Do private schools have better teachers?

[hercules1]

Read this on a different thread and it has peed me off a bit. I know lots of really good teachers who don't and won't teach in private schools. I've also known some teachers leave the state system to go to the private as they could no longer cope within the state.

Private doesn't equate with better teachers Of course it means lots of other things and I am sure there are lots of excellent teachers in the private system but no more so than the state.

Often to get the best staff wages can be that bit higher and sadly a lot of people are attracted by higher pay and the usual market forces then mean the better teachers get that. Also apart from the socialist teachers, many better teachers prefer to work in wonderful buildings with clever well behaved children in the private sector - who wouldn't? If you also get free school fees for your children worth up to £20k a year or more in some boarding schools that's likely to attract better teachers too. But 96% of children are in state schools so obviously many many good teachers in the state sector.

All my children went/go to private schools and their father has worked in both sectors but I doubt would ever return to state schools. More specialist teachers - so your head of French is more likely to have a good degree from Oxford in French etc throughout on through each subject.

Also if the teaching were not better parents probably woudln't pay juts applying the usual market forces argument therefore as they do pay they must assume they are getting something better unless they're all conning themselves like the Emperor's New Clothes.

Yes, more male teachers too at my boys' all boys prep school and they love that.

Some private schools of course at not good ones. My comments below were about the better ones which get the best A level results etc

I work with clever , well behaved children, not in stunning building, but I do have a degree from Oxford, and have taught at Edinburg, St Andrews and Oxford universities. And I'm in a bog standard Comp.

My brother , who has a certificate of Education and a degree from the OU, can teach me into a cocked hat....and I'm quite go myself!

Oh, how the generalisations fly in these sorts of threads

i always thought, if a teacher had a vocation to become one, they'd prefer a challenging class rather than one that's totally attentive but could be wrong.

But a lot of teachers would like the grounds, fields, formal dinners, fun interesting parents public school ethos, surely. I know them. They do. Not all of course.

I always preferred cleverer reachers and yes just because you go to Oxbridge doesn't mean you can teach but the better private schools get the Oxbridge ones who teach well probably more often than the state schools for the reasons I mentioned.

I also like the children to speak properly with the right accent. I find teachers in private schools often have a better accent. I am sure this will annoy a lot of mumsnetters but so be it.

..quality of clothing too... laughing as I type. I think standards of dress amongst teachers are better in private schools. Fewer beards as well. Huge advantage.

Really depends on the class TBH SEA.

There are different challenges depending on the ability level of the class.

The greatest teaching challenges come with teaching children who struggle....not always because of poor behaviour, but also because of SEN. These children give you the buzz of 'Yes! They have got it!' when 'it' might be something quite simple.

The greatest 'intellectual' challenges come with teaching the brightest kids. These are the ones that make you think on your feet, fireld question that come at you from all quarters. these are the kids who ask you the question you have never thought of before, make you see things from a different angle.

Both sides give you great pleasure and satisfaction

DD's prep school doesn't have lots of male teachers - maybe as t is an all girl's school? I don't know. But there is only one class male class teacher, compared with 6 female class teachers.

Ah, I must make sure that I trim my beard before I teach tomorrow Xenia.

and I always get better results when I wear my power suit

ALL the teachers are qualified teachers at DD's prep school though - one of the things I looked for when going round schools.

LOl @ clothes; DD's teachers really look no different than the state shcool teachers I worked along side, and was!

But also on the other side, I don't see any of the snobbery at DD's school that some posters mention. Saw an awful lot of snobbery at the very successful, high achieving state school I worked at though.

SN, depends on the school I think. I don't think Xenia would like the school I send mine to, far too many regional accents and far too little designer clothing! LMAO!

TBH, at primary level especially, I'd far rather see a teacher looking a bit messed up, with splashes of paint and felt pen on fingers, hardebed glue and well...looking as though he/she had been really involved in the lessons with the children, than some teacher looking prim and neat in a tailored designer suit.

Well behaved? My DS said that his class at top independent would take their teachers to the brink and dangle them over it! PLenty of fighting farting swearing etc - it was a boy's school.

Actually, I found quite a lot of intellectual satisfaction teaching children with SEN. Which is partly why I moved more into that area after a while, and why I'm now doing the extra study. I think you need to know more about the processes underlying teaching and learning. I found it very satisfying to be learning something new again.

The question is too wide to be meaningful, and also misses the point that sometimes parents turn to the private sector because they want a different choice in schools. As well as all of the highly academic selective private schools (which don't ime have tons of unqualified teachers wandering around) there are hundreds of smaller schools meeting a demand for smaller class sizes, not being tied into the National Curriculum, SATS or league tables, and with perhaps a specific strength eg music, pastoral system etc which attacts certain families. For some parents a better teacher is one who will sit and hug their child when they are upset, or even pray with them.

"Better" is relative.

There is often an assumption on here that if you pay for education you're probably being conned, or you haven't looked into the options enough (despite the numbers who, with dismay, start in state but feel they have to move to private). In RL I haven't met any parents who haven't considered their choice of private school carefully. Of course so have most of the parents who have stayed with the state sector - at least the ones I know, though I accept that there are many who just opt for the nearest. Yes, there are some uncaring obnoxious parents out there in the private sector who care not one jot about their children's education, but not that many.

yes, I suppose I was trying to say the SEN teaching is an intellectual pedagogical challenge, and upper end is an intellectual subject based challenge, IYSWIM

pedagogical - that's a great word! (though i had to google it)

I do kow what you mean, but I have to say that interms of my own intellect, such as it is, the real fun came in working with children with SEN. But not necessarily as a classroo teacher it's true. More managing their education if you like.

LOL Sobernow. There are lots of oxford jokes about those sorts, which collages they went to, and what they studied

Must say none of the Biochemists I knew were dim. Some were brighter than others, but most were quite able.