to think private schools having charitable status is taking the piss

[zanz1bar]

Most private schools have their charitable status as an accident of history. Does a school like Eton really deserve the same financial status as the NSPCC.

Can it really be justified by a few subsidized places.

pointydog - same here... Not a sausage... It's almost like they don't want us to know...

Whereas the state Community Sports College a mile away is running a full programme of summer events, publicised with a leaflet sent home to all children in the area.

Abetadad, you say your independent school runs courses through the summer and 'anyone can go'.

No they can't.

Only anyone who can afford it can go!!! Some people don't have enough money....

don;t some independent schools share their swimmin gpools to keep charitable status?

UQD, I understand and appreciate your caveats. I don't follow the stakeholder argument though. Even if everyone went to state schools, you would still have the government making education policy decisions intended to apply across the board.

Until the one-size-fits-all state curriculum idea changes, I don't see how anything else would change, stakeholders or no.

I'd be very interested in a freer state education model whereby groups of people could indeed get STATE funding for any viable educational initiative they wish to start.

However, I don't think this type of openness is compatible with the British psyche. The academy model is a stab at this if you can come up the initial TWO MILLION POUNDS. Goodness, now THAT is a discriminatory amount.

And not even an option here in Wales.

my sons school are doing a big science thing for all the local primaries with all the science based staff and some of the sixth formers coming in to do projects and stuff.
Ds1 says it will be geek heaven . They do a couple of summer schools.

They also help out at local disability playscheme and run a football club thingy. My DS2 attends the playscheme and his one to one support are often from my other sons school.Those are the bits he has told me about but I am sure there is more.
He is packing bags at tescos during the holidays for a school trip and the schools four main charities.

His school take it quite seriously but I am sure that there are some who just do a nod at the charity/community thing.

My Ds2 used to go to a SN football club organised by a local independent school which was run every Friday by the sixth form and key staff.( It was fab although it was still too hard for DS2 to access)

Many private schools have to serve the local community and share facilities with local schools to maintain their charity status

This has got to be a good thing for local kids too!

www.magicbeanbags.co.uk

That would be an interesting model, zazizoma. It's always useful to reiterate this - just because I support state education doesn't mean I don't support diversity.

I am not and never have been a fan of "one-size-fits-all" education. All of us having a stake does not mean "all of us doing the same".

I just feel the instruments currently used for "sizing" are stupidly blunt - i.e. Daddy's wallet, mortgages and the Church.

UQD - I think you are aspiring to a communist system!

If you are happy with your DCs school what is your problem with other people spending their own money on private education if thats how they want to spend it.

Let's not be under any illusions.

Do people really believe private schools share their facilities out the goodness of their hearts or any genuine desire to "help the community"?

They do so in order to keep their charitable status and thus their cushy tax breaks.

If they wanted to "help the community" the best and most obvious way of doing this would be to make all their places available on a non-fee-paying basis.

happywomble - you may have posted before what I wrote about not wanting "one size fits all." I am most emphatically not a fan of Communism.

Then who would pay the teachers?

How would private schools have the money to offer free places for all? I think you need to be a bit more realistic in your reasoning.

If they make all their places available on a non fee paying basis they would close down after twelve months so wouldn't that be a 'shoot your self in the head' form of altruism?

Exactly. It wouldn't work, for that reason. It's called irony. Do keep up.

The only way to make that work would be to have a voucher system whereby the govmt would figure out what it costs to educate a child in their system, then offer that amount to parents to put toward an independent school if they so chose.

have I missed something? Where do Magic Bean Bags come into this??

lol @ magic bean bag link. Do you sell them, libby?

Of course, the govmt could turn over control of ALL its schools to groups of teachers, thus all schools would become local initiatives with true stakeholders.

And I LOVE the complete understandingthat people who do not run these schools have of their intention, motivation and desire.

Of course, not one teacher, headmaster or govenor of any private or independent school anywhere give a fuck about anyone else.
And all the parents and children are the same. Of course thats exactly right. Once you work in the private system that is exactly who you become. Everything is about deception and self interest.

My father in law worked for an independent school his whole life. His will leaves everything - and i mean everything - to the school he worked for in the form of buraries and scholarship.

Message withdrawn

oh god. i have a twelve year old sitting on my lap pinching me. I can't possibly do irony at the same time

I like the idea of the voucher system actually.

So what we say that it costs 2,500 quid a year to educate every kid. Parents get this voucher (obviously only usable for schools, not cash/not exchangeable) - they can then give that voucher to the school and if they want to pay MORE towards their kid's education then they do.

Can't keep up. better do some parenting, darn it.....

I have a horrible feeling that if we had a voucher system then more people would choose private schools!!