What Annoys You About Independent Schools?

[zanzibarmum]

Me? Independent schools who:

• tell applicants not to tutor their children when the entire prep school set up is precisely about cramming for common entrance exams;
• refuse to explain content of common entrance exam, again which discriminates against state school applicants;
• entrance exam papers which are clearly biased - Latymer's practice paper asks a question about the size of a hockey stick;
• poo poo league tables when their whole raison d'etre is to churn out As and A*;
• promote all the sport they do but in practice do very little for most children;
• who do not standardise entrance exam scores for age - selecting therefore the oldest not necessarily the brightest (cf churning out As and A*;.

Clearly, there are lots of good things about some independent schools but generally they have an easy life and probably coast on the back of the intelligence (innate or prepped) on their students.

How many pupils do you have to teach personally, Twinset?

I know you are a RS teacher, so probably have lots. I would find that really hard, but I am generally lucky with my subject as we tend to have more lessons per week with any given class.

When I taught in a grammar school, I had 260 pupils on my books. I was very uneasy at report writing time. My boss told me just to print out their photos, but it didn't feel right. I felt that I was writing so many generic reports (broadly OK in terms of whether they were at the top, middle or bottom, but still not very personal). I certainly wasn't the type of teacher I wanted to be, but I recognise that many teachers get a buzz from this environment. We don't all have to be the same.

I teach loads and I find it really hard.

I teach humanities to year 7, top set so 30 in that class.

Year 8 I have a top set and bottom set - 55.

Year 9 top set and two bottom sets 60 kids

Year 10 1 full course GCSE with 17, 1 top short course 30 kids and two 2 middle sets 56 kids

Year 11 - two top sets 60, 1 middle set, 28 and two bottom sets 20 kids.

Year 12 12 students

I also have a year ten tutor group of about 25 students.
so that makes ( I know if I get this sum wrong as a teacher I will het ripped to shreds) 338 plus my tutor group.

My GCSE workload is immense.

I'm a science teacher scienceteacher. I teach full time and in one week I see about 250 children. It's a lot, but I do rather like the challenge of a varied timetable. My most invigorating job was in my first school, where I taught completely across the ability range, going from a class of children who could barely read to an A level class with students who would achieve 5As in consecutive lessons. It was bloody marvellous.

Big though. You'd have hated it

Over Christmas I wrote my year 11 reports, 108 which were all individually written and I went through their books and results to write them. It did take all Christmas. Parents evenings I have to do a second night and I have a non strop queue. I would like to teach less students and I envy you that.

My marking worload is huge I am often marking until the early hours of the morning. Luckily I like marking.

OMG, tfm. The first year in that environment must be very scary. It must get easier each year.

TS&P - I don't know how you do it. I couldn't possibly get to know that many children in just a few months. You must have some fancy brain-training technique

No fancy technique, I am just upfront about the fact I need to learn their names, have their photos on my desk and practice with them in the room. In my first half term if I forgot a name, I apologised and asked and kept repeating it until I knew.

AfL isn't that where the teacher gives the pupil a sheet saying in your next piece of work you need to tick these boxes (stick in a few full stops; add an adjective; spell spel correctly. That's not teaching surely?

AfL is as effective as you want it to be, Zanzibar. If a teacher is cynical about it, it is unlikely to work well.

I use a lot of afl and that sounds nothing like how I teach zanzi.

I am not a teacher.. but a governor. I have seen it in practice and for most kids (whatever level) I can't see it helps - it might help to get the grades in the dumbed down, modularised, broken up, bits that now constitute subject content but not to help create understanding still less interest.
AfL is too grand a name - why not call it Cliffe's notes.
Sorry if I sound cynical - more despondent of what is going on in some schools in the name of education

If used as you describe zanzi it will not raise standards, I use it in a very different way and it does raise standards.

My son and his classmates are not a crowd. And by and large they don't need 'controlling'. What an insulting idea.

And my son doesn't need to be spoonfed.

They all need to be controlled to a certain extent and they all unfortunately seem to require spoon feeding regardless of what type of school. What a petty argument!

Wasn't an argument as far as I know. Just a bit disturbed to think of them as a mob. As far as I know they aren't.

Well what a fucking lovely thread

My kids are very nice. Their schools have been incredibly supportive of them ( and my families particular needs) and have made our lives much easier.

