Bring state schools up not private schools down.

Why not just make state schools better?

Yeah, well, the idea of freedom seems to be completely lost in your presentation. Parents who can will always seek the best education for their kids. The proper way to deal with this is have good public schools, period. We have private schools in Germany, and they do not play any such role. Public schools are simply good enough.

It seems like when people think of private schools, they only think of Boris Johnson, David Cameron, and Eton. Rather narrow representation.

My local secondary school is awful and I have learning difficulties and I would have not gotten the support that I needed to pass my exams if I had not gone to a private school.

when you go to a private school and still watch this to see how people view you

I'd rather the government improved equality of opportunity by improving state schools, rather than reducing the peoples' freedom (which is pretty serious in any scenario) and abolishing private education.

We should raise state schools not kick public schools

Before you throw out the baby with the bath water, I think it would be advantageous to first identify exactly what is wrong with the British state school system. Where are they falling short and what can be done to address these problems. I think it would be better to first get the state schools performing optimally before we should consider abolishing the public and private schools.

Abolition would likely quicken a "brain-drain." The winners in abolition would end up being foreign boarding schools. These foreign boarding schools would see a jump in demand, as well as a jump in the supply of some of world's best academic resources. That's all if the courts would even allow such a national-wide policy.

why abolishing? just change the public system

It’s not the children’s fault they was born in to money, that’s just how the world works. Just bring up the state schools.

One very considerable benefit to independent schooling, which wasn't mentioned here, is the lack of curriculum constriction. Any thinking person can recognise that if all children learn the same narrow elements of a the same narrow set of subjects, then you create a kind of mono-intelligence. A unified system could arguably, therefore, be stronger if individual schools and teachers could select their subjects and content. A good example is political illiteracy in the electorate, which makes voters susceptible to demagoguery. Political science, psychology, economics, philosophy and sociology; these are arguably the most important subjects in creating useful, thoughtful members of society, yet are almost completely absent in the state curriculum.

I like how every clip of "private school facilities/buildings/pupils" are the most extreme examples, those rowing machines, horses, long coat and boater hats is what a tiny minority of these schools actually have, it's not like Hogwarts and St Trinians it's not much different to state schools

Hey Britain, why not just improve your public schools 🙄

Abolishing private schools wont make state schools any better. It worked in Finland with a tiny population but they also reformed the education system. The standard of State schools should improve to meet private school standards so parents stop spending to send their kids there.

I just got accepted into City of London School for boys, and i'm poor believe me- single mum, works on minimum wage, in debt, she cannot even speak english, she works 6 days a week in a factory 9 or more hours per day except saturday which is 4 hours. I'm going to school in Dagenham, and im not white british (eastern european/ lithuanian). All of that and i can say just how welcoming at least city of london school was, cant speak for other schools, but they were great and considerate and importantly didnt see me as any different, btw im going on a fully paid bursary. This also true for eton, my friend a Tanzanian, got accepted there, and the way they do it there is they only look at class to see who they need to pay for is after all the tests and interviews, ensuring only the most capable go there and is not based on class- of course you can just choose to pay and not go through the way he did (Orwell award). I'm very excited.

The perception of what private school families really are is so narrow minded

In Germany you earn less if you finish a private school. Only a few of the private schools are better then state schools.

I went to an academy where teachers had to buy their own glue sticks for students. Dont tell me that is fair.

Who do you want to decide how your child is educated? You, or a privately educated bureaucrat in London? Bring state schools up (with more autonomy), don't bring independent schools down.

having grown up in England while attending a private school and then moving to Norway to attend a skandi type public school i can whole heartily say abolish private schools. the private schools system allows for the rich and powerful to live in their own bubble with no connection to the real world from a young age. Ensuring that everyone has to go to the same school also forces the rich and powerful to allocate more resources to public schools as their own kids will actually be attending them.

I am a child of a single parent mother, grew up in poverty, had very little growing up. I worked hard and when people said I couldn’t because of class or my background I just did it anyway. I earn double what my parents earn, I went to uni, and still harbour greater ambitions. The only limit on me is me

The country couldn’t handle the extra amount of people needed to go into the state school system

No mention of faith schools..... Good luck with that reformation.

No, private schools make you work harder than state. They absolutely do not “fast track” anyone.

In this video the Guardian mainly only focuses Eton, a rather narrow perspective view from a dumb point of view.

I attended a private boarding school in the late 90s. I don't believe abolition is the answer, but fair taxation and removal of charitable status is. Also, application of a law that forces all private schools to accept and fully fund the education of a minimum of 5% of pupils from households with less than 40k total household incomes.

I've been attending private schools my whole life ever since I was 2 years old. Public schools won't work for me because I have moderate learning difficulties like Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia and a lot of anxiety and low self confidence in my academics. I've been attending a special education private school since 4th grade. The 2016-17 school year.

I currently have a private education, Sidcot School. I would admit that there are many