Can you be a leftie and use private schools? Are people prejudiced against the privately educated?

[SpoonsAndForks]

I've always been into equality of opportunity and on that basis, think that it's wrong that our country allows private schools.

But then my son's state primary went into special measures and I pulled him out and put him into private school. Now he's being offered a really great scholarship to stay on and I'm considering going private all the way. So I'd rather private schools didn't exist but now they do, yes I'd like my child to benefit from them.

I came across this book yesterday - www.amazon.co.uk/Posh-Boys-English-Schools-Britain/dp/1786073838/?tag=mumsnetforum-21 - the intro to the book sets out the 'public schoolboy' as the most horrible creature, misogynistic, egotistical, generally a posh hawhawhaw uncaring horror (usually a nasty MP). Yet the intro also sets out some interesting statistics about those in top jobs always being from private school (which makes me want to give my child that opportunity). But makes me sick at the thought of educating my child into a guffawing posh MP.

I'm keen to explore:

• whether you can sit politically to the left and square it with yourself if you use a private school
• whether children who go to private schools will experience judgement and prejudice against them
• whether children who go to private schools are all at risk of turning into posh uncaring brash misogynistic MP types.

Your trust in the state is simultaneously touching and terrifying, Bertrand.

I don't have a trust in the state. I just don't think that a state education is by definition a bad education. Or, for that matter, that a private education is by definition a good one.

Ah. I think the state has way overstepped the mark in its control of young minds. By definition this is very bad indeed.

Blimey. I haven’t seen much evidence of mind control. What do you mean?

You need to look a bit harder, Bertrand.

What sort of thing do you mean? The only people I know in real life are the sort of people who think sex education encourages children to have sex and/or go on about the "failed multi cultural experiment" I'm sure that's not what you mean......

No.

I’m thinking more along the lines of Love Island and the total mindlessness it embodies...

I don't rhink Love Island is o. The state school curriculum. And I know for a fact that at least some private school pupils watch it-judging by the shrieks emerging from my ds's room on occasion......

I thought it was up to the parents of kids to educate them about tat like Love Island.
kids will watch it if it's encouraged at home, or they aren't taught to be their own person rather than following peer pressure like sheep.
you couldn't pay my dd to watch it, but she knows kids in private and state schools who watch it.

That made me laugh. I've got a friend who teaches at an uber-posh private girls' school and she was lamenting the fact that they all watch Love Island.

Girls’ private schools mostly teach the same empty GCSE and A-level state controlled —brainwashing— education programme.

“kids will watch it if it's encouraged at home, or they aren't taught to be their own person rather than following peer pressure like sheep.“

Or if they enjoy watching crap TV with their friends?

User- I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about And I suspect nobody else does either. Could you try different words? Or more words?

gillybeanz - it would be wonderful if all parents were able to create a Love Island free home. Schools are, however, also supposed to be making a small contribution (at the expense of the public purse) to the education of children. If the chikdren’s minds were properly engaged (as your DD’s is), LI wouldn’t get a look in.

Ah, right, you’re taking the piss. Shame really, it’s been an interesting thread.

My two state educated dds have never once been encouraged to watch Love Island by their teachers . Rather they have been discouraged by me and rather amazingly they have agreed. Dd1’s friend who is in a co-ed private school is taking nine Y10 mates along to her parents holiday home in Spain this summer where she plans to ‘recreate Love Island’ among the five girls and five boys that will be staying. So stick that in yer sanctimonious pipe user. Anyone who thinks for one moment that private school will protect their children from becoming common Love Island-loving oiks is being spectacularly naive. My dds friends who are at private school are faaaaar worse when it comes to drinking, drugs and partying. But hey ho you go ahead - more money in the state pot for my kids

I didn’t claim that private schools protected DC from LI...

user

I get you, it's not difficult.
It would be brilliant if the work wasn't so subscribed and teachers were able to go more in depth for a subject, rather than teaching to a narrow curriculum.
i loved H.ed for this reason, and encouraged dd to understand deeper and not just scratch the surface.
I can remember her really going to town with insects, bugs etc and it taking her a couple of weeks studying them all. At school they'd just studied a couple of obvious ones.

As for LI dd said was sometimes on in the girls common room, not for the younger ones.
She used to go listen to the English teachers collection of opera on vinyl in his office, with another member of staff, of course.

So by "I think the state has way overstepped the mark in its control of young minds." you mean doing the work necessary to pass public exams?

The implications that state education in the U.K. is all bad is wrong. In the U.K. we education bright children well. I may have pointed this out already on this thread.

International studies show we do well at university level. Why do posters insist on posting about what we do well as if we don't. We educate bright children well in comprehensive, grammar and public schools.

What we do very, very badly is educate the long tail of average to low achieving students.

Moussemoose - the presence of independent schools that take pupils well beyond the limitations of state-prescribed curricula raises the bar for academic standards for the upper end of the achievement range.

Yeah were bad at educating the ones that are not interested in learning. Secondly they can earn three times more than what their 'skills' or ability would allow them to earn throw education or by legal means.

However, the losers are of course the 'small' number of children from disadvantaged background that have genuine academic potential. The very children forced to attend schools where 80% of pupils are not in the bit remotely interested in education.

Through education …. Heat.... mistakes

Independent schools squeeze out better exam results - is that education? Playing the exam game really well is that what we want for our young people?

Privately educated pupils make less progress at university than state educated pupils. Private schools can squeeze the best from the exam system but all round education and life skills are lacking. Unless you think a DofE and music exams are life skills?

Once at uni state pupils make more progress. It seems state school pupils have more potential - potential we as a country lose with our obsession with testing.

Also, Finland generally regarded as having the best education in the world does not have a private sector. Other top performing countries like the Netherlands have negligible private sectors. If independent schools raise the bar academically why is that not true in the top education systems in the world?

And again we are obsessing about the top pupils - we do this well. This is not an issue in the U.K. we can quibble about numbers at the top end but really if you are bright you stand a good chance of being educated really well.

However, we totally fail average to low end pupils.