Education

[Armel]

No private schools here. Just catholic or state; no real difference. The first being perhaps a bit stricter and some of them make you wear uniforms (I hate uniforms). Primary was between 12-14 pupils. Secondary; first two years +-17 pupils. Last four years; it alternated between 2 and 5 (for some courses they did merge classes). Was relatively enjoyable, unless you wanted to doze off.

 

[Wizard]

I went to private school and I did have a great time there to be honest. It was in central London so while most were from comfortable families, it was still very diverse in terms of backgrounds. Saying that it was boys only until sixth form which is such a stupid, antiquated thing. Can’t believe it still exists to be honest. We had to work hard (having school every Saturday morning was horrible) but you sort of get into the rhythm of that quite quickly and just get on with it.

What I will say is though, it didn’t set me up well for university. It did, in that I got into a good one. But I was not prepared for the level of freedom and not really working to a structure. A lot of my friends from school had similar experiences.

I think if I ever have kids then my preference would be to send them to a state school (unless I’m living in a place where there aren’t any good ones). While I enjoyed my experience I don’t think it’s the best way for things to be.

 

[Frang]

I went to private school and I did have a great time there to be honest. It was in central London so while most were from comfortable families, it was still very diverse in terms of backgrounds. Saying that it was boys only until sixth form which is such a stupid, antiquated thing. Can’t believe it still exists to be honest. We had to work hard (having school every Saturday morning was horrible) but you sort of get into the rhythm of that quite quickly and just get on with it.

What I will say is though, it didn’t set me up well for university. It did, in that I got into a good one. But I was not prepared for the level of freedom and not really working to a structure. A lot of my friends from school had similar experiences.

I think if I ever have kids then my preference would be to send them to a state school (unless I’m living in a place where there aren’t any good ones). While I enjoyed my experience I don’t think it’s the best way for things to be.

What do you now do for a living mate?

 

[Wizard]

What do you now do for a living mate?

I'm doing some small scale property development with a friend at the moment.

 

[Bungle]

No private schools here. Just catholic or state; no real difference. The first being perhaps a bit stricter and some of them make you wear uniforms (I hate uniforms). Primary was between 12-14 pupils. Secondary; first two years +-17 pupils. Last four years; it alternated between 2 and 5 (for some courses they did merge classes). Was relatively enjoyable, unless you wanted to doze off.

Always a bit weird when them Catholic ones insist on you dressing as an altar boy and you basically did 6 practical sex education classes per day.

 

[Frang]

Always a bit weird when them Catholic ones insist on you dressing as an altar boy and you basically did 6 practical sex education classes per day.

yes I heard they were very anal about school ...

 

[zzr45]

Went to a state school that had all the problems that people get mad excited about today - large class sizes, poor teaching, the occasional gang war between the three towns that contributed to its population. I was suspended most of my GCSE years and was probably a pioneer in the ‘isolation’ rooms.

From there went to a sixth form college which treated us far better, got the grades to go to uni, did that, did a masters, got a PhD. Left academia when it was clear my face didn’t fit.

I’d change a lot, apparently after one kick off my parents were thinking of sending me to private school (which probably would have done me far better at the time.) would of settled without my PhD which in all reality is just a bit of a white elephant.

 

[Tree13]

Private schools will love you Tree13 - got you hook line and sinker, extrapolating difficulties with your own education into some bogus analysis of the state sector. State school students outperform public school students at university - always have, always will. And you think you're doing your kids a favour sending them to private school?

Having been through the postgrad system (twice), I'd raise two things with your remarks:

1) implying my education was somehow "difficult" is to deliberately misunderstand my comments. Good try, but no.

2) It is not true to say "State school students outperform public school students at university - always have, always will." - My own firsthand experience at postgrad level shows that once you get to a certain level, the number of state school students even enrolled on the courses becomes very, very small. At undergrad level I have no doubt whatsoever the ratios are vastly different, when looking at who is enrolled - but simply being enrolled is not indicative of a specific level of performance. It is interesting to note that the huge increase in the number of state-schooled students entering HE (stemming from the early 1990s) seems to have been followed within a couple of years by a sharp increase in dropout rates in UK universities.

You are free to believe that state schooling is "better". I won't make snide remarks about you for your choice. Please do me the basic courtesy of exercising similar restraint.

 

[verreauxi]

Never let school get in the way of your education.

 

[Black Belt Jones]

Having been through the postgrad system (twice), I'd raise two things with your remarks:

1) implying my education was somehow "difficult" is to deliberately misunderstand my comments. Good try, but no.

