Private school vs private anything educational

[stopitstopitnooow]

If you have an issue with private schools, why? Do you have an issue with:

Buying houses in expensive catchment areas
Extracurricular activities such as music lessons, swimming, sports coaching
Tutors; language, 11+, GCSE

(Also, private healthcare, dentists, opticians)

I honestly don't understand the angst when it comes to private schools. Let people spend their money however they see fit.

I guess people don't agree with the 'divide' private schools create.
I don't really agree with it either, but nothing will ever change there .

Why schools specifically? There are divides everywhere.

I don't have a Porsche. Should they be banned because I'm envious? No.

I agree OP I don’t understand. I don’t choose to spend my money on first class plane seats but if some people do that’s fine. I don’t have a Porsche but don’t want to ban them. I don’t pay for private school but don’t want to ban it.

I pay for football lessons for my son. Some parents don’t or can’t afford to. Some parents can’t afford to buy their kids an Xbox but I can. That’s life. There will always be people who choose to spend their money in different ways.

Why is Labour gunning for the private schools?

I just don't know what it is specifically about schools that riles people so much.

Yes, I agree with Peggy that people don't like the "divide".

But what they fail to see is that even if we shut them all, the divide will just be which catchment you can afford to buy in. Still divided, very much so. Just by a different method - house prices instead of school fees.

Some state schools send 70+ to Oxbridge. Some send none. There is a mega divide within the state sector and closing privates won't fix it. I have seen on here that people think that everyone will be more invested in the state schools if everyone goes there. Wrong again - people will buy private tuition. There will be ex private school teachers well up for that and ex private school parents with ££££ that they haven't spent on school fees.

Plus you can never strip away the main privilege that a child has in life: their parents.

That said, ideally we wouldn't have private schools. But what in the world is ever ideal?

I assume envy?

I’ve never understood this either. People are happy for parents to pay for tuition, extra curricular activities, expensive houses in decent catchments, university fees so children don’t have debt, house deposits (all of which give a child a life advantage over their peers), but yet many have strong feelings against private schools and think that those parents should be penalised.

100%

I think all children have a right to an equal education, how you can compare that go fancy cars is beyond me

Could be this simple indeed

I agree with you but with regards to schools they shouldn't be charity status and should pay tax.

This

Some parts of the country have access to amazing state grammars. A lot only have access to poorly performing state schools. That’s not equal. Why the focus on the 6% of the privately educated? There is far more inequality within the state sector which needs addressing.

For me it’s mostly because the school demographic ends up skewed. My dc’s class is now ‘missing’ 5 bright children with wealthy educated parents, who would have demanded certain standards. It means that the group of brighter children in his class of 25 (rural school) has gone from about half the class to about a quarter which then makes them more of a minority. I think it drags the standard down for everyone except the people who can pay to be out of it. I’d rather taxes were higher so the money that is spent on private education could be spent on education for all, although I accept this isn’t possible as some high earners prioritise their spending differently.

Because none of those things give the well documented unfair advantages that private schools give.

Not all private schools are charities. A lot aren’t.

Should you pay VAT on uni fees then? Swimming lessons? Football coaching?

I think it's unfair you can buy your way out of a failing school and I cant. I work hard too. I'm a good mum. I was bought up without money and I did the best my parents could offer me and I'm doing my best for my children. But it will never be as much as you cam do for yours. My child is lovely. Kind, thoughtful, hard working. And she will never get those opportunities.

I assume anything I'm invoiced for has VAT

11+ tutoring doesn't give unfair advantages? Are you joking?

Another65, who said I was on board with grammar schools?

You don’t think that being able to afford a tutor to help with exams, or being able to get access to the best state schools in the country by paying a fortune for a house in catchment gives an unfair advantage?

Yes I have as much of an issue with most of those things as I have with private schools.

Swimming and sports coaching and music lessons less so.

I'm not sure why your concerned op. I belive the labour plan is to stop charitable status and make private schools pay tax. State schools already have to pay tax on all equipment, resources etc. Its not picking on private schools it making taxation equal..Personally I'd prefer it if they make state schools tax exempt like the private ones though and even it up that way.

Why schools specifically? There are divides everywhere.

I don't have a Porsche. Should they be banned because I'm envious? No.

Maybe because believing that children should have equal access to a high quality education even if their parents are poor is a bit different from thinking everyone should get to have a fancy car?