Seriously, what is everyone's problem with private schools?

To some extent they discourage meritocracy and encourage plutocracy.
You can't seriously support a purely capitalist society, there should be some humanistic principles, and universal education is recognized as a human right.

[(Originally Posted by Cinqueta)
Wealth dictates everything in every country. Life isn't fair, deal with it.]

That is the reality, but it's also a retarded philosophy.
Life hasn't been fair for a lot of people throughout history; Jews, Women, Homosexuals...are you suggesting they should have just accepted the status quo? They fought and changed things. That's progress and that's life.

You think private schools are free of behavioural problems? They're not.

As for a more general point in response to you and other replies in this thread

Private schools, IMO, are unfair because schooling is really one of the only chances you get in life to make something of your life.

Personally I believe it is unfair that money can buy you a better standard of education. Education shouldn't be about money. Education should be about talent and potential to do something.

I go to private school and I often face this predjudice. But what really annoys me is that in the media it isn't ok to call people chavs or poor or working class but it is ok to call people snobs and rich. If anyone ever said 'don't vote for Ed Miliband because he went to a state school' there would be an outrage. But frequently, David Cameron is smeared because he went to a private school. Where is the justice in that? Yes my parents can afford to give me a good education and they choose to send me to private school because they didn't believe state education was good enough. They had a choice and they went for the better option at the time. This doesn't mean I'm posh or snobby, it just means I'm incredibly lucky to have the opportunity. I'm grateful that my parents felt that my education was important enough.
Furthermore, I'm now facing predjudice because of this opportunity. Now, it is said, that if a university can't choose between 2 students and one went to state school and one went to private school, then they would go for the state school educated one because 'they have had more of a struggle so show more determination'. What is this? How can you judge someone on what type of school they went to? What if their state school was one of the best in the country and had beaten the priavte school in league tables? Suddenly, going to private school is a bad thing and it shouldn't be.

I know this post was a while ago, but I find the part highlighted slightly offensive. My parents sent me to a local state school, despite valuing my education greatly. Why? Were they not wealthy enough to send me through the private system? No. They are morally opposed to an education system that is based upon wealth rather than ability.

You most definitely can judge someone's achievements in accordance with their school. Taking the example of someone who achieved A*AA from an average private school, and someone who achieved the same grades from an average state school, it is clear that the person who went through the state system has had to work so much harder to attain their grades, and against all odds has managed to achieve fantastic grades.

But of course universities know that certain state schools are particularly high performing or whatever. My school, for example, is in quite a middle class area, and I feel extremely privileged to have been taught in such a stimulating environment by such inspiring teachers. In fact, I do feel less worthy of the university offers I have received, because I have had a much more privileged education than many who attend more 'typical' state schools, purely because I live in a middle class area. This is why I don't understand how people who attend private schools don't feel slightly guilty about the unfair advantage they've had? I don't blame the students though, just the parents.

I certainly don't feel jealous of people that have gone to private school, in fact I feel sorry for people at private schools because they must feel a lot of pressure academically given the amount of money that has been invested in them.

I don't really have a problem with private schools.

I find it funny when people leave private schools with the same grades as those who have been through comprehensives, though.

personally i'd probably send my children to private school if i had the money. I go to a very low performing state school and i've been very successful with my grades, but i don't see why people that want the best for their children are demonised. In my eyes, if you go out and work hard for the money you earn, what right does anyone else have to comment on what you spend it on? there are worse things to blow your cash on than investing in your child's education.

personally i'd probably send my children to private school if i had the money. I go to a very low performing state school and i've been very successful with my grades, but i don't see why people that want the best for their children are demonised. In my eyes, if you go out and work hard for the money you earn, what right does anyone else have to comment on what you spend it on? there are worse things to blow your cash on than investing in your child's education.

Well personally, I always went to a state school, but I don't think people who have been to private school should be feel in any respect guilty because if parents are going to insist on hoarding some wealth to themselves, one of the most worthy things they can invest their money in is their children's education. (I do however object to the way rich people invest money into unworthy exploits, but that's a tale for another day) If the option of private schooling exists, then it is a good use of the money they do have to exploit that.

However, the fact of the matter is that, in a just society, EVERYBODY should be entitled to excellent education, regardless of what financial and social milieu they were born into - in just the same way that EVERYBODY should be entitled to excellent healthcare - not just those whose pockets are lined!

The people who I believe should be feeling guilty, are those who have landed our education system in the mess it is today... What we need to achieve is a society where all people from all sectors of society are entitled to equal, and excellent, standards for the necessities of life.

What bothers me is that everybody has troubles in life, but that the poorer more socially deprived areas lack the opportunity to then work their way out of those troubles. The richer, however, seem to somehow which the richer gratitously possess this opportunity from birth-right. The bottom ranking of society are the trapped in their own social sphere, from which it is close to impossible to work their way out.

What is more, in providing private-standard education to the poorer and less socially priveledged, who would have otherwise been more likely to resort to for example, crime, the whole of society benefits. Better educated and better supported people young people results in a better sense of well being, less of a need to resort to desperate measures, as well as greater and fairer employability.

Bottom line: Being born into a certain home shouldn't prejudice you one way or the other.

This makes me really sad though that having been through the state system you have lost faith in it And I totally get what you're saying and I used to think that we shouldn't abolish private schools because every parent should have the right to choose where they send their child. But I have become more cynical since then, as it's not a choice for everyone; of course every parent wants the best education possible for their child but not every parent can afford that.

I think the reason I would criticize parents who send their kids to private school is the way in which they sometimes take the politics out of it. 'I'm just doing what's best for my child'. Yes, you are, and that would be completely fine, if it didn't have a wider impact on society that makes it a slightly selfish act. It means that bright people from less privileged backgrounds have much less of a chance at succeeding, because they will be overtaken by a private-school counterpart. This is the case historically, I know things are changing now. So yes it's more the fact that the wider social and political, and even economic impacts are neglected sometimes when a parent sends their child to private school.

I know that private schools generally don't put up with pupils who are causing disruption for fear that parents will withdraw their children.

May I ask, why do private schools provide a better standard of education?


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a student that attended state school apparently has an advantage over a student from private school if they have the same grades, so their private school counter part will not necessarily overtake them. I know that they will have an advantage at the start, but thats life i suppose, there's always going to be people that have a better start than others. The reality is that people don't care about the bigger picture, they're only looking after their own interests.

i do agree with you that in a perfect world abolishing private schools would probably improve universal state education but i doubt thats going to happen, at the end of the day it's their money, you can't control everything that people do. :/

what about people that pay for private tuition after school or pay for extra textbooks etc? do you believe that shouldn't be allowed either? (not having a go at you i'm just curious )

You think private schools are free of behavioural problems? They're not.

As for a more general point in response to you and other replies in this thread

Private schools, IMO, are unfair because schooling is really one of the only chances you get in life to make something of your life.

Personally I believe it is unfair that money can buy you a better standard of education. Education shouldn't be about money. Education should be about talent and potential to do something.