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.

Sorry that you find it hard to understand stopitstopitnooow.

But my DS is in Y6. He has one shot at grammar school, and only in this academic year.

If I don’t move him at the start of Y7, I can’t.

Frustrating that we can’t adopt a wait and see approach; if my DS was in a lower year we could.

I trust my explanation convinces you of my sanity! 🙄

My DC each do one extra curricular sport/activity. There is VAT on both

It won't lose as many votes as it gains. The policy is broadly popular.

Only c.7% of children go to private schools. 93% of children go to state school.

Of those who send their children to private, more than half already vote Tory. Then there are those who support the policy despite it affecting them - plenty of wealthier left wingers agree with higher taxation for their income bracket. So you're left with a small percentage of potential Labour-voting private school parents who will make this a deciding factor.

So much 'life is unfair' on here but no desire to try and change it. Best to look after your own and tough tits to those that lose out.

I don’t agree that education should be a leveller. Education should be to develop each child’s intellect as far as possible. Not to hold some back to stay at the level of the main group.

I don’t believe that the state owns my children, and don’t accept that I should be forced into state education that I don’t agree with.

Among the crowd that wants to eliminate private schools there is a strong streak of authoritarian control. We know what is best for your children. We will force you to hand them over 30 hours per week, and we will teach them what we think they ought to know and no more.

No thanks

I see this is the only democratic country in the world where this ridiculous divide and issue exists. People work, pay taxes and can choose to do wherever they want with their money. I went to private school abroad and for me it was natural to send my kids to private school. Even thought the state choices abroad were not abysmal like some you find here.

Surely it's pretty obvious why private education is different to buying a porsche.

All children should have the right to an excellent education. It is not fair that the children of rich people have a lifelong advantage over the children of poor people. It entrenches disadvantage.

In my opinion all exam grades should be weighted by school and postcode

The additional problem is that if people can just opt out of state services there's no incentive for politicians to improve them, given that politicians are almost all in the top earners bracket (that goes for healthcare to an extent although not many are rich enough to avoid the NHS for emergency care)

Yeah yeah @Understated32 lifes is unfair. You work harder. Not fair on little kids though, is it. Shame they have lazy parents like us working full time and still not able to get them into a good school. If only there was money and resources for all schools to be good schools. For all kids to be supported. For kids with SEN to have the provisions they need to develop and live life to their potential.

Be honest. Part of why you like private school is that your kids dont have to deal with disruptive children in classes of 30 and a lack of resources. Why shouldn't my child be entitled to that too? It's not a race to the bottom.

You’re not forced into it, you have the option to home educate. The only legal requirement is that you provide an education for your child.

I can’t believe these threads.

Posters arguing that private schools are too good at educating children, so they should be banned.

Surely the argument should be that state schools must be brought up to the same level? So all DCs have access to an excellent education.

Private schools aren’t causing lack of social mobility. It is poorly performing and underfunded state education that is the issue.

Any anger should be directed at the government for years of under funding and failing to prioritise education.

State schools do pay VAT but it is then reimbursed by the local authority (and then government) as state schools have VAT exempt status in UK

EmpressoftheMundane

No I can’t read it and it’s the Spectator with an article written by somebody privately educated anyway.

The fact remains only 7% of the country are privately educated and only 67% of Oxbridge places go to state educated kids. Most of those places( state and private) go to a few schools in the London area.

That needs looking at too.

The proven way to reduce inequality in education is to improve state provision. You might call it "levelling up". If state schools were good enough, few people would pay considerable amounts of money on private education. Threats of taxation are a distraction.

@WillowCraft Yes, but are you calling for abolishing the schools? I am saving £100k to the state by sending my child privately educated. The reason schools are not in good shape it is because the government do not prioritise education. Not because 7 percent go to private school.

Wrong. A large number of people who put their children in private schools have lots of other options available to them besides ‘joining the local state school.’

If this is country chooses to cut its nose of to spite its face and remove private schools I’ll move to a country for which I have dual citizenship with and put them in private there. I know plenty of others who would do the same.

What happened to ambition and drive?! My parents couldn’t go to a private - my grandparents couldn’t have dreamed of it but it didn’t stop my parents pushing for it at every turn in life so they could achieve it for their own.

And what percentage APPLY to Oxbridge?

Bloodsweatntears

it’s not just tiny classes and resources but connections too. You’re asking the impossible. Most schools are doing an excellent job. Aside from the connections the type of education and provision the top tiny percentage of the wealthiest get that gives the advantage just isn’t possible to give to the majority.

I’ve seen posters on Mumsnet who have openly said that their very academically average family members have used the old boys network from their private school and now earn six figure sums. It’s that sort of inequality that I most have a problem with. Nothing about quality of education or learning new skills (for example out of school piano lessons) which also takes hard graft.

it’s the money can buy you the “right” connections that I have the biggest issue with.

I also understand why smaller class sizes are the appeal for children who may need more help to thrive though and I do t have a problem with that.

If there were not private schools here I would move abroad where frankly the fees are much lower anyway for international schools.

I agree that all children should have an equal education but eliminating private schools is not going to solve the issue. State schools in the UK do not provide the same level of education as private schools. That's why I choose to send my children to a private school. The only way this will change is if the government steps up to improve state schools which is not likely to happen. That is why my kids are privately educated, if state schools were all to magically improve overnight then, no my kids would not be in a private school.

Understated32

Crack on the top unis and jobs will start to see a fairer distribution.

But is the solution to ban people buying their way out of failing schools or punitively tax them?

Or is the solution to deal with the failing school?

Because private education functions like the masons, thats why. Driving a porche doesn't

Maybe because believing that children should have equal access to a high quality education even if their parents are poor

over 90% of kids in school are educated in the state sector. That’s an over whelming majority. There is no equal access to high quality education for that 90%. If you were to close all private schools, how do you think things will change to bring about that equality?

You’re missing the point. It isn’t that private schools are too good it is that they prevent state educated pupils from accessing courses and jobs that they are equally qualified for. If you cannot see this you clearly have a total lack of understanding of the inequality of opportunity in this country.