State schools are back in fashion. The FT reports that the formerly rich have begun to abandon private schools. From today's FT....
Competition for places at many grammar schools, often oversubscribed by a factor of 10, has become even tougher in the credit crunch, research by the Financial Times suggests. The number of applicants to the schools that form the elite of the state system has risen strongly this year in some local authorities contacted by the FT, in spite of a decline in the overall number of pupils applying. Several schools cite financial insecurity caused by the recession.
Their views, and the figures behind them, support anecdotal evidence that an increasing number of parents previously intent on their children being educated in the private sector are exploring the option of a free education at grammar schools.
It is extraordinary how attitudes change. It wasn't that long ago that a state education was a mark of shame. Not no more it ain't.
8 comments:
"It wasn't that long ago that a state education was a mark of shame. Not no more it ain't."
It still is. Just more parents than expected are going to find it unavoidable.
It has never been a mark of shame. It is all about giving the best opportunities for your children that you can afford. If you can afford less, then you go down the scale. If you can afford more, you go up.
Most people don't send their kids to private schools because of "shame" or other emotions. They send them because they're better. As exam results prove.
Z
Give a thought to the children concerned. Some of them are being forced to change schools, from private to state.
Let's hope the transition will be smooth and they fit in quickly and easily.
A German friend tells me that one only sends children there to a "Presse" if they are a bit thick! The preference for the private school system in the UK is a demonstration of English stupidity - why can't we have a state system that works properly?
B. in C.
14 years in state education and unable to spell, do simple arithmetic or speak a second language.
Comprehensives can be the most expensive creches in the world.
Here in California, it's the exact opposite. The state has run out of money and is handing out IOUs in place of payments or forcing people to take days off without pay. Meanwhile, my kids' Catholic schools cruise on undisturbed.
Until Labour came to power in 1997, there used to be greater equality between rich and poor. If a child was from a poor family but could pass an 11 plus exam to a private school the child could get an assisted place i.e. the LEA would pay a share or all the school fees. Now you can only receive a private education if your parents are wealthy.
Clearly it's time for NuLab to tighten their squeeze on the remaining grammars.
Can't have people getting a good education, can we. They might see through what's being done to them.
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