university and all non university higher education colleges 'college' not university which is equally as random. I like 'uni' and 'indie' they work well, but 'public school' not so much.

Was just thinking the same lottie, blur weren't signed to an independent label. Not indie.

"Indie schools" is a confusing term. (As is public schools. ..they're not particularly available to all of the public).