To marvel at privately educated Keir Starmer's hypocrisy?

[Bursarysadness]

Both Kier Starmer and his wife are privately educated. Kier's senior school converted into a private school in the second year of his attendance and he has received a generous full bursary up until his A levels. He has built his life and his success on this education, supported to the end by the bursary funded by the same schools and parents he is now trying to destroy. It pains me as my children receive 50% bursaries from a brilliant local school. We've worked incredibly hard to cover the remaining 50% but it has been worth it, seeing how my children blossomed. We had a very different experience in their primary state schools, including bullying and racism. We don't live in a great area. We have just been told that the school will probably reduce all their bursaries to be able to lower the fees for the non bursary parents who are now struggling because of the VAT introduction. I don't know what the future for my children is now and they have so many close friends where they are. They are both academically brilliant and work very hard - hence the bursaries were granted. I feel so depressed that, from what is becoming obvious, they won't be able to benefit from the generosity of bursaries the same way Kier Starmer did when he was a child ..

As is calling conservatives far right but we don’t do that do we…

Always interesting to see what will come up on the Keir Starmer Troll Rolodex from one day to the next. My money is on some bollocks about Jimmy Savile tomorrow.

You think the only reason that the royal family send their kids to Eton is because the local state school gets poor results?

Wow.

Presumably the mother got it wrong

Well, where do we stop? Tax on books next? The thing is, private school parents pay tax like everyone else. But they save other tax payers money because their children don't take up a place in the state system. If all private school kids were to switch, the already creaking state system wouldn't be able to cope. I say that as a state school teacher.

I do wish people would shut up about envy and jealousy. It's just so unthinkingly offensive.

If all private school kids were to switch, the already creaking state system wouldn't be able to cope. I say that as a state school teacher.

But they're not all going to switch. So why the scare-mongering?

I call the far right the far right and conservatives, well, conservatives. I’m not lazy in that way.

What about the parents that do not give a shit, there are plenty of those.

They'll keep sending their kids to boarding school

Kids on bursaries - kids who can’t afford private schools- are the ones who will suffer. Private schools will scrap bursaries to plug the gap. I get the reasons for the policy but it hasn’t been thought through properly.

They should have implemented it in a staggered way and with more sensitivity to children who were in exam years or already in the system. As far as I am concerned, the government should put the cost of a child's state education towards their private school fees, like they do in Australia. Private school parents are taxpayers.

He did he choose to live in an area with outstanding schools with like minded parents.

Do you not see the double standards, he can most cant.

His parents should have sent him to Hogwarts, then one of the teachers could have looked into the future, and whey they saw his was to be Prime Minister, they could have removed him and sent him to St Custards, down the road

Envy is ugly. Stop.

Get off the thread then. Why are you posting?

That’s a myth. The state sector could easily accommodate. Just not the most over subscribed schools. It’s also a myth that private education users save the tax payer money. It just doesn’t work like that. But from my experience those things are bandied about to make ourselves feel better about choosing private education, knowing we are using our privilege to buy continued privilege. I know. I did just that. It didn’t feel good but I am not going to try and gas light myself or others into thinking the existence of private education has any benefit to society overall. It only benefits those within that system.

Is Suella posting again? Hi there Suella.

@TheSpoonyNavyReader He moved about 10 years before he had children-to an area that was crawling with up and coming young professionals.

@Madamlulu

Oh dear a post like this just gives way to a whole load of bullying!

Disagreeing, even forcefully, isn't bullying. Stupid post.

I was privaty educated. My mothers choice not mine. I hated it and believe it damaged me. I have not sent my kids to private schools and never would, and I would like to see private education dismantled.

Is it envy or is it pointing out that many people work incredibly hard but only a privileged few can afford private education? I used private for DC until we moved. I’m not more hard working or better or more deserving than an Amazon warehouse picker. Nor are my children more deserving. It’s an unfair system. Stacked to keep the wealthy and powerful, wealthy and powerful.

I’m with you OP. More pressure on the state schools, the super rich will still manage, the SEND kids, bursary kids and small schools
will suffer, and half way through a school year too! Spiteful politics if ever there was.

I'm an experienced science teacher in a senior state school in London. I do it as I want to teach all children. However, a few points from me:

• I have absolutely no problem with private education and think these schools also do a lot of good, especially for sen children. Many of them also share their facilities with state schools and organize camps / workshops for gifted state kids. Hey, I guess this will stop now!

• whatever you may want to think, private education is much better than state education. It's sad (especially for me as a state school teacher) but it's true.

• it's better not just because of their labs, facilities, languages they offer etc. it's mainly better because of the parents!!

• in my state school, kids come late, rarely with homework done or homework done properly. They don't prepare for tests. They don't care. Because the majority doesn't care or doesn't prepare, this means I can't progress with my teaching and teach the bright ones because I need to make sure that the 70% of tbe class that doesn't care is of level good enough for them to at least know that the hell is going on. I feel genuinely sorry for the bright ones

• a lot of kids drink or take god knows what. This is not conductive to learning. Many parents don't seem to know?

• many kids are aggressive (not because they are bad kids but because they are totally lost, not parented, with no guidance or support at home)

• when I try to raise anything with some parents, sometimes I get assaulted - verbally, even physically. I had a chair thrown at me or was called a c*. I think this was in response to me commenting on regular lack of homework. I was "picking on their kid".

• after COVID, the level of absenteeism is like nothing we've ever seen before.

• for all it's worth - yes, I think it's the politics of envy to be honest. Not the fact it's been done but how it's been done. In the middle of summer holidays with schools closed and staff on holidays, and starting from January and not next September. It's clearly malicious and designed to hurt and disrupt. It's petty

I'm getting quite tired of it, frankly. Schools are definitely underfunded. But, from where I am standing, the biggest problem is the deterioration of parenting in the UK. In China classes have 60 kids in them. Schools are underfunded in India. However, the parents make sure the kids do their homework, they come to school, every day and on time. And, above all, they respect the teachers so teachers can teach. There is a shocking absence of looking at ourselves, our society's approach and engagement in education, our attitudes and respect for teachers and hard work. This is what needs to be fixed and then all state schools can be good. Without this, you can throw millions at it and achieve nothing.

Here is goes. From an exhausted disillusioned teacher to you.

Genuine question - why do bursaries exist anyway?

As many have pointed out in here, private schooling is a luxury that only a small proportion can afford. Why are the fee-paying parents asked to subsidise parents who can’t afford it? And how are those getting bursaries chosen?

I understand schools offering scholarships. Good for school’s results and there’s an argument that clever children ‘deserve’ the opportunity to make the most of their talents (not sure I agree with the latter tbh, why not give a struggling child the opportunity to thrive instead?) but bursaries just seem utterly random.

I can see why it would be harsh to withdraw existing bursaries but I can see no logic for offering new ones. Can anyone explain (am state educated so not up on all these arguments!)