Whitehall “braced for private schools collapse” 5

[ICouldBeVioletSky]

Starting a continuation thread in anticipation of the fourth one filling up…

www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/5301690-whitehall-braced-for-private-schools-collapse-4?page=39

It's exactly what a PP said yesterday:

Part of education ( some would say a very important part) is meeting people from different backgrounds. The broadest intake is in State Schools. In some areas Secondary catchments are sorted to include children from as wide an economic background as possible. So where I live historically the children come from very poor inner city Primaries and also Primaries in rich areas.
The advantage to both sets of children is palpable. They get to see a life they have not themselves experienced before. Many well paid professional jobs require a knowledge of and insight into the least wealthy eg GPs, Barristers, Teachers, etc.

To me, this translates as thinking that everyone will hang out together and understand the difficulties of some people's lives. I just don't think that actually happens in reality.

As an illustration, one private school we looked at (big name public school) it was only when I asked a question about bursaries that one girl said she was there on a 100% bursary and the other girls in her year in her boarding house had no idea that she was on that despite having lived together for 4 years at that point. Kids don't really discuss that kind of thing.

At DD's comp, there are a number of parents who are household names, there's even a couple of members of the House of Lords. I only know because I recognise the names on the WAGs or because people offer to do sessions for the careers guidance workshops. DD had zero clue that those children had well-known parents.

Agree with you that private schools are not the domain of the posh even in top name schools - although the VAT is going to drive it that way. And a huge number of private schools are not catering for the 'elite' at all, but for SEN or parents who value education and can just about manage the day-school fees for no-frills but smaller classes, better behaviour etc.

It’s not even getting much time in the media cycle. Labour are damaging education for everyone.

So depressing.

But-but-but once we evaluate the impact of the £££ VAT moolah bonanza, they'll restore all these things to raise the standard of state education for "all" "our" children, dontcha know? And there will be oodles of cash left over for Ready Brek.

I cannot understand why the mainstream media are not reporting this. They’re reporting “free” breakfasts which will make no difference to the standard of education. Our children are being failed (state and private) and people are happy to sit by and watch it happen.

I’m so sad about it. VAT was a blatant lie that people bought in to.

Maybe Labour will get strikes and the media will wake up to it a bit.

100% they are trying to destroy the state sector as well - and any home ed options. Grey little education for all in a tick box exercise.

Starmer wittering on about Adolescence being shown in all schools (pretty sure he thinks its a documentary the way he talks about it) whilst selling off sports fields when sports and hobbies and activities are the answer to the problem is INSANE. Please somebody stop them.

As a point of information, the option to sell off school playing fields was introduced in 2016- and 300 were sold under the last Tory administration.

I knew you woukd be along to try and defend it.
Yes and Raynor is extending it. To build houses.
Yet more taking of resource from state schools. But hey, as long as they are punishing indy kids then its all fine isn't it?

So they have to continue it?!

Are Labour supporters on this thread ok with what’s listed here?

Most likeky. Change the name of the party to Tory and they would be in uproar of course

Were you as up in arms when the Tories introduced it?

Yes, and it was a disgrace then as well. Why though are Labour planning to go further and sell off even more? Surely we are trying to improve state education? After all, that was the promise. I cannot see how selling off fields, cutting funding for STEM, languages and the arts helps improve state education.

And here you are too 🤣

FYI yes I was. Hope that helps

Whataboutery doesn't answer the Q does it?

Yes I was. Reducing the opportunity for children and teens to have space to do sport (or arts or STEM) is never a good thing. We know that mental health and poor behaviour is a problem with teens. We should be encouraging them to get involved in sport, not reducing the opportunities.

Labour are lucky to have pp supporting their policies.

Maybe the media will notice soon, perhaps the pay review issue will be the catalyst.

No need for the amateur dramatics. It was just that it seems like something novel to you when sadly it has been around for years.

No, you assumed it was novel to me.

I've worked in education for 25 years. Why are Labour making things WORSE for all schools and all children???

I just wondered why you were posting about it when nothing has changed? Are you asking me why Labour are making things worse or is it a rhetorical question?

The news covered the policy recently.

I remember the outrage on here from the Labour voters when Cameron started selling off school footy pitches. When it was pointed out on the first few threads that as private schools close and take their pools and sports fields with them for Labour developers to make millions in shoddy housing from, many Labour supporters even bought it up as a typically Tory policy. So defending it now is presumably a way of showing how flip-floppy you all are. Oh and Blair dropped all controls around gambling, if you remember, that other thing that ruins lives and whole towns but isn't being taxed properly...

@twistyizzyI don’t support selling school playing fields. It looked as if you thought it was a new Labour policy was your use of the phrase “Now they are….” to introduce the Times article. HTH

Perhaps, unlike the VAT policy, this government's selling off school fields will raise the promised £££ bonanza moolah for 6500 new teachers, slices of toast and improvement of state schools (in ways not involving MFL/STEM/music/other specialised provision, of course).

(Needless to say, the other lot's selling off school fields was a completely disgraceful policy - delighted that we seem to have thread consensus on that at least).

Our council has been under Labour control since before I was born, and it was Labour cllrs who kept pushing the schools to sell their land, against the local protests. The irony of it all.

As I said. I don’t agree with the policy. But this neither new nor initiated by Labour, as a pp implied, possibly by accident.