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.

@treetopsgreen - it is compounded in London by the mass Covid exodus that supposedly peaked In 2022, according to estate agents. You can go read all the estate agent reports.
However, because house prices rose more outside of London than in London, the trend is likely reversing this year. People only trade up for a long commute if they get substantially more for their buck outside London.
Obviously the kids entering the school system though lags the house prices.

For my generation of kids secondary and beyond, what is changing is that many of the kids want to go to uni in London and commute after the first year. So another reason to stay in London becomes easy access to good universities (as well as jobs of course). So perhaps the trend for those thinking long term is shifting. You can only pay that huge stamp duty whack ones and let’s face it, there are countless school options in London via the extensive public transport network.

You have no comprehension of what I said

@Araminta1003 I'm fully aware that young people & families leave London & covid exacerbated this. I asked for evidence that this was the only reason birth rates have dropped as you claimed. I'm not sure an estate agent will have that info but happy to read a link.

www.centreforcities.org/reader/escape-to-the-country/london-leavers-mostly-stayed-local/

This is data around people moving during covid. There was a lot of movement within in London itself.

That's true, I don't know why anyone would criticise someone's political opinions on the basis of where their parents sent them to school.

If Shirley Williams (among many others) thought that evidence was against selective education she was perfectly entitled to act on that view as part of a democratically elected government.

If you support selective education that's absolutely your right but you have no right to demand that other people support it purely on the basis of where their parents sent them to school.

@treetopsgreen - you and I are not going to agree on what constitutes valid resources. I prefer to look at financial markets and yes, that includes financial reports by estate agents as a predictor of likely human behaviour.

I could deconstruct that source you quoted ad infinitum, especially if the same site concludes an exodus of 30-45 somethings out of London but supposedly childless ones. Why the hell would anyone conclude that a 30 something moving out of London may not be intending to do so precisely to have children? Which would be a more common sense approach to live.

Some of us like to predict the future and others look at past numbers and quibble over how to portray what London is, for example Outer, within the M25.

Whereas if you actually look at financial information as it happens right now and know how to read it, you are more likely going to be able to predict what happens.

So succinctly you don't have any evidence that birth rates have only fallen in London because families have left. 😆

Birth rates have fallen more in London because yes, lots of people of childbearing age and some families left during Covid and into 2022. And we are feeling the effects of this. It is not really a controversial subject, generally accepted as a fact, the Covid exodus, moving for more space/home office due to working from home patterns.

The national birth rate has been on a downwards trend since 2010. Nationally. So yes school numbers will be falling everywhere year on year. Midwives are struggling to find work because hospitals aren't recruiting and this is one of the reasons. So now the impact will be felt on all schools to an extent and before long universities and then even longer term in the working population (unless immigration counter balances it).

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/babies-birth-rate-costs-childless-women-london-b1210884.html

On the other hand, highest rate of plus 40 something births and the “one and done” club.
When you keep taxing the same demographic, they just have less kids.

It was a state school when he started and he wasn’t charged fees when it converted.

anyway, the assisted places scheme paid the fees of very bright kids to attend private school. My uncle went to Dulwich college because he got the highest score in the 11+ that year (when everyone took it)

Where have you been this is well known. You might want to google Liz Truss as well. She has resigned.

Not sure it's a lie.

If articles citing most state educated cabinet ever have to couch in terms of'mostly stare educated for 11-16' education??

The only they classed as independently educated... If they all went up state school aged 4-18 then why the need for all the couching terms..

In my Junior school, we were ALL put in for the 11+
During the term before we also ALL did weekly spelling and verbal reasoning tests. We ALL prepared folders of work that would be submitted if we were borderline.
Out of 60 children, 5 of us passed, but still everyone had the same tuition (I didn't have extra), as part of our normal school lessons.

*actually saying I didn't have any special tuition is perhaps slightly ingenious, I did go to a "special needs" style class once a week, but that was because I was so far ahead of most of my class and bored witless most of the time.

As an aside, i was also on free school meals with a uniform grant at grammar school and was very aware that the vast majority of the girls had gone to private prep schools and had a much more affluent lifestyle than I did

Labour government has put Great Britain into steep steep educational and economic decline.

UK has some of the best private schools in the WORLD and Labour is putting them out of reach of aspirational citizens. Now, schools will be offering more places to international students so they can outpace us. They, the internationals, will be ahead of us getting into Uni, top jobs globally.

Is that you Nigel?

I am if you want me to be …. The more that Labour, labours along this completely ideological path to economic ruin … the more will vote Reform.

Labour loyalists voting for ideology and magical economic thinking … with aim to level the playing field to point where everyone is poor and badly educated. Selling the Labour dream poor and happy.

How are you (or Farage) going to pay for all those promises Reform is making?

There’s something like a £100 billion hole in their budget. That would be entertaining, they’d last even less time than Truss.

Don’t worry. They’ll easily make that by cancelling DEI programmes…..

So bloody what?

Personally - I would try to return London to THE financial centre it used to be. Bring it back from Dubai.
lure back high net worth & investors with Golden visa and tax incentives. Get them to Invest in UK and create high pay high skill jobs as well as service jobs. Create tax payers. These rich people buy loads, use services & hire staff … increasing Vat.

It’s better to get individuals on on £500k and up paying 25-35% tax … than having them move to Dubai, Singapore or take up golden via in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Malta .. etc etc

Rather have 25% of their income than 0%

Trickle down economics, tax cuts for the wealthy?

How do you suggest Reform is going to pay for all that

Reform don’t need to pay for anything if they are luring New taxpayers to the country or back to UK, and/or selling them a “golden visa” for several hundred thousand.

example-
McLarens driver (UK national) moved to Monaco for “financial reasons” … 25% tax on him to taxman is better than ZERO tax and him shopping and living in Monaco.

https://www.spotrac.com/formula1/player/_/id/47380/lando-norris

simple math … but Labour think ideology and hatred of anyone outside the party with wealth or financially successful career is going to make them Party best for Britain. Best if you like being broke and doing without, with rising crime, rising prices while those who moved to Monaco, Dubai live in clean safe country, earn buckets more thru less taxation and retire early in a private pension.

Don't you think people might want a bit more than promises?