Private Schools vs State Schools

I think it's more of the attitudes towards education and learning; it is more likely for a privately educated individual to take learning more seriously than one at a comprehensive- for the obvious reasons.

I see you. But in your opinion, do you think it would be easier for somebody who wanted to achieve top grades and had the motivation to do so to attend a private school, or a state-school?

Nah I think if you want to achieve top grades it's easier at a private school. Last year when I did GCSEs I had total hell because of reshuffling at my failing school so the courses for several subjects went unfinished, and I was wishing that my dad sent me to board in Africa. As well as my school having to cheat on coursework because of insufficient teaching. Plus the emphasis was on kids who were on the C/D borderline for the league tables and everybody who could achieve a B or above was ignored, as well as booting 20 kids in my year from triple science so that results would look better.

I think it is a case of you get what you pay for, and if you pay for nothing the standards can fall further with less consequences.

But that takes nothing away from people who work hard at private schools as it still takes a lot of drive to achieve well, plus I hardly provided any evidence since it was just anecdotal.

However I also know that our local state schools are mostly filled with peoplw who dont want to learn as a result, e.g (for the fear of offending anyone Im sorry) I know someone who got 4Bs, 4Cs and 1A and was their highest achiever for that year. Whereas at my school you wouldnt even make the sixth form requirements and youre basically considered failing if you dont get A/A*.

In short I think it depends on whats available in your area which depends on the quality of the schools. Also I think going to a single sex school can be really useful- studies have shown boys learn differently to girls, in a single sex class there are less 'distractions' and people dont try to show off and theres generally quite an intense environment. Just my opinion though, sorry if it offended anyone

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See there's so much wrong with statements like this. I was never an A/A* student but I've had a well paid job drilling for oil and stuff for 19 years. I was actually told I was too stupid to do science at A level because the school didn't want to risk damaging its exam results - and I didn't get bad GCSEs. I didn't even get bad A levels going to 6th form college on my own. They weren't great but they were good enough to get me into a University. The system works for its own benefit not for anyone else's. Qualifications are just a set of keys that open some doors but really to succeed in life you only need to get a few doors open and keep pushing. No one's asked me what GCSE or A level results I got for years. They don't even ask what level of degree I got. In the workplace in the private sector you sell your skills ... but schools perpetuate this myth that if you don't get 11 A*s you're on the employment scrapheap. It just isn't so. Instead of education being about preparing everybody for the work force it's about ... how many of the few can pass the most difficult exams? Great ... but what about the rest of society?

Tbh, most of the time, parents send their kids to private school for the pastoral side of life as much as league tables. Small classes and teachers that actually know and care about you generally helps to create a more well rounded pupil. And private schools are often able to offer more extra curricular activities and qualifications than state schools.

I'm at a private all girls school and although my life is somewhat sheltered at the moment, I'm aware of that and I still know how to talk to guys and how the real world works. I would totally send my kids to the school I'm at now because it allows you to grow up without fears of conforming to stereotypes and lets you 'be who you want to be' (in the least cheesy way possible)

I have to laugh at the number of children on here who write like they are adults or at least 45 at 15. I sometimes cynically wonder if they're all children.

"more ... qualifications than state schools"

One of the most divisive things ever invented in the state sector was Double Award Science where biology, chemistry and physics instead of being separate subjects were rolled into "one course resulting in two GCSEs" etc and the various insane variants of this meaning that state school pupils are or were unable to specialise in biology, chemistry or physics at an early age and get a deep understanding of them if they wanted to study them at a higher level. Of course what should have happened is the state should have provided enough physics, chemistry and biology teachers to go round but the economic doing-it-on-the-cheap solution is to fudge the subjects together and claim that it's good for people who aren't that interested in science. No one would fudge French and German together and claim that's good for people who aren't that interested in speaking foreign.

However, the reality remains that for a long time in the 1980s state schools were priced out of being able to afford decent science teachers by the private sector creaming off the best with offers of more money and the state sector not putting the cash in.

I wouldn't kill yourself with guilt about going to a private school though. No one choses their parents who actually make the choice. And if you do feel guilty you can also run the "paying twice" arguement on yourself. The reality is that no one can outlaw private education. If you outlawed private schools the rich would just put their money into extra private tuition creating a black market that would be impossible to police. Why they get charity tax breaks though is completely beyond me. Education is just an industry and should be treated like any other industry.