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Original poster

Keir Starmer went to private school

797 replies

Asking4afrend · 21/05/2025 07:57

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.

Bursary - Wikipedia

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bursary

OP posts:
Thread gallery
8
Coffeeishot · 21/05/2025 08:16

Asking4afrend · 21/05/2025 08:12

So everything. If he was politically active in his teenage years then he knew what he was doing.

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But he was only at .private school " by accident" leaving to do A levels would have been madness and it is still A levels he hasn't passed some secret exclusive private school exams.

GoingOverToTheDarkSide · 21/05/2025 08:17

Coffeeishot · 21/05/2025 08:10

Why should he have left his school at 6th form he would have been what 17/18 and did his A levels at his school where was he supposed to go?

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well his parents couldn’t afford to keep him at sixth form. Exactly that will be the case for loads of kids after a few years of VAT applied to fees - but bursaries no longer exist in the same way.
.
The financial situation for his school changed between him joining it and leaving it.
And policies we put in place to
protect and continue his cohort’s education. The exact opposite of labour policies.

can you really not see the raging hypocrisy of benefiting from an opportunity you then remove from the next generation?

Original poster
Asking4afrend · 21/05/2025 08:17

Aprilrainagainagain · 21/05/2025 08:13

@Asking4afrend Its very nice you married your husband despite his 'humble roots'.

Those are his words and how he describes himself. I would describe him as lovely.

OP posts:
Genevieva · 21/05/2025 08:17

BangersAndGnash · 21/05/2025 08:16

The vast majority of pupils don’t have grammar as an option … hence those bright children being educated at their learning speed in top sets in comprehensives.

In Starmer’s day the segregation of schools was often aligned to the O Level / CSE differences and curricula.

Now grammar, ‘high school’ and comprehensive students of all abilities their the same exam. Same curriculum.

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And a third of them fail and leave school without core qualifications, whereas if we had an alternative more suitable for those children, they would leave school with something to show for it.

Cososom · 21/05/2025 08:18

No he didn't. HTH.

Drizzle6183 · 21/05/2025 08:19

thepariscrimefiles · 21/05/2025 08:10

Well that's a lie. This is the least privately educated cabinet ever.

'Starmer’s cabinet had already set records for the proportion of state educated Secretaries of State, with data compiled by the social mobility charity The Sutton Trust at the time of the election showing that Haigh was the only one they classed as independently educated.'

After Louise Haigh resigned, she was replaced by Heidi Alexander who was state educated. Anneliese Dodds, who attended Cabinet but wasn't a Secretary of State was privately educated but she has since resigned.

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I’m not sure that’s quite the win you think it is. We have objectively the worst government in living memory. It feels like an awful social experiment that has gone badly wrong and we all suffer as a result.

Original poster
Asking4afrend · 21/05/2025 08:19

GoingOverToTheDarkSide · 21/05/2025 08:17

well his parents couldn’t afford to keep him at sixth form. Exactly that will be the case for loads of kids after a few years of VAT applied to fees - but bursaries no longer exist in the same way.
.
The financial situation for his school changed between him joining it and leaving it.
And policies we put in place to
protect and continue his cohort’s education. The exact opposite of labour policies.

can you really not see the raging hypocrisy of benefiting from an opportunity you then remove from the next generation?

Show quote history

This ⬆️

OP posts:
Coffeeishot · 21/05/2025 08:20

GoingOverToTheDarkSide · 21/05/2025 08:17

well his parents couldn’t afford to keep him at sixth form. Exactly that will be the case for loads of kids after a few years of VAT applied to fees - but bursaries no longer exist in the same way.
.
The financial situation for his school changed between him joining it and leaving it.
And policies we put in place to
protect and continue his cohort’s education. The exact opposite of labour policies.

can you really not see the raging hypocrisy of benefiting from an opportunity you then remove from the next generation?

Show quote history

I think if parents can factor in private school fees they can pay Vat he benefitted because of circumstances not because of money because if you can afford to send your kids to private school you are privileged no matter how much you whinge about "unfairness'.

Drizzle6183 · 21/05/2025 08:21

delightfuldweeb · 21/05/2025 08:13

His parents at no point paid fees for him. No one chose for him to go to a private school. What exactly is your beef, OP?

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He benefitted from taxpayer subsidy to complete his education. To then add tax to the cost of others who fund their own children’s education is abhorrent.

ilovesooty · 21/05/2025 08:22

Is this just another thread to whine about VAT on private school fees?

