AIBU to say private school children are much sportier & better musicians?

[Denimrevival]

Just on the back of comparing with friends & family with dc in private schools. The kids & their families are all naturally sporty & outdoorsy anyways but the school provides a vast range of sports with it's own pool & swim team.
Musically their kids all play 2 or three instruments all at least grade 4 or 5..
How do these private schools do the academics, music & sports to such a high standard? Do they also have a very good base if the kids are having sport & music reinforced outside school through their families lifestyles?

Such an ignorant post. Totally ignorant, thoughtless and insensitive. Of course children whose parents are buying them an education have access to all these things, so of course they look like they are more "well-rounded." Money does a lot of things, including making ordinary kids look more than talented or well-rounded than they actually are.

Do you know how much State school budgets have been pared back? How teachers use their own salaries to supplement school supplies? How many STate schools have been forced into selling off sports fields (if they had the land in the first place) to fund much-needed new buildings, or because they don't have the budget for the maintenance of sports facilities?

And as for music tuition - ALL the creative arts have been cut to the bone -even further than sports facilities.

For music education, it's getting so bad that the student body of many university Music Departments is made up almost entirely of students whose parents bought them their education.

The policy that ALL UK pupils would have access to a decent arts education (music, drama/theatre, fine arts) has all but disappeared for many schools, because of chronic underfunding which sees the average State school budget per head of pupils being around a third to a quarter of the average bought education.

Two England football captains went to the same state comprehensive school

I guess DD's privately educated DP is the exception to that rule OP. He can't play a note, runs like a duck and has no throwing skills whatsoever.

My dc are in state school, both are sporty and play musical instruments but it's cost us as much as 400.00 some months to allow them these opportunities. Not everyone can do that. Sadly it's about money. I've no doubt there are kids who would be more naturally gifted in music for example than mine but don't get a chance.

🤣🤣 make as many assumptions as you like about me but you are talking out of your arse with obviously no experience of private school, and very little experience of state schools either.
Just carry on perpetuating your lazy stereotypes and be happy that your DC don't go to private school.
FYI my mum is a professional artist (proper artist: cubism/abstract) and my dad a record producer so no I know nothing about creative processes 🤣🤣🤣🤣

A lot is family driven.

One of my DN is at state primary (y5) playing 2 instruments to gr 5, one in national children's orchestra, and has just taken up a third instrument. Parents are both musical and prioritised started private (rather than school based group) instrumental lessons at age 5/6.

Excelling at sport & music costs, private schools have a high proportion of parents with the money to fund high quality tuition and equipment. It also helps having parents with the skills to support with practice at home.

But we are not discussing the merits of private school as opposed to state school. It is a discussion on the OP's assertion that private school's produce better musicians and they just don't as is evident by the most talented famous musicians!

Music is an art form and the best art comes from experiencing life. If the life is a curated one, an exclusive one, where does your material come from.

Didn't James Norton talk about his horrible experience at an elite boarding school where he spent his days crying to one of the staff because he was being horribly bullied? Clearly he missed the memo about private school kids having a ball every day at school.

Anyway, a local state grammar always beats my daughter's school at netball and the grammar also probably has better music provision

@Goldenbear my dad worked at a little known recording studio called Abbey Road, not sure whether you will have heard of it? He was privately educated, so it probably isn't possible that he was creative enough to be a sound recordist for a small time band called The Beatles?

Yes and Alan Davies and John Peel also talk about it in their autobiographies.

Such an ignorant post. Totally ignorant, thoughtless and insensitive. Of course children whose parents are buying them an education have access to all these things, so of course they look like they are more "well-rounded." Money does a lot of things, including making ordinary kids look more than talented or well-rounded than they actually are.

bitter much?

they don't "look like", they are. How is it ignorant to point out that children who have more practice in something will be better at it?

My kids are in state school, we still make the effort to ensure they are sporty and have a musical knowledge. There are a lot more opportunities in private school, requirement less physical involvement from the parents, but nothing stops state school parents to give a decent education too.

