why do people hate private schools?

Original post by fizzers

I'd rather not give the name to fuel this discussion but let's just say it's one of the top private schools in the UK

Top 15? 'Top' is so vague to me. :colondollar:

Unless it's somewhere in the Top 20 schools for A Level/GCSE I wouldn't be that shocked.

Original post by Arithmeticae

LOL, well that's kind of a let down :/

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Bit of a difference between SPS and Westminster and your average private school...

Reply 182

Original post by yl95

Top 15? 'Top' is so vague to me. :colondollar:

Unless it's somewhere in the Top 20 schools for A Level/GCSE I wouldn't be that shocked.

Bit of a difference between SPS and Westminster and your average private school...

Definitely within 20 according to the league table, although I wouldn't really trust that as they don't take IGCSEs or exams with AQA into account... Realistically it's probably top 5 or something lol

Reply 183

forsparta

Original post by strawberrysnow

My friend FROM A STATE SCHOOL got into Cambridge Trinity for Maths without any help just fine. Yes sure perhaps it would have been easier to get in from a private school due to more preparation but you can't blame your school for not getting you in. It's up to your own abilities and it just shows that you're not clever enough. Stop blaming things on everyone else and suck it up.

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Not clever enough? That's a subjective judgement right there. How can we compare the conditions of our state schools?
Was his a grammar school? Did his have better teachers? There are so many variables. And to just simply deny that the type of school you go to impacts your decision letter is just ludicrous.
We are throwing around anecdotes here, my school is in the bottom 40% of schools, we have about 6 people go to RG unis every year, compare this to private schools who are pumping out oxbridge successes of 10-20 at a time, NOBODY in my school got into Cambridge. NOBODY in my school got into Oxford. Does that mean we aren't clever enough? I think you need to analyse the reasons more deeply.

Reply 184

Original post by yl95

He means the Westminster and St Paul's ones, which are the two leading ones in the country... I got into my school, which is Top 10 but didn't get into SPGS (mind you, I had already got the acceptance letter for my school so maybe that had an effect).

Hm I imagine quite hard. There was a total airhead in my halls from St Paul's girls though. I mean seriously slow.

Don't think I know anyone that went to Westminster.

Reply 185

forsparta

Original post by thechemistress

Oh, shut up. I don't have a 'spoon in my mouth', I go to a state school just like you. My parents are dirt poor. Where is this so called 'spoon', *******?
My point is that you cannot blame your school alone for you not getting into Cambridge. Yes, they did hold you back a lot and I apologise for not acknowledging that, but there's no guarantee that going to a private school would have guaranteed you a place in Cambridge. Believe it or not, a lot of private school students don't get in either.

I understand that. I just said my chances would be much better, and given the amount of work and dedication I put into my studies everyday (inside and outside the syllabus) I think I would've been able to get a place. But that's just my judgement, think what you like.

Reply 186

HearMeRoar

Original post by forsparta

It's all dependent on the cohort though. I attend a grammar school, and last year the local comprehensive got 7 students into Oxbridge Universities; my school only got 5 in, and the prestigious private school in the next town only sent a couple. If children are naturally clever they will succeed wherever they are...

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Reply 187

Original post by fizzers

Original post by redferry

Hm I imagine quite hard. There was a total airhead in my halls from St Paul's girls though. I mean seriously slow.

Don't think I know anyone that went to Westminster.

40%+ of the cohort from St Paul's/St Paul's Girls' and Westminster go to Oxbridge every year, so that's hardly a group of airheads, haha.

Oh, I have an 11+ sample Maths paper from SPGS in a folder (my dad tutors kids from primary school to university level). I'll upload it maybe later.

In fact, I have a whole host of 11+ papers here haha including the King's Scholarship for Eton.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 188

forsparta

Original post by HearMeRoar

You are naive to think that. We are also throwing around anecdotes again.

