Labours Private School Proposals

[local]

The Labour conference always throws up a few things and besides the Watson affair and odd Brexit Stance they have had a go at private schools.


Controversially, the party will also force universities to ensure that only 7 per cent of people they admit went to private schools - the same proportion as in the general population.

And property, land and other assets owned by private schools would be "redistributed democratically and fairly across the country's educational institutions".



Sounds very redolent of Mugabe's farm grab and we know what happened to them.


Among Labour MPs, some 17% went to private schools i(2015 figures) I assume they will be sacked as they got their positions through privilege.

Oh and a bloke called Corbyn, hmm methinks they haven't thought too hard about this ask Dianne.


Still at least people will know what their voting for.

[Polly Trott]

The Labour conference always throws up a few things and besides the Watson affair and odd Brexit Stance they have had a go at private schools.


Controversially, the party will also force universities to ensure that only 7 per cent of people they admit went to private schools - the same proportion as in the general population.

And property, land and other assets owned by private schools would be "redistributed democratically and fairly across the country's educational institutions".



Sounds very redolent of Mugabe's farm grab and we know what happened to them.


Among Labour MPs, some 17% went to private schools i(2015 figures) I assume they will be sacked as they got their positions through privilege.

Oh and a bloke called Corbyn, hmm methinks they haven't thought too hard about this ask Dianne.


Still at least people will know what their voting for.

My son went to Comprehensive School and is now going to Oxford. Why should he have to put up with a load of thick *******s whose parents paid for them to get there?

[local]

My son went to Comprehensive School and is now going to Oxford. Why should he have to put up with a load of thick *******s whose parents paid for them to get there?

How exactly do you "pay to get there" when your thick.

Why would your son want to attend a University that is by your reasoning corrupt ?

It would surely undermine anything he did there.

[Polly Trott]

How exactly do you "pay to get there" when your thick.

Why would your son want to attend a University that is by your reasoning corrupt ?

It would surely undermine anything he did there.

It is the private school system that is corrupt by enabling thick rich people to pay to get into the top universities. It they weren't thick they would not be afraid to compete in the comprehensive system.

[susanb]

My daughter went to private school. She had to pass an entrance exam, as they didn't want 'thick pupils', which affected their exam results.
I saved to sent her there, because the largest class, they had, was 16 pupils.

[local]

It is the private school system that is corrupt by enabling thick rich people to pay to get into the top universities. It they weren't thick they would not be afraid to compete in the comprehensive system.

I still haven't worked out how you "pay" to get in ?

Do they lower grades for cash ?

How is it done ?

surely when they get there the "thick" ones would struggle.

My knowledge of the private school system is that they demand more of their pupils,they demand better behaviour and of course often smaller class sizes.

The parents are a mix,
some work extra to send their children and cut out things many take for granted, some just have middle income jobs and others very well off.

Then there's Prince Charles

[Toodles McGinty]

I'd say just because they are debating it at conference, it doesn't mean the Labour are about to take a bulldozer to private schools and sell off their playing fields to the highest bidder. The second part would be a particularly Tory endeavour. They could debate painting all magpies purple. Doesn't mean Dulux should start producing millions of gallons of 'Grape Thistle'.

As far as buying your way into uni, of course it happens. I've found a few articles:

The Telegraph

New Statesman this is behind a paywall, but the gist is:

In my final year at a British private school, over 30 kids were handheld through the application process for Oxford or Cambridge, whereas in most state schools a maximum of one or two begin the gruelling process, usually without the considerable staff support that we enjoyed.
Of those 30, about half were successful, and at least four or five of those were — excuse my French — thick as congealed slurry on the bridle path. They were dull, unimaginative posh kids who had no real interest in learning , who were just good at passing exams with the right training. What they had was the confidence to shine at interviews, and most importantly, the right kind of swagger to fit in. They had grown up being told they belonged at Oxford or Cambridge. As a consequence, they were deemed Oxbridge material, whereas thousands of state school pupils were not.

I don't think there is an official channel to pay your way in, but as in every other walk of life, where there's cash, there's a way. If you go to the right school, you're deemed the right 'material'.

[local]

I'd say just because they are debating it at conference, it doesn't mean the Labour are about to take a bulldozer to private schools and sell off their playing fields to the highest bidder. The second part would be a particularly Tory endeavour. They could debate painting all magpies purple. Doesn't mean Dulux should start producing millions of gallons of 'Grape Thistle'.

As far as buying your way into uni, of course it happens. I've found a few articles:

The Telegraph

New Statesman this is behind a paywall, but the gist is:

In my final year at a British private school, over 30 kids were handheld through the application process for Oxford or Cambridge, whereas in most state schools a maximum of one or two begin the gruelling process, usually without the considerable staff support that we enjoyed.
Of those 30, about half were successful, and at least four or five of those were — excuse my French — thick as congealed slurry on the bridle path. They were dull, unimaginative posh kids who had no real interest in learning , who were just good at passing exams with the right training. What they had was the confidence to shine at interviews, and most importantly, the right kind of swagger to fit in. They had grown up being told they belonged at Oxford or Cambridge. As a consequence, they were deemed Oxbridge material, whereas thousands of state school pupils were not.