Opportunity, funding and encouragement. I am a musician and went to state schools but in my day (1970/80s) there were loads of opportunities and very good funding. Music was a normal part of the curriculum. If I was in school now, it's very unlikely I'd acquire the same skills. My kids are both quite musical but it's cost me a fair amount of money and has been a massive amount of effort on my part.

It is a discussion on the OP's assertion that private school's produce better musicians and they just don't as is evident by the most talented famous musicians!

It's not really a discussion as far as you are concerned as when I pointed out that a lot (probably the majority) of modern UK classical musicians- and that includes film and TV work - went to private school you totally dismissed it. I mean, if by "the most talented famous musicians" you mean The Arctic Monkeys just say so (actually I know Alex Turner is very middle class so maybe he went to a cheeky private school as well)

This is a case of money buying opportunities. If state educated kids / poor kids got the same opportunities theyd develop similar talents to those in private school.

It's also no coincidence that upper class people are disproportionately represented in the Arts because they have the funds to support themselves in otherwise low paid occupations until they get a break by virtue of connections.

It's quite sickening how unequal our society is. Poor folk being raised to do care work, nursey retail, factory, warehouse work on poor wages. Rich being raised to do "better". Its not about brains, talent or even breeding. It's about inequality and the deck being stacked unfairly against some people.

Yeah my dds school dread playing the local state at football as they always get pulverised 😅

My children are in state schools. One is very musically talented, she's more artistic by nature, she can play 3 instruments purely because when she displayed an interest I pushed her to pursue these hobbies.
My middle child is more academic so again I have pushed her to pursue hobbies mainly involving core subjects. She's recently been invited to a private school to take part in competitions involving those subjects and she won! So no I don't think it's the private school element as such, it's the encouragement children receive to practice an interest until they become a talent.
Obviously private schools tend to have a longer school day so these interests can be picked up on by a teacher that will then encourage the child but it's not a requirement.

I have nieces and nephews at private secondary school so have a very good insight in to that life. How would I have little insight in to state school I work with secondary schools and both my DC are at one, I would say that is quite a big insight.

So your Mum is an 'Artist' and Dad a 'record producer' so what, it doesn't change my argument that the best creativity comes from a place of understanding adversity and the dichotomies of the real world, the main one being poverty and wealth, how can you possibly understand poverty if you attend private school. My DH is an Architect, being married to him gives me an insight in to that creative process but it is a none argument and has zero to do with my point about private schools producing better musicians- particularly as all the evidence is to the contrary!

I have nieces and nephews at private secondary school so have a very good insight in to that life

No, you don't.

You don't think that because the schools are charging a fortune for people to attend that they are better funded ? And that the families who can afford to send their children there have more money to allocate to children's extra curricular activities ? Private lessons, private sports clubs ?

How would I have little insight in to state school I work with secondary schools and both my DC are at one, I would say that is quite a big insight.

looking at the Hollywood version of state schools you gave us earlier, I'd say you haven't got a clue.

Absolutely .

This has to be one of the most ridiculous OP's I've seen - not sure whether the OP is naive or goady .

Exactly, @ZenNudist

And for the PP calling me "bitter" - on the contrary - I come from about 4 generations of public school education, all going on to one or other of our "ancient universities." But I've also been to a "bog standard comp" - and I could see & experience the difference with my own eyes. I have school teacher friends, working at a range of schools, and we all know the differences, which are based on money.

As are the extra-curricular opportunities parents offer their DC whether they are bought or State funded schools. Some people need to step beyond their bubble of affluence.

I absolutely do, why would this not be possible - hilarious that you think that 7% club is not penetrable by anyone other than the likes of you.

Because all the facilities are available, and there is the provision for them to practise their craft to the point of excellence.

I looked at one school for my DC. It had a swimming pool, state of the art gym, their own sports field including athletics track and offered numerous sports classes before and after school. They also had a fully equipped music room, and lessons for every instrument available, again before or after school.

The current school my DC attend has a school playground, half of it covered with AstroTurf, and the only after school activity available is football. No music lessons offered on school premises.

You can guess which is state and which is private. The difference is not ability, it's opportunity, and I'll be sending my DC to the first school from year 5.