Why is it fair for people with money to get a better education than me?

and why would that be exactly? I never said that.

I just don't think everything can be learnt by reading books. If so why bother with school at all? And why on earth did you become a teacher?

your easy to annoy

Anyways, I became a teacher because i'm good at maths (and other subjects), i'm great with kids in general, I want to help people and I want to be paid a pretty decent wage for it

You clearly didn't read my post......

Despite barely attending lessons due to illness at A-level, I did fine.... people need to stop blaming teachers and take some responsibility. It isn't always someone elses fault. GCSEs are a doodle and anyone can do well in them if they revise using CGP books. When I got rejected from Oxford and indeed other institutions, it wasn't because of racism or because of my teachers or some other bull**** excuse, it was because of my mistakes and I clearly wasn't good enough at that time. The problem we have is a society where no one takes responsibility for their own actions.

The title is more of a crowd drawer than my actual opinion, I'm still undecided on the 'private school issue' but I'm prepared to swing either way so convince me otherwise TSR.

I was just speaking to a girl who told me she wants to do Law in KCL, and she told me her brother got 12 A*s and she got 8 A*s. Me and my brothers went to state schools and I never got a single A*, one had mostly Cs and one had mostly Ds. So I've done much better than my brothers.

At first I thought wow for both to get such good grades they must have really good parents. But then I decided to ask "Do you go to a private school or state school?" She answered "Private school."

For both to have done so well having gone to a private school, I'm assuming this a common thing? Where as my school is a band 1 state school (Top band) and the highest achieved grade was 11 A* and 1 A, the second was 7A* and it went down from there out of 200 people. My GCSEs were considered well above average for my school. I can't however apply to the top Universities because my GCSEs aren't as good compared to, say, people on TSR and I am a hard worker.

So why is it that people who go to private schools get better grades? Why is their standard of education so high and why can't teachers in state schools copy it?

I'm just wondering, so discuss.

Oh, and I don't think there are welsh private schools are there?


Before anyone tries telling me their own opinion here are some facts taken from the BBC.

8% of Children go to private schools, 92% go to state schools.
50% of Oxbridge undergrads are from private schools.
More than half of all students in Private schools come out with A or A* GCSE grades.
38% of all children getting three As or better at A-level are from Private schools.

Completely agree with a lot of what you just said. I've never been to a private school, so I can't comment on personal experience, but I took the 11+ entrance exams in year 6 and went to a Grammar school in central Birmingham.

I would say that the atmosphere in these schools is what makes them successful - the children that pass an entrance exam feel like they deserve to be in school, that they have earned their education, and therefore work that little bit harder to prove themselves. In my school there was a lot of academic competitiveness and Bs were seen as a disappointment (even though we knew they weren't).

I actually acted out against this for a while in years 10 and 11 - I stopped doing homework and started going out a lot more, enjoying the chase when the teachers would track me down and ask why I'd not done the work. Looking back I think this speaks volumes of my school - that the teachers had the time and motivation to care about each individual student meant that no one got left behind. And when it came down to it, I sat in my room and taught myself a lot of the material I'd intentionally missed. I ended up with 6A*s, 5As, 1B and know I could have done better. But sometimes such a high pressure environment can be just as a distracting as a "poorly functioning" state school. At the end of the day I think it's up to individual motivation and home environment. If you want to do well and work hard, you will get good results. The problem I see at the moment is that students don't see the point in doing well, and if their parents, brothers, sisters and extended family didn't go on to further education then they might well follow their example. It's not that students in private schools are more intelligent (though given the extensive entrance screening there is certainly a case for that) or that state school students are all doomed to fail. It's more a case that private schools can offer a better living to teachers and therefore attract more qualified or more enthusiastic staff, and this motiviation is passed along to the students. Students who are already motivated to prove that they deserve the money being spent on their education.