I don't think there is an official channel to pay your way in, but as in every other walk of life, where there's cash, there's a way. If you go to the right school, you're deemed the right 'material'.

Surely state schools could hold the hand of their pupils and teach them how to have confidence at interviews that doesn't take money.

I still haven't had answered how these "thick" kids get the necessary grades and complete the work necessary to work through University.


The children I know at or who have recently left these top Universities all mention how hard they have to work.


Is the suggestion they send staff in to do the work ?

If high achieving parents have children its no great shock they follow their parents lead.

I know children from disadvantaged backgrounds will be able to get in with lower grades but not rich kids getting passes.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-lower-grades/

I do accept there are some exceptions about, Prince Charles at Cambridge etc

If it was just about money and privilege surely Merchants Taylors Scarisbrick Hall etc would be bussing them down to Oxford and Cambridge.

[AdmiralAckbar]

How exactly do you "pay to get there" when your thick.

I still haven't worked out how you "pay" to get in ?

In Toodles' response, the bold bit answers your question ...

In my final year at a British private school, over 30 kids were handheld through the application process for Oxford or Cambridge, whereas in most state schools a maximum of one or two begin the gruelling process, usually without the considerable staff support that we enjoyed.
Of those 30, about half were successful, and at least four or five of those were — excuse my French — thick as congealed slurry on the bridle path. They were dull, unimaginative posh kids who had no real interest in learning , who were just good at passing exams with the right training. What they had was the confidence to shine at interviews, and most importantly, the right kind of swagger to fit in. They had grown up being told they belonged at Oxford or Cambridge. As a consequence, they were deemed Oxbridge material, whereas thousands of state school pupils were not.

I don't think there is an official channel to pay your way in, but as in every other walk of life, where there's cash, there's a way. If you go to the right school, you're deemed the right 'material'.

... but your response to that was ...

I still haven't had answered how these "thick" kids get the necessary grades and complete the work necessary to work through University.

Is it your reading or comprehension that you have difficulty with?

... and as for the underlined bit, that just highlights you have now changed your question after the original was answered.

[silver fox]

I still haven't worked out how you "pay" to get in ?

Do they lower grades for cash ?

How is it done ?

surely when they get there the "thick" ones would struggle.

My knowledge of the private school system is that they demand more of their pupils,they demand better behaviour and of course often smaller class sizes.

The parents are a mix,
some work extra to send their children and cut out things many take for granted, some just have middle income jobs and others very well off.

Then there's Prince Charles

I attended a very good Grammar School, courtesy of, as were the majority, of the old 11plus exam, however this school did have 1 house of pupils who were boarders, essentially private pupils within a state school.

Now the boarders had full use of school facilities after hours, they had additional tuition and assistance with homework and projects, yet as a group were surprisingly the lowest achievers both academic and sport, make of that what you will, yet the lowest achievers were more likely to go on into further education.

Of course a very different world at that time, with most pupils going in to work or specific education/training with a career in mind.

[Polly Trott]

Local - if high achieving parents have high achieving children why are they afraid to compete in the state system? Clearly not high achieving enough.

[The PNP]

Local - if high achieving parents have high achieving children why are they afraid to compete in the state system? Clearly not high achieving enough.

Different parents have different reasons for going private.

Perhaps the nearby state school is in a rough area, with rough pupils. Sending your kid there will produce a markedly different type of adult, compared to sending him/her to a private school.

They will be more likely to acquire an unwanted accent/less desirable habits, e.g. swearing. Develop an 'attitude' towards the law/police, etc, absorbed from those around them. Could be picked on/mocked for simply trying to be a studious pupil with high ambition.....E.g.'Oh, so you think you're too good for us you poncy little .....!' Not surprising some parents scrimp and save to send their offspring elsewhere.

[local]

In Toodles' response, the bold bit answers your question ...



... but your response to that was ...



Is it your reading or comprehension that you have difficulty with?

... and as for the underlined bit, that just highlights you have now changed your question after the original was answered.

It doesn't answer it at all,

the suggestion is that Donkeys were/are turned into race horses by having a private education.

As Prince Charles showed in spades despite having extraordinary privilege he couldn't make the grade he achieved a B and C in his A-Levels, when landed in Cambridge University where he left with a 2.2.


The comment;

who were just good at passing exams with the right training.

just sums up exam based education.


Surely if these Donkeys are so easily transformed then the state should copy the system not shut it ?

[local]

Local - if high achieving parents have high achieving children why are they afraid to compete in the state system? Clearly not high achieving enough.

I have never met a parent who was afraid more a case that they were prepared to pay twice for their child's education as they didn't like what the state had to offer.

The private sector is of course much harder to compete in and many of the schools have entrance exams.

The demands on the child and the parents are much higher.

Simply put if the school doesn't perform the parents vote with their wallets.

Close private schools by all means if that's what people vote for that's democracy in action but don't dumb them down push standards up.

[silver fox]

the suggestion is that Donkeys were/are turned into race horses by having a private education.

There is your problem, the donkeys aren't turned into race horses, they remain donkeys but with a totally overblown sense of their own importance and position.