"It’s not just tax. Private school fees are rising in a facilities ‘arms race’"

[GreenTeaLikesMe]

It’s not just tax. Private school fees are rising in a facilities ‘arms race’

Not denying that many smaller, poorer schools are in trouble, but there appears to be a large slice of the private education market which has been really pushing the boat out where fees are concerned.

Thing is, England's education system does seem to have delivered significant improvements over the past 20 years - it is one of the few areas of real progress in modern UK governance. And it's delivered those improvements by focusing on things like phonics and content-rich curricula as well as tighter assessment, and by improving STATE SCHOOLS, not by messing about with structural stuff ("More grammar schools!" "Bring back assisted places!" etc.).

I suggest that we all focus on stuff that has a proved track record of working (phonics, rigorous maths, content-rich approach, proper exams), rather than wasting time on stuff that does not appear to have any particular effect.

I like and admire Australia as a country in very many ways (it's a wonderful place, and the UK could learn a lot from Oz in all sorts on non-educational fields), but its educational standards are generally less good than the UK; I see absolutely no evidence that its state-subsidized "semi-private schools" have actually done anything to improve overall results. The only data I've seen suggest that they are a waste of everyone's money because after controlling for parental income, the "private" (actually semi-private) kids don't perform any better than the 100% government-funded ones. Essentially, large quantities of state money and parental money are being spent on "posher uniforms and slicker-looking facilities." "Poundshop private schools" is the name I've heard. Of course, the small number of fully private, very expensive private schools in Oz may be a little different and actually create some added value, who knows.

Is private schooling worth the cost? - MacroBusiness

@GreenTeaLikesMe valid criticism, but I would gently push back on placing too much emphasis on rankings and top line results. On average results might be just as good or better, but within those averages are individual children who might have very different needs. This of course includes different types of SEND, but I also mean differences in types and natures of talent (sport, art, music, etc.). By focusing ruthlessly on core literacy and maths metrics the UK state sector might deliver better top line outcomes more efficiently, but outcomes measured are not the only outcomes that matter. A thriving and accessible private sector provides an important opportunity for alternatives to emerge and for parents to have an element of choice in how their children are educated.

when we were selecting a school for dc we were obviously impressed by the facilities, but having a nicer pool isn’t what sold us. We chose our school because it embraced an approach to education that was a better fit for dc’s needs and was vastly different from what we were getting in state. Who knows if it will have a final impact on GCSEs or their ultimate attainment in maths/literacy, but on a daily basis it has a tremendous impact on how they engage in their education as well as their mental and physical health, which for me is an important but unmeasurable outcome.