2) It is not true to say "State school students outperform public school students at university - always have, always will." - My own firsthand experience at postgrad level shows that once you get to a certain level, the number of state school students even enrolled on the courses becomes very, very small. At undergrad level I have no doubt whatsoever the ratios are vastly different, when looking at who is enrolled - but simply being enrolled is not indicative of a specific level of performance. It is interesting to note that the huge increase in the number of state-schooled students entering HE (stemming from the early 1990s) seems to have been followed within a couple of years by a sharp increase in dropout rates in UK universities.

You are free to believe that state schooling is "better". I won't make snide remarks about you for your choice. Please do me the basic courtesy of exercising similar restraint.

Tree13 I'm being more than courteous to you - I'm giving helpful advice that might save you from wrack and ruin, because you're on the edge of a dangerous precipice here, if you're seriously thinking about sending your kids to private school. Consider the following:

1 .The private schools will be rinsing you to the tune of ten grand plus, per kid, for little to negative material gain - if your kids are bright you will actually be inferiorising the currency of their qualifications, because every decent university knows the true value of an A from the private school sausage machine.

2.You will be endorsing, and participating, in a stinking Tory model of inequality that decimates social mobility in this country.

3. You need to sleep at night.

How do you resolve 1 and 2 so you can do 3? If you're a nasty person, you don't. But for a decent person like you it is necessary to construct this fantasy about a failing state sector that 'lacks rigour' and can't supply students to enrol in postgraduate courses [LOL at this - what are you even talking about with this bobbins?]. You'd be failing your kids if you subjected them to this nightmare education scenario, so of course tens of thousands of pounds is money well spent.

You have to recognise that this is all just delusion - perhaps sparked by some sub-optimal state school experiences of your own, but rocket-fuelled by the private school industry to drain your wallet.

 

[Philw]

Tree13 I'm being more than courteous to you - I'm giving helpful advice that might save you from wrack and ruin, because you're on the edge of a dangerous precipice here, if you're seriously thinking about sending your kids to private school. Consider the following:

1 .The private schools will be rinsing you to the tune of ten grand plus, per kid, for little to negative material gain - if your kids are bright you will actually be inferiorising the currency of their qualifications, because every decent university knows the true value of an A from the private school sausage machine.

2.You will be endorsing, and participating, in a stinking Tory model of inequality that decimates social mobility in this country.

3. You need to sleep at night.

How do you resolve 1 and 2 so you can do 3? If you're a nasty person, you don't. But for a decent person like you it is necessary to construct this fantasy about a failing state sector that 'lacks rigour' and can't supply students to enrol in postgraduate courses [LOL at this - what are you even talking about with this bobbins?]. You'd be failing your kids if you subjected them to this nightmare education scenario, so of course tens of thousands of pounds is money well spent.

You have to recognise that this is all just delusion - perhaps sparked by some sub-optimal state school experiences of your own, but rocket-fuelled by the private school industry to drain your wallet.

Don't know whether to use the Haha or Wow reaction....

 

[Yarrgh]

Went overseas as a kid due to my dad's job, and the only English system school there was private and my education was paid for by the company my dad worked for.

It was a wonderful school and I was lucky to go to it. I have absolutely no regrets about going to it. I have wandered through life since without any great worry knowing that I can somehow be resourceful enough to triumph. Educationally I am loaded with pieces of paper, so I suppose it did the job a school was meant to do in providing you with the ability to navigate the worlds of higher education, employment and life. I believe this is a significant part of the unfair advantage in life that private education can give, over any old boy network. No doubt however this is available from both private and public sector.

I note in Finland, that abolishing the private educational sector really focused the minds of those in power who had to rely on the public school system. Who knows ... it seems to certainly equalise things out and make things fairer.

 

[Tree13]

Tree13 I'm being more than courteous to you - I'm giving helpful advice that might save you from wrack and ruin, because you're on the edge of a dangerous precipice here, if you're seriously thinking about sending your kids to private school. Consider the following:

1 .The private schools will be rinsing you to the tune of ten grand plus, per kid, for little to negative material gain - if your kids are bright you will actually be inferiorising the currency of their qualifications, because every decent university knows the true value of an A from the private school sausage machine.

2.You will be endorsing, and participating, in a stinking Tory model of inequality that decimates social mobility in this country.

3. You need to sleep at night.

How do you resolve 1 and 2 so you can do 3? If you're a nasty person, you don't. But for a decent person like you it is necessary to construct this fantasy about a failing state sector that 'lacks rigour' and can't supply students to enrol in postgraduate courses [LOL at this - what are you even talking about with this bobbins?]. You'd be failing your kids if you subjected them to this nightmare education scenario, so of course tens of thousands of pounds is money well spent.

You have to recognise that this is all just delusion - perhaps sparked by some sub-optimal state school experiences of your own, but rocket-fuelled by the private school industry to drain your wallet.

Each to their own pal.

PS - your definition of courtesy differs substantially from the norm.