Discrimination against public schools

My main point is, though, that until education is awarded on a merit basis, there is inequity. If people are able to pay their way to the same resources as the clever resources, at the expense of the marginally less clever kids, then it's not awarded on a merit basis.

i am getting quite concerned about the amount of hatred towards public schools on this forum (i know not everybody but there seem quite a few). i do not have a problem at all with public schools. the only difference, generally, is better facilities in private schools(funded by the parents who pay). there are many public schools which are not as strong academically as state schools. so, i dont really know why, other than a hint of jealousy that people are so against the 'public school thing'.

Also, public schools are, by no means, for people with rich parents, everybody has the chance to go to a public school with bursaries and scholarships if they are clever enough.

so....what is at all wrong with public schools (admittedly, some public schools produce rather stuck up students but generally are just the same as most other schools)?

i rest my case

thats one of the fundametal flaws of the british education system....private schools arent always academically better than state schools...therefore you do not particularly have to pay for a better education, although i do think you are correct in saying that its wrong that you have to pay for smaller class sizes....the more i think of it, the more i think that there should not be such differences in advantages...therefore i think that the fees for public schools should be dramatically lowered so that a lot more people can benefit from their facilities.

Agree with me?

private schools arent always academically better than state schools...therefore you do not particularly have to pay for a better education,

therefore i think that the fees for public schools should be dramatically lowered so that a lot more people can benefit from their facilities.

Agree with me?

But if fees were lowered, the schools wouldn't make so much money (regardless of how many more students they got - more students = having to hire more teachers + having to build more facilities = more expenditure)
It would be nice if that standard of education were available to everyone, but to do it that way is not economically viable.

So why do people still pay to send their children to private schools which are academically poorer than state schools??? Social kudos??? Hmmm, seems like this could breed snobbery to me.

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have a quick surf of www.winchestercollege.org

Whilst Winchester is academically the best school in England, it also has excellent facilities. For most parents it's nothing to do with social kudos and snobbery (although there are bound to be exceptions). They wish for their children the best education and the best facilties. There are many other private/public schools less academic than Winchester but with equally good facilities. Sure, some state schools are academically better - but in terms of facilities they cannot compare. I would've thought all this was obvious.

Thats the kind of annoying comment thats just rubbing people up the wrong way. Its like saying 'look, my trainers are soooo much better than yours. dont you agree? kiss my feet. oh yeah, sorry, you cant afford them' or 'your not good enough to have these, but still tell me how great they are'.

YES, private schools ahve better facilities. Because peoples parents have enough money to pay! cricky, stop going on about it. those of us who dont have enough money, make the most of what weve got, which can only be fairly good apparently by your standards.

So why not compromise and have a midway standard of education for all?

Why are people against public schools?

If you are then think about it before you answer rather than just responding stock answers about equality. The issue comes up all the time on this board and yet the only argument against public schools that makes vague sense is the supposed brain drain of good teachers. However this pales in comparison to the economic impossibility of a flood of public school students going into the state school system - not one person bemoaning the lack of fairness has come up with a counter to this. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but there is a tendancy for people accusing any person/system od being unequal/unfair to ignore the realities of the situation in favour of socialist rhetoric.

To Helenia: surely a midstandard of education would be provided for all by taking the resources of the rich few and distributing them amongst everybody.

Obviously you realise private schools have great facilities, but I don't think Hildabeast did (why else would she make that comment earlier? perhaps just an oversight)