What if somebody is naturally clever but they are from a third world country with little to no education?. It's all about opportunities

My success academically developed later on in my education, does that mean I should suffer? During sixth form is when I really excelled, and I thought Cambridge would recognise this but due to other factors which were pretty much beyond my own control and naivety at the time, I didn't do as well as I hoped at GCSE, but I more than made this up at a-level. At a private school I would've had the correct teachers to smash all my GCSEs and the required motivation to go above and beyond at a-level. My teachers put me in foundation tier for everything, does that mean I'm not naturally clever enough for Cambridge? No it just means that people develop at different times, and its all to do with motivation and support. The motivation was there at the start of sixth form, the support was lacking so much. At a private school I would've likely got the necessary support to maximise my potential.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 189

Original post by yl95

League tables don't take into account some independent schools such as St Paul's as they opt out as well. I'd say the very top ones in no particular order are Westminster, SPS, SPGS, KCS Wimbledon, RGS Guildford, Guildford High School, Magdalen College Schoo and Wycombe Abbey School.

40%+ of the cohort from St Paul's/St Paul's Girls' and Westminster go to Oxbridge every year, so that's hardly a group of airheads, haha.

Oh, I have an 11+ sample Maths paper from SPGS in a folder (my dad tutors kids from primary school to university level). I'll upload it maybe later.

In fact, I have a whole host of 11+ papers here haha including the King's Scholarship for Eton.

I'd like to add Sevenoaks, Cheltenham Ladies' College and Winchester College to the list but yeah.

Reply 190

Original post by fizzers

I'd like to add Sevenoaks, Cheltenham Ladies' College and Winchester College to the list but yeah.

They're not quite as high performing as those - if I were to add those, I'd have to add schools like LEH as well.

Reply 191

Original post by strawberrysnow

My boyfriend went to a state school in Barnsley. Now Barnsley is third worst of all the authorities in the UK for education. He got the best GCSEs and A levels in the region.

He didn't get into Cambridge. He didn't get into Cambridge because he had no help with interview preparation whatsoever, and because his school hadn't covered all the areas of maths he was asked about. He had a shaved head and a broad Yorkshire accent and that also probably didn't help in his favour either I imagine.

To say he wasn't clever enough is just ridiculous. He finished his degree at Bristol with over 80%. It's the same story with 4/5 of the best mathematicians from my year at Bristol. They are from crappy state schools in the north of the country.

Reply 192

Original post by fizzers

I'd like to add Sevenoaks, Cheltenham Ladies' College and Winchester College to the list but yeah.

The second worst person I have ever met went to Winchester girls, don't remind me *shudder*

Reply 193

Original post by yl95

They're not quite as high performing as those - if I were to add those, I'd have to add schools like LEH as well.

Sevenoaks and CLC both have some of the best IB results and Win Coll does Cambridge Pre-U which makes it difficult to compare to other schools- they are all very high preforming as well.

Reply 194

Original post by redferry

The second worst person I have ever met went to Winchester girls, don't remind me *shudder*

St. Swithun's? Ugh *shudder*

Reply 195

Original post by fizzers

Sevenoaks and CLC both have some of the best IB results and Win Coll does Cambridge Pre-U which makes it difficult to compare to other schools- they are all very high preforming as well.

Oh yeah, I don't question that they're high performing. Mind you, looked at their GCSE results and saw that they were behind the others by 10%+ but yeah, A Levels/IB/Pre-U are all more important. I have respect to anyone doing IB.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 196

Original post by yl95

One of the biggest airheads in are school (A2 biology: do cells multiply or just grow bigger???) Got into Oxford biology so that means nothing :wink:

(In all seriousNess I'm siure very few are airheads but they clearly don't weed them all out :tongue:

)

Ah 11+. Back when I did it it was basically an IQ test.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 197

ChaoticButterfly

I could get involved in this... but it's far easier to just +1 what redferry says.

Go redferry! :rave:

Reply 198

Original post by ChaoticButterfly

I could get involved in this... but it's far easier to just +1 what redferry says.

Go redferry! :rave:

seriously though **** private schools. Having my btlrother at one showed me once and for all what a bunch of toss they are.

Reply 199