But never mind. Lets all just laugh along at my son being portrayed as a spoonfed, braying fool who shouts at the 'lower orders'.

Really funny. Fucking hilarious.

It is just soooo funny to take the piss out of kids.
Wankers

The fact that people think they have to send their children to an "Independent" (also known by normal people as private) school.

The fact that a lot of said people think they are a cut above the rest of humanity for doing so.

The lack of realisation that being able to afford something doesn't make you better than people who can't.

The people who say "oh, yarse, we're sending Tarquin to St Cuthbert's because he's so bright, don' you know." What am I supposed to answer to that? "We 'chose' a state school because mine are a bit thick?"

The bubble that "independent" parents seem to live in.

The endlessly manufactured debates about the subject.

The post-credit-crunch fashion for hand-wringing over the "nightmare" of having to send one's children to the state schools one had previously spurned, because one can no longer afford the fees. (Although that can be quite funny in a "welcome to the real world, love" kind of way.)

Well, you did ask.

The huge fees and the unnecessary imho uniform requirements - how does wearing straw boaters help learning?

I really don't understand what this thread is about. When I clicked into it I thought it would be a reasoned debate about the existence of independent schools. Instead this just seems, well a bit muddled.

The main point the OP is making seems to be that "Clearly, there are lots of good things about some independent schools but generally they have an easy life and probably coast on the back of the intelligence (innate or prepped) on their students."

To that I would say there are a lot of non-selective private schools that take the nice-but-dim. As regards the independent selective schools (which mine attend) it's much more challenging for bright children to be in an environment where they can be stretched and compete alongside other bright children.

Yes of course independent schools have an easier life. That's because the fees paid enable smaller class sizes and individual attention. That is the whole point of them. It's why people pay for them.

Ah UQD has mounted his hobby horse.

"The fact that people think they have to send their children to an "Independent" (also known by normal people as private) school." I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU FIND THIS ANNOYING.

"The fact that a lot of said people think they are a cut above the rest of humanity for doing so." THAT IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD

"The lack of realisation that being able to afford something doesn't make you better than people who can't." THAT IS STILL ALL IN YOUR HEAD

"The people who say "oh, yarse, we're sending Tarquin to St Cuthbert's because he's so bright, don' you know." What am I supposed to answer to that? "We 'chose' a state school because mine are a bit thick?" MORE STUFF THAT IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD

"The bubble that "independent" parents seem to live in." COCOONED BY WEALTH? WE ALL LIVE IN OUR OWN LITTLE COCOONS YOU KNOW.

"The endlessly manufactured debates about the subject." TO WHICH YOU CONTRIBUTE NON-STOP WHICH IS SLIGHTLY SURPRISING GIVEN THAT YOUR DCS ARE IN THE STATE SECTOR

"The post-credit-crunch fashion for hand-wringing over the "nightmare" of having to send one's children to the state schools one had previously spurned, because one can no longer afford the fees. (Although that can be quite funny in a "welcome to the real world, love" kind of way.)" I DON'T KNOW ANYONE WHO HAS DONE THIS - SO I IMAGINE THIS IS ALL IN YOUR HEAD AS WELL. IT TAKES SOME OBSESSIONAL THINKING TO DEVELOP AN IMAGINARY GRUDGE JUST TO ENJOY SOME IMAGINARY SCHADENFREUDE.

I think this country is far too class conscious.

We should remember that independent schools do a great job in reminding the Government that we have our own views on how to bring up our children, thank you very much, and there is only so far it can be allowed to go in indoctrinating them.

I see independent schools as a kind of resistance movement as much as anything else.

Do you have to shout?

It's not "in my head", as evidenced by the contributions to the debates. Which I don't start.

BoffinMum,

Agree totally.

Plus:

Independent schools are highly successful at educating (e.g high % of uni places from less than 10% pupils).

I think they could be 'Beacons' for what education should be.

They offer a choice for many (yes, who can afford them) who have been 'let down' by the state system.

I think we should have more independent schools (state funded perhaps?).

I've been doing some teaching in a private school and the chn are fab - not at all 'braying' and certainly not spoonfed. I have come across the 'cut above you' mentality in state schools. As with all schools it depends on the Head and the general ethos of the school.