Coffeeishot · 21/05/2025 08:22

Drizzle6183 · 21/05/2025 08:21

He benefitted from taxpayer subsidy to complete his education. To then add tax to the cost of others who fund their own children’s education is abhorrent.

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Oh have a word with yourself "abhorrent* my god !

Legoninjago1 · 21/05/2025 08:22

YANBU. It makes me sick that he befitted from a bursary to finish his eduction in his school of choice, when his parents couldn’t afford the fees and he’s now denying other children exactly that. What a guy.

skippy67 · 21/05/2025 08:22

No he didn't.

faerietales · 21/05/2025 08:23

Asking4afrend · 21/05/2025 08:06

Actually he could have left at sixth form. But he chose to stay.

You must be very bored this morning.

faerietales · 21/05/2025 08:25

Drizzle6183 · 21/05/2025 08:21

He benefitted from taxpayer subsidy to complete his education. To then add tax to the cost of others who fund their own children’s education is abhorrent.

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I think you need to borrow a thesaurus.

skippy67 · 21/05/2025 08:25

We have objectively the worst government in living memory.

Now you're just being silly. Either that, or you're only 10 months old...

GoingOverToTheDarkSide · 21/05/2025 08:26

Coffeeishot · 21/05/2025 08:20

I think if parents can factor in private school fees they can pay Vat he benefitted because of circumstances not because of money because if you can afford to send your kids to private school you are privileged no matter how much you whinge about "unfairness'.

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that’s like telling someone that because they can afford a 400k house they can obviously afford a 500k house
I men’s it’s only 25 percent right? And if you’re privileged enough to be buying a house you can just suck it up.

Coffeeishot · 21/05/2025 08:27

Legoninjago1 · 21/05/2025 08:22

YANBU. It makes me sick that he befitted from a bursary to finish his eduction in his school of choice, when his parents couldn’t afford the fees and he’s now denying other children exactly that. What a guy.

I mean you could apply for a bursary if you wished or move your children to state school I'm sure if you find a "nice" school in a "nice" area your children will have a great education.

NowYouSee · 21/05/2025 08:27

I don’t think we should judge politicians for the education choices their parents made for them. Whether it was Eton or the only local secondary which is underperforming.

GoingOverToTheDarkSide · 21/05/2025 08:28

NowYouSee · 21/05/2025 08:27

I don’t think we should judge politicians for the education choices their parents made for them. Whether it was Eton or the only local secondary which is underperforming.

i agree.
but we can definitely judge them on the policies they implement which remove opportunities they be fitted from to get to a position of power

Araminta1003 · 21/05/2025 08:28

I do not believe that Starmer himself is pro destroying private schools. His wife went to Channing, another well known private school in North London.
The private school VAT policy is Red Meat thrown to the left in the Party to give them “something”. It is terrible for kids with SEND in the private sector whose parents can barely pay the fees at it was.
Typical Labour Government to have a showy pointless dig at elitism, whilst being inherently critical about it.
It is a real shame for all the staff, grounds staff in smaller schools and all the schools catering to SEND.
Charging the big private schools business rates was enough.

DuncinToffee · 21/05/2025 08:29

ilovesooty · 21/05/2025 08:22

Is this just another thread to whine about VAT on private school fees?

The exodus isn't happening so yes it would seem so

x2boys · 21/05/2025 08:29

BangersAndGnash · 21/05/2025 08:10

He went to Grammar school.

On the basis of merit: passing the 11+.

Also there used to be a system of ‘direct grant’ schools where some private schools had a high % of places for the top 11+ performers. In my school it was 50%.

Yes my mum went to a direct grant school she failed her 11+ and her parents paid the fees ,a lot of pupils were free due to having passed the 11+

SipandClean · 21/05/2025 08:29

Bunch of hypocrites - the lot of them.

MrsBennetsPoorNerves · 21/05/2025 08:29

Stupid thread.

Firstly, his parents sent him to a state school which became a private school while he was there. It isn't surprising that he/ they didn't want to worry about moving schools once he was there.

Secondly, even if he had gone to a private school from the start, so what? Why would he be in any way responsible for the choices that his parents made about his education? He is allowed to have political views of his own.

Criticise his policies all you like, but focus on the substance of what he is doing rather than trying to whip up some sort of pointless class war.

Oh, and next time you're going to post a stupid thread in AIBU, at least have the courage to enable voting.