Shouldnt equal education be available to everyone?

[angell84]

I have just returned to the U.K. after a very long period abroad, and I am shocked at the school system in the U.K. I lived in another country where equal education was available to everyone.

Why do we have comprehensive, and independant and fee paying schools in the U.K? Why is better education given to those with money who can afford it? Shouldn't equal education be available to everyone?
The discrimination in education - is shocking in the U.K.

@juansheetisplenty You shouldn't have more choice because you have money! And schools in England, as they currently stand, affects the whole life of that person.

They say "only in England do they write about a politician, and mention in the article what school they went to".

The school snobbery hurts people in England for their entire lives.

A basic human right is - equal education for all.

Actually it isn’t. A basic human right is an education for all. There is nothing saying the education has to be identical to everyone else’s.

@Lalala205 I hate to break it to you but "top sets" are not in every country either.

In the E.U. Country that I was in, there were no top sets.
Children were simply placed by their age in classes, they were not places by intellectual ability.

You shouldn't have more choice because you have money!

It’s the only reason I go to work. Otherwise we’d all just accept a basic state salary and live in identical houses, wear identical clothes, and drive identical cars. Sounds a bit like Gilead.

@juansheetisplenty you do know that most other countries do not have as many private schools as the U.K?

That, we are quite unusual.

Thank you @Wearywithteens

So what would you do about people who choose to pay for extra tuition? According to your argument, any form of extra which must be paid for means it's not equal, so do you also believe all private tutoring should be banned along with private schools? It's the very same principle.
Every child has an equal education available to them (except for those with SEN but that's a separate argument), however some parents choose not to take what is on offer and instead pay for extra. Isn't it the very same with health and dental care though? We all have the same care available, but some can afford to pay privately and will therefore receive different care, which is often (though not always) of a higher standard.

Which country have you moved from?

you do know that most other countries do not have as many private schools as the U.K?

I’m not sure how this is relevant to your question.

“Shouldnt equal education be available to everyone?”

Which people have answered- it is.

(I note you haven’t thanked anyone who has been kind enough with their time to answer your question. Just the one poster who has agreed with your complaint.)

you seem to just be saying “wahhh- me no like it here”

So the country you came from OP- they banned home schooling, private tutoring, online study?

@Summerisdone okay lets take it that you agree with the Education system as it is. And lets look at it in comparison to the health care system.

At a young age, a child will feel "different" and "leas than", for going to a school not as good as some one else.

At a young age, a child does not know if another child is using the NHS, or if their parents have health insurance.

But the child, very pointedly knows, that he has been segregated into a "poor school" because he cannot afford a better schools.

What effect does this have on the child's self esteem and well being?

And how does that work out for them? Different classes based on ability are there to ensure the top and bottom abilities don't suffer as a result. The majority of children in education are 'middle of the road', they'll generally coast along regardless. But the middle road means those that are above/below that threshold miss out. Children who struggle with schoolwork are predominately penalised because they then 'act out', and are removed from classes and labelled 'naughty'. They're generally very far from that, they just can't cope with the work set so become bored or frustrated, and embarrassed in front of their peers. To me that's not a fairer system.

I think your views have been coloured by the limited circle you move in. In my county there are no state grammar schools, and only a small handful of private schools. Most children go to a state comprehensive, some of which are very good.

DD went to a state comprehensive, achieved excellent GCSE results and AAA at A level. I doubt that she would have done any better in private education.

You will find that some private schools are better than others, some state schools are better than others and some state schools are better than some private schools. Schools aren't all equal anywhere.

And no-one talks about what school they went to.

The right to education IS provided to all. As is the right to choose how you spend your money

@mumto2two the right to EQUAL education is not available to all.

Parents do have the option of working hard and making the money to pay for a private education?

But the child, very pointedly knows, that he has been segregated into a "poor school"

Except we don’t either think of or refer to them as “poor schools” I’m not sure the snobbery is coming from the people you accredit it to.

the right to EQUAL education is not available to all.

Because it’s not a right that exists.

@Nofilter not all people have the option! What about a family where the father walks out, and doesn't pay maintenence.

How can that family possibly afford private education.

I think that private schools should be totally abolished, and that children also should not take exams to get into different secondary schools.

The entire system should be equalised.

Er, no, because we don’t live in a fucking communist country. You may not know this, but the far left just got crushed in a landslide, so it’s simply not going to happen.

^II. Compulsory Education in England and Wales
In addition to the right to education being provided for by the Human Rights Act, the Education Act 1996 places a legal duty on the parent or guardian of a child aged five to sixteen years (known as compulsory school age), to ensure that the child attends and receives full-time education, either in a traditional school or by any other means that is appropriate for their age, ability, and aptitude, taking into account any special needs they may have.^

www.loc.gov/law/help/constitutional-right-to-an-education/englandandwales.php

@cendrillonsings It sometimes astounds me that people think that the U.K. System is normal, when it is one of the most elitist systems in the world.

That is the benefit of living abroad and coming back, it helped me see how absolutely awful it is.

I don't believe that a private education is a better education, TBH. What it does offer are smaller class sizes and higher expectations of pupils' aspirations. It also offers the chance to mix with children of a certain income bracket.

The teaching staff in private schools are no better quality than their counterparts in state education and in my experience are often not as dedicated or determined.

What about a family where the father walks out, and doesn't pay maintenance

How can that family possibly afford private education.

Ah! I’m glad you asked. This is my exact situation. How I manage it is I work very hard and forego any sort of social life, hobbies, luxuries or vices for myself to pay for private tuition, private music tuition, extra swimming lessons (above what the school provides), sports coaching and also some hobbies.