To think private schooling should be abolished

[year5teacher]

Just to preface, I’m not criticising individual parents. You have to do what you consider best for your child - for example if the choice was a private school with excellent dyslexia support and a state school that was notoriously bad, for example, you must make the correct judgement for your child.

Just to get that out the way so the thread isn’t flooded with “well I sent DC to private school because...”. I’m not talking about individuals, I’m talking about the system as a whole.

AIBU to believe it’s morally wrong for us as a society to allow children of higher earners to access a generally better level of education, which in turn can affect their trajectories for the rest of their lives?

Nope.

Would you ban faith schools as well!

@AnneLovesGilbert

Would you ban faith schools as well!

I’ll be honest, I don’t know enough about them to say. I used to work in a CofE primary school on placement, but found it to be pretty alright. Other than that I don’t have a lot of experience with the differences between them and “normal” schools.

The system as a whole effects individuals, so you can't seperate the argument like that. Should we also say everybody has to live in the same size house, everybody or nobody to have expensive holidays? Everybody the same car? thats Communism and it does not work!

If private schools were banned then well off parents would just move to where the best state schools are. So they would still end up with the better education.

Would you ban private hospitals?

Yabu

Life isn't fair, people with money always end up on top in the end

Banning Independant schools only makes it worse for the middle earners tbh

Same with healthcare? Everyone stuck with the NHS?

You can't, not without banning homeschooling, or tutors ...

What you’re suggesting makes no sense because the real high earners will send their children to European and American boarding schools. Honestly I don’t know what the solution is, but I know of many Oxbridge educated professionals who went to comprehensive schools. And I know that in the sciences your Eton or Harrow education won’t help if you don’t have the right exam results.

@osprey24

The system as a whole effects individuals, so you can't seperate the argument like that. Should we also say everybody has to live in the same size house, everybody or nobody to have expensive holidays? Everybody the same car? thats Communism and it does not work!

I think you can look at it as a system and recognise that it’s wrong, whilst understanding that the blame for that system doesn’t lie with individual parents who are trying to do their best for their kids. I don’t believe we all need to live in the same size house, but I do believe that the system we have where some children have excellent opportunities and some have awful ones based on their parents money is really wrong. Household income is the biggest contributor towards the education attainment gap.

So how will the state system cope with all those extra children? Because there’s no extra money - the Parents of private school children already pay their taxes. So where are you putting them and how are you funding it?

The aim shouldn’t be to abolish private schools because of the measurable difference in standards. It should instead be to ensure all children get education of he same high standard.

(And yes, I know not all private schools achieve better results/give a better education, and not all state schools manage poorer results and a lower standard of education)

I disagree. There's already selection by wealth with the catchment yo good state schools - would you ban that too? And if so how?

Isn't it Camden High for girls where all the houses in catchment cost more than £2m? So not equally accessible to low income families any more than private schools.

DS is at a state school btw so no skin in this game.

I would love for the whole private sector to fall, and for the public sector to be properly funded.

Keep private schools but ban grammar schools would be my choice.

What about extra curricular activities?
Doing sport, music, martial arts to any significant level is expensive.
Should they be banned as not all parents can afford them?

I think yabu because ultimately it will just create inequality somewhere else.
The answer is to raise the standard of state schools so that no-one feels the need to go private.

@savagebaggagemaster

Would you ban private hospitals?

It’s not about banning, it’s about changing the system. I also don’t think people should be able to get better healthcare than others because of their income. Health and education are basic rights which should not be influenced by your income, especially when being born into a certain class means that it’s less likely (not impossible!) that you’ll be able to access expensive health care and education.

@Planetaryexplorer

I think yabu because ultimately it will just create inequality somewhere else. The answer is to raise the standard of state schools so that no-one feels the need to go private.

That’s a good point.

Surely though, fee paying schools are just part of how our society works? If you have more money you have more choice. Better housing, faster medical treatment etc etc
I’m not saying it’s morally right but I don’t think it is just an education issue.

It's a no from me. I don't like big government or nanny states that dictate what people can spend their money on. The advantage starts in the womb. A mother with less stress is an advantage to the fetus. Her diet is an advantage to her fetus. The education level of the mother is a huge advantage. Most parents with means will continue to pay for extracurricular activities and tutors when needed. Private school is a red herring in most cases. Those children would have done well anyway. I'd be more in favour of funding state schools better to have smaller classes and a richer curriculum with proper specialist teachers at younger ages. For social mobility you'd be better off making university free. I believe that was the number 1 predictor of social mobility in the last OECD paper I read.

You have to do what you consider best for your child - for example if the choice was a private school with excellent dyslexia support and a state school that was notoriously bad, for example, you must make the correct judgement for your child.

Hft could we do the best if you shut the bloody schools, what a stupid thread.

YABU

@year5teacher now you're just getting ridiculous

Of course people should be able to pay for better health care

Otherwise what would the incentives be to earn more and achieve more in your career. Can't use your money to make sure your child goes to a better school, can't use the money to make sure you're not stuck on a 14 month waiting list for shoddy NHS care