AIBU to think upper middle class professionals downplay how much they game education?

[MyCyanAnt]

I can’t be the only one who has noticed this. I went to genuinely average comprehensive schools and had parents who just dgaf like most in UK. I went to medical school where it seemed like this upbringing put you in a small minority, now an ultra high earner from own business but still do part time work as a GP. DC are 12 and 14.

Whenever the topic of education comes up with other doctors/professionals they will say stuff like it’s the child not the school who determines the outcome, we’re not pushing DC, we’re letting DC pick their school etc

However when it comes down to it none of them ever put their money where their mouth is. It won’t always be Eton but it will almost always be either a private, grammar or high performing comp in expensive catchment area instead of a genuinely average comp.

It’s a similar story with paying for tutors and other parents DC being interested in prestigious but completely unrelated careers e.g. Doctor or investment banking who have obviously been guided by parents.

I do the same but I feel like I’m an outlier in that I don’t lie about it, I’m obviously paying/gaming things so DC are much more likely to get a top job. I don’t see what’s wrong with admitting it yet it’s such a sensitive subject with some.

Is that done by everyone or just the middle class? Is middle class pushiness even a thing in Ireland the way it is in the Uk?

Yes, about 47% of second-level pupils attend a Catholic ethos school. The figure is much higher at primary level, which is up to age 12 or 13 here, getting close to 90%. Catholic schools are not allowed select pupils on the basis of their religion though, whereas minority religion schools are.

About 30% of pupils attend single sex at second level, about 13% at primary level.

A recent study showed no difference in achievement for single vs mixed sex schools.
https://www.ul.ie/research/news/university-of-limerick-research-reveals-no-academic-advantage-to-attending-single-sex#:~:text=The%20major%20new%20study%20has,in%20science%2C%20maths%20or%20reading.

However, I would say it very much depends on the local school itself. Fee-paying schools are much more likely to be single sex and that could skew the results. I also know our local two single-sex schools have higher academic rankings than the local co-ed school (all state schools, the single-sex ones are Catholic ethos too.)

It’s done by those who can afford it and who prioritise education. The class system is different here. A lot of people wouldn’t really identify as middle-class in the same way as in the UK but would have similar values.

That's interesting so anyone of any faith can attend a Catholic school in Ireland? In the UK many a lefty liberals has found God when a place at a state Catholic school is at stake!

They can now. The rules on religion selection are now considered discriminatory, apart from allowing some wiggle room for minority religions (which is Protestant usually)

That's interesting so anyone of any faith can attend a Catholic school in Ireland?

Yes, it’s because so many schools, especially primary schools, are Catholic ethos schools.
I think it was only in 2018 that was made law though. Before then you didn’t have to be Catholic either, but preference was given to Catholic applicants if a school was oversubscribed. I attended a convent school in the 80s that had a (small) number of students of other faiths.

Most Catholic schools are run by lay teachers now.

That's very interesting so the rat race for schools (& pretending to be of faith!) is probably not as bad as the sharp elbowed & devout here!

Ha. I am a doctor and am grateful every day that my kids chose different courses at uni. Non-vocational ones too. They made their own choices. I didn’t want them to have such a stressful NHS life and I am excited that they don’t know what career they will follow yet.

What kind of ‘Asian doctor, daughter of immigrants’ am I ;-)

Well, pretending to be of the Catholic faith won’t do you any good anyway 😁
You apply for each school separately in most areas here. It can be stressful because many schools are oversubscribed at the moment. The secondary schools in our town are at least. Student numbers are falling so it may not be such an issue in a few years.