Prince George at Eton

[squashyhat]

Can anyone explain why Prince George is boarding at Eton when the family home is just minutes away across the river?

“What does that prove or disprove? People are allowed to give examples that aren’t evidenced. It’s just an example.“

It is a poor example @Backedoffhackedoff - because most of the negative posters are anti royalist and pro Labour propagandists. It is blatantly not true that the current Labour Home Secretary would be running to give a talk at Eton (although now George is there, who actually knows).

The thing is - the child in question - is just a child. And anyone with proper critical thinking will painstakingly differentiate between an institution (be that the Royal Family or Eton College) and a child. Especially if you are actually applying social and moral values.

I think it's vital for educationalists to take a pragmatic approach: continually looking, learning and adapting when they see what works. And don't let ideology rule in the face of common sense.

I'm a bit of a pragmatist as opposed to a 'principled' person myself. I've seen the damage ideology can do and I've heard so many people reject good, practical ideas 'on principle'. It's really depressed me over the years.

One example

A big comp I worked in had a massive litter problem. They employed 2 whole people to pick up the kids' litter. Consequence was the kids didn't take responsibilty themselves and once when I asked a boy why he had thrown down his litter when there was a bin very close, he said, quite politiely 'Well, it's her job to pick it up!' (pointing to the litter lady). Now in my experience in other contexts, kids LOVE using those litter picker things and I suggested a voluntary rota of litter picking for the kids. I was told no - we don't ask students to do menial jobs.

(On the Independent/state question and also on the 'Broken Window Syndrome', it was interesting that the comp employed 2 litter pickers and the independent school employed a full-time gardener. Litter at the posh school was vanishingly rare.)

Well yes, alumni from any school globally do tend to have a higher reply rate. Shocker.

@Mistachio "Why bother having children?"

Because the Windsors have got to breed to keep the gravy train going.

Is that not universal?

The approach of the Michaela School?
Birbalsingh has a monthly YouTube now. I have started watching.
Whilst the press have coined her the “strictest” headteacher and all sorts of men in suits from Bigwig Academies are trying to replicate her approach, it is not scaleable. The woman lives and breathes passion for those kids primarily, the discipline markers are there to give their school an ethos and identity so they matter. But none of it works without passion and care. Something the Suits entirely missed.

I wouldn't have thought the majority of people were on a gravy train, especially one affording the obscene wealth of privilege of that family. Perhaps you should look up the definition of "gravy train".

I have seen people use it to disparage people on benefits. In US it is used to describe people on welfare.

I would personally never suggest anyone had children for financial benefit.

@ginasevern Farmers - absolutely have children for the benefit of extra hands.

Yes, they definitely do. Although I'm not sure I'd call farming a gravy train!

You’re being naive. Eton and other top public schools do run these talks on a very regular basis- I’ve attended several (held every Friday morning) including the wine

@Backedoffhackedoff Why on earth do you go to talks at public schools when you disapprove of these institutions?
Unless it’s a case of know your enemy.

I wondered that also!

Although can see the point about a wine talk.

No. My kids will not support me.

Whose children do?

The royal family as an institution ceases to exist without children.

Re Labour MPs talking at Eton, while my ds was there Mark Fischer of the British Communist party spoke there. He thought, as do many on mn, that all Etonians were thick poshos, and apparently was surprised at the boys’ questions at the end.
That particular talk was very well attended.

So Charles supported his parents? William is financially supporting Charles? I don’t think so!

I am sorry, this makes no sense to me.

I’m actually helping to buy my mum a house right now. Is that what you mean?

I remember an Olympian who went to a public school being shocked when an athlete from a straight school said no Olympian or elite athlete had ever visited her school. Olympian said they were a fairly regular feature at her school.

top fee paying schools attract people to give talks that stat3 schools don't.

Of course he didn't think that. Like all sectors of society there are some intelligent and some less intelligent. But I don't believe for a minute he said that unless it was a joke.

I went when I was at school

It’s kind of obvious that generous people of all types will respond to an invitation to their own school to speak.

My school didn’t put out any olympians during my time and so we didn’t invite any.

Mort people are going to send their children to the best school they can manage. I don’t begrudge anyone that.

We had Olympians who came to my old school - as well as world champions.

They remembered their roots.

They didn’t wait for invites. They asked to visit because they remembered their roots and the younger people in their sports and wanted to see how they were doing.

„Re Labour MPs talking at Eton, while my ds was there Mark Fischer of the British Communist party spoke there. He thought, as do many on mn, that all Etonians were thick poshos, and apparently was surprised at the boys’ questions at the end.
That particular talk was very well attended“

@38thparallel - Mark Fisher is alumni himself so was that self deprecating Eton humour or what?