AIBU to feel that the ‘Labour against Private Schools’ campaign is a scapegoat for a lack of vision for educational reform?

[BusyMum1978]

2500 UK independent schools with 615K children attending which is 7% of the population of children in FT education up to the age of 16. A number of articles published this week have highlighted the campaign supported by Labour MP’s, who are calling for a number of measures impacting Independent Schools including their complete abolishment, and for these schools to become part of the state school system. A real hatred seems to be forming, and it feels to me like an easy smoke screen to put up rather than the Labour Party providing very specific policies to show how state funded education will be reformed.

I completely understand the feeling behind the imminent appointment of our 20th Etonian PM - there is urgent reform required in politics to have equal representation which I wholeheartedly agree with. I also understand the recently published stats showing accelerated social mobility for those attending top independent schools. I am not saying that there aren’t areas for improvement- but is the objective to bring more children up, or to bring the independently educated 7% down to make it ‘fair’?

My children both attend a prep school, and they are the first generation in both mine and my husband’s family to do so. We aren’t rich, neither of us have a degree, we own one property. We have -and continue to- work hard and made a choice to invest in our children’s education. We know we are privileged to be able to do so. To hear that MP’s want to wage a ‘class war’ with a family like mine feels inflammatory and yet more decisiveness in an already fractured country.

My children started their education in a state primary school but quite honestly it wasn’t good enough, and our heads were turned by what the private sector had to offer.

It equally broke my heart and inspired me to read The Times article on The Willow in Broadwater Farm school. Schools like this desperately need funding and further support, as do a range of children’s services which were cut during austerity. However will abolishing independent schools help a school like this? Parents who have money will still gravitate to the best areas / schools, and get tutors etc. There are a large number of selective state secondary schools that require heavy tutoring to access.

We need to nurture brilliant young minds in this country, to plug the UK skills gap, and compete in a global market. The independent sector has a valuable role to play.

Progress and globalisation is happening at such a rate that it’s becoming a bit uncomfortable. Many jobs our children will do haven’t even been invented yet.

The independent schools could work more closely with the state sector, but it concerns me that this campaign is chasing an ideal, and if successful would just shift the problem elsewhere.

Not sure you could enforce it though

Of course you can. France does it.

I simply don't believe that the majority of private school parents would be willing to pack their kids off to board abroad for months at a time rather than put them in the local state school.

Labour should be campaigning that all academies would be abolished & schools returned to LEA control, since the introduction of academies standards in the majority of schools have fallen. The LEA should control the pupil premium & SEN spending, too many academies aren't using the pupil premium to benefit the pupils the money is meant for, SEN provision is poor, pupils with SEN aren't getting the support they should.

sionnachbeag

I was comparing like with like.

"Labour should be campaigning that all academies would be abolished & schools returned to LEA control"

Tell you what it might be good to actually look at what the policy is.

labour.org.uk/manifesto/education/

"I was comparing like with like."

So then it wouldn't be applicable to you then. You couldn't move to France or Spain in order to put your child in private school because the only way you can afford it now is by having extremely low cost housing here.

I simply don't believe that the majority of private school parents would be willing to pack their kids off to board abroad for months at a time rather than put them in the local state school

I don’t think they would. I do, however, suspect there would have been more like me who would simply home school.

Actually TBF private schooling in France is far cheaper than in the UK and therefore much less socially divisive.

I don't think many would home school at all.

Some might take that route Jacques but I would imagine again it's a small minority who have the desire, skills and availability to do so.

I simply don't believe that the majority of private school parents would be willing to pack their kids off to board abroad for months at a time rather than put them in the local state school.

Again though, these are not the only two choices. They could also homeschool, using the resources to purchase tutors, and potentially even create informal networks that way. A few of them on this thread have literally told us they would do that. I'm not particularly attached to either retaining or abolishing private schools, but the idea that all or even most private school kids would instead utilise the state system is very implausible.

I don't think many would home school at all

Secondary? No idea.
Primary? I think more would in comparison to sending a child abroad.

You don't even need skills to home school necessarily, if you can pay appropriate professionals to do it for you.

Labour should be campaigning that all academies would be abolished & schools returned to LEA control, since the introduction of academies standards in the majority of schools have fallen.

That would certainly make me more likely to vote for them.

I would certainly home school, rather than have my child continue in the local state school.
We are not of the income level that ought to be sending a child to a private school, but the local state secondary one has been a very poor fit for her. I’m relieved to have the choice.
My own state education was excellent (my high school produced many high fliers) and I never envisioned being in the situation we are now. State education is not in a great place at the moment.

I simply don't believe that the majority of private school parents would be willing to pack their kids off to board abroad for months at a time rather than put them in the local state school

I think most boarding parents would. And journey times to Paris, Brussels or Dublin are no longer than those many of those parents currently undertake at weekends/exeats.

And many would home school.

Parents that are interested and keen will campaign for greater funding, especially those who are in positions of influence

I think the assumptions that underlie this statement are breathtakingly patronising, little fox.

Are we to believe that only those parents with children in private schools are willing and able to campaign for greater funding for schools? Do all people in positions of influence send their DC to private schools? Are the 93% powerless in our society?

Labour should be campaigning that all academies would be abolished & schools returned to LEA control

It was Labour who introduced them.

Parents wouldn't send their kids abroad as that would be extremely expensive.

If the private sector was given 10 to 15 years notice and we had a concerted effort to properly fund state education, we could build up the state sector so that in most cases, parents would be happy to use state, esp as many private schools could be bought into the state sector so their facilities and staff would be available to all

Off the top of my head, a few of the jobs private school pupils i know have gone onto to get.... lorry driver, farrier, bar manager and sadly a long term drug addict then an overdose resulting in death.

There are no guarantees, kids need love and support as well as A* 's

"It was Labour who introduced them."

Under totally different policies, and only in special circumstances. Same name, different things.

They definitely would send kids abroad. Maybe not at 9 but deffo at 13. Schools are opening offshoots all over the place.

esp as many private schools could be bought into the state sector so their facilities and staff would be available to all

With what money?

I think most boarding parents would. And journey times to Paris, Brussels or Dublin are no longer than those many of those parents currently undertake at weekends/exeats

They'd be non EU students, fees would increase, applicable to about 10% of private school students, most are day only.

With what money?

So, we have 8 billion to cut corporation tax, 60 billion for HS2, billions more to cut higher rate tax, 100 billion for Trident, 12 billion for 2 aircraft carriers (complete with a leak) and a billion a piece for the planes but nothing to educate our children to a high standard.

Wake up!

but nothing to educate our children to a high standard

Apparently so according to the government.

I mentioned earlier but unless you’re bribing in CPOs, you can’t actually force schools to sell!

"Apparently so according to the government"

Who are Conservative, and prominently privately educate their children. See the point?