Keir Starmer went to private school

[Asking4afrend]

AIBU to be shocked that Keir Starmer went to private school? Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. So he enjoyed an excellent education which increased his social mobility and then wants to bring down the system that helped him, even when they gave him a 100% bursary so that his parents didn’t have to pay the fees?

This is from wiki:

Starmer passed the 11-plus examination and gained entry to Reigate Grammar School, which at the time was a voluntary-aidedselective grammar school.[1][12] The school converted into an independent fee-paying school in 1976, while he was a student. The terms of the conversion were such that his parents were not required to pay for his schooling until he turned 16, and when he reached that point, the school, by now a charity, awarded him a bursary that allowed him to complete his education there without any parental contribution.

I only found out about this today when I was googling the school for another reason and looked up the alumni. What a hypocrite. You didn’t hear about this in the election during all his “my father was a toolmaker” speeches.

HPFA
My partner went to that school in the year above Keir. He lived in a mobile home park - many of his friends were from council houses

Did your partner and his friends receive bursaries for sixth-form?

. Revote? Green perhaps. Who cares where he was schooled he would be a criminal if he couldn’t change the law for his own gain.

both red n blue r rubbish, starting again would have been better. Too much bad history.

BobbyBiscuits
Most people don't have autonomy over what type of school they go to at age 11.
Do they have a choice at 16? Why are Labour giving the vote to 16 year olds?

(NB Starmer was 17 when he started his sixth form studies)

Some have a choice. It depends on the provision in the area and the grades they are likely to get.
I'd be very surprised if Labour gave the vote to 16 year olds.

It's one of the 101 reasons why you're not allowed to oppose VAT on private schools - your kid must have gone to one of the supposedly "few" good state schools.

Oddly, I never even had strong feelings on the policy until I saw the absolute rubbish many opponents come out with.

Due to Ofsted and League tables etc most schools do have an OKish floor level. There are very few schools which won't get your child the qualifications they need if they're prepared to do the work. Nobody "has" to send their child to private school - I don't hate or condemn people who make that choice but I don't accept their framing.

Knowsley Borough is always cited as having the worst schools in the country but even here there are kids getting good results , including one with 6 Grade Nines.

www.knowsleynews.co.uk/gcse-results-day-in-knowsley/

He went to state school. The school became a private school while he was there. Hardly his fault.

Not true. Current Labour cabinet are 92% state educated. Starmer's school turned private while he was there. As a 16 year old, what was he supposed to do? Walk?

www.suttontrust.com/news-opinion/all-news-opinion/sutton-trust-analysis-of-labour-cabinet/

My partner left before sixth form, although I'm not entirely sure why it's relevant.

I would judge Starmer on his actions (or lack of) and not those of his parents.

There is no shortage of things to criticise him for … this isn’t one of them.

Such a ridiculous and pointless OP.
He got in to grammar school aged 11 based on merit.
No fees were paid by his parents.
What an amazing opportunity for him.
Were his parents supposed to say "Ooh no, we're working class stock, we're not letting our 11 year old son go to a grammar school, even if they are prepared to wave the fees if it converts to an independent whilst he's there, no way. We're working class after all!".
Or do you think, if there's any room in the narrowness of your mind for open thinking, that his parents might have known their son was intelligent and that they realised that the offer he received for the grammar school would provide a very good education and open up opportunities for him?

John Healey (and Starmer) attended private sixth forms, Hilary Benn and Lisa Nandy attended private prep schools, David Lammy's state boarding school fees were funded by an ILEA scholarship. Shabana Mahmood attended a grammar school for sixth form.

Louise Haigh and Anneliese Dodds also attended private schools.

How many of the cabinet attended faith schools not open to all? Bridget Phillipson did.

His year group didn't pay fees, therefore not private

@HPFA

Which mobile home park in Reigate was this?

Why did your husband go to the grammar and not the other local schools? Was he particularly gifted? Did his parents seek out the school and encourage him to take the 11+ ?

I don't doubt there were a handful of children in each year at Reigate grammar who came from poorer backgrounds, but were smart and their parents sought out Reigate grammar for them and they passed the 11+. But your implication that Reigate grammar had loads of kids from council estates and the mobile home park is quite frankly just ridiculous.

As I say, I grew up in Reigate and my siblings went to Reigate grammar school. It was always known as a very privileged school to attend and most of the children and young people that went there before, during and after the transition to private were not from council estates or mobile homes. If they were, then I'm sure (unlike Keir) they'd acknowledge how fortunate and privileged they were to attend a school with such opportunity.

Reigate has v few council houses and mobile home parks. Most council houses in Reigate are located in Woodhatch (quite far from Reigate grammar which is located in a v nice, expensive part of the town where houses prices are pretty substantial) which has it's own secondary school (now called Reigate school, formerly called woodhatch school).

Back in the day there was a girls private school (Dunotta) and a boys grammar/later private (Reigate grammar school) and everyone else went to the state schools in the area with woodhatch being seen as the toughest and as catering for the local council houses, and st. Bedes was seen as the best (it was a selective church school). Reigate grammar and Dunotta were known as 'snobby' by the kids, even those at st bedes. I doubt v much a rough council kid would want to go to Reigate grammar.

I am just not sure I fully believe your posts @HPFA.

So it wasn’t Kier’s fault he went to private school because his parents choose it/it changed whilst he was there/he was fortunate to benefit from a Grammar school system not available to most/his parents (and his at sixth form) principles were such that they were happy for him to benefit from private education. I have no problem with this - his parents chose what they thought best for him to give him a head start.

The issue comes when claiming some sort moral authority from having fewer members of cabinet whose parents had made similar decisions. Or, having benefitted from this, claiming it is unfair that other’s do the same.

Of course it's relevant - the sixth form demanded fees or a bursary/scholarship. Did your partner attend sixth form elsewhere?

And of course there wouldn't have been a Comprehensive option open to them at the time.

Nobody could opt out of the academically selective system.

LesserCelandine
his parents (and his at sixth form) principles were such that they were happy for him to benefit from private education

I thought Starmer's parents named him after Keir Hardie?

This is vvvv old news.

ReigateNotSo

To be fair - Starmer travelled at least 10 miles to Reigate Grammar.

He was old enough at 16 to be in the socialist or Marxist party (I can't remember off the top of my head and am in a hurry) so he was old enough to make a decision for himself to move to a state sixth form college.

Plenty do move without his socialist ideals.

Exactly! Because it was a v good school and it's always been known to be. It was selective and well known as an excellent school with fantastic opportunities. It was not somewhere the local council kids went unless they were v gifted and their parents encouraged them to take the 11+. Most of the school was filled with largely privileged kids.

No idea. But their principles didn’t stop them sending their son to what was a selective private school, even if they weren’t paying fees. I wouldn’t have taken my child out either. You would have had to have been very firm in your socialist principles to have made that stand and they didn’t.

Education is not just about grades. Far from it in fact.

His parents weren’t forced to make him sit the 11+ or to send to him a school so far away.

What a bizarre criticism! The Labour Party has always had people in leadership who were privately educated, since its inception. Experiencing this privilege shaped their views about the unfairness of it and the broader negative impact of private schools on society (despite the benefits for some who attend). Having been privileged doesn't necessarily mean you think it right to vote for policies that perpetuate that privilege for the next generation. I can think of far better reasons to criticize Starmer.