And before anyone attacks me for generalisation and not knowing what I'm talking about, I've actually got a lot of experience working with underpriveleged kids. I've been working in a state school in Nottingham for the past couple of years, particularly working on literacy, because students' parents and teachers never take the time to make sure they can read. Sadly I've worked with year 9 students who cannot even read 2 pages of Harry Potter in 90minutes. This is all because of home environment, attitude and a general apathy that we're suffering with at the moment - teachers and students alike. As a teacher (in training) and given a choice of career, I'm not ashamed to admit that, while I might want to make a difference, I'd happily accept a job in a private or grammar school if I could get one, simply because the learning environment there is so much more positive.

I went to a state school, not even a particularly good one but I came out with 12 GCSEs A*-B and 3 A levels A*-B so I can hardly complain, im now studying at a top 3 uni where most people come from private and fee paying schools. Just goes to show that no matter what school you go to and what kind of teachers you have, you can still do well if you want to.

Which is the exact reason it is inherently fair. If my parents could of afforded to pay the extravagant amounts demanded by private schools to guarantee me such an "extra avantage", I'm sure they would of. But the point being, they couldn't do that for me, so I have to make do without this advantage. One does not choose what social class they are born into, but that social class pretty much decides how well or how badly they will do in education, which in turn will determine what career they get which will in turn decide how well their children do educationally. It's an endless cycle.

It is easier said than done. I think what you have done is exceptional and commendable but it is not always that easy. A whole host of other factors can also be a great hindrance. Fot example, the home environment can also be a major factor. If you have parents who regard education as important and push for you to do well, you generally will work harder. Peer pressure can also greatly affect a student and also the catchment area of the school is also another great factor.

That argument is pathetic. You could use that same argument to a person born into slavery. Life isn't fair, they should accept it? I'll agree life isn't fair, but it doesn't mean that we should not try and alter the status quo!

People DO work their way out, but not everyone. A large majority of people stay trapped within the cycle.

So why is it that people who go to private schools get better grades? Why is their standard of education so high and why can't teachers in state schools copy it?


Before anyone tries telling me their own opinion here are some facts taken from the BBC.

8% of Children go to private schools, 92% go to state schools.
50% of Oxbridge undergrads are from private schools.
More than half of all students in Private schools come out with A or A* GCSE grades.
38% of all children getting three As or better at A-level are from Private schools.

You can't blame state schools for preventing you from getting A*'s compared to private schools. You will always be given the chance to learn the education that will get you an A*. The only thing, that i presume is restricting you is that in State Schools, you will end up getting the "immature" students, as compared to Private Schools where you will most likely have none. Therefore, in State Schools, these "immature" students can have a big affect on you, because they will disrupt lessons preventing your learning. This wouldn't happen as much in a Private School.

Secondly, why do you think these student get A*'s? Do you just think they are spoon fed information and that the teachers get the grades for them?

Stop trying to live a dream where you will just get handed qualifications of the best grade, if you want to do A levels, then you better learn fast. Meaning, you better learn that independent learning is key! From what i have heard, children in Private Schools will do several hours of studying a night. YOU have to take responsibility. You will find that those who do achieve high grades in a State School, may not always be the most intelligent, but they will be determined to;
-) Concentrate in class
-) Learn the information given to them
-) Study Independently

Ultimately, stop trying to blame State Schools for a problem that is much your own, as in either case it is possible to achieve A*'s. If you want them that much, and if they are that important to you, then you should have done better to learn the work you were given and to learn the information required. Don't assume that Private School children gain a better opportunity either, the opportunity is there for everybody.

In terms of "Is it fair that some people get a better education than you?", I think education is made by how hard you work and what you get out of it. It isn't a case of private vs. state school, but the massive bridge between different schools across the country. Yes, I went to private school, but I also live near one of the best comprehensives in the country. I am sure the level of education there is hugely better than some schools where 5 GCSEs is the primary target.

You as a student can't really make a massive change to the school you attend, but you can try and achieve the best possible result you can. If you truly did achieve significantly above average, even if that is say mainly Bs, then when you apply to universities, you get your referee to tell them that. You hear stories all the time of people struggling through education because of being in a poor school and then working really hard and getting to a good university where everyone is on an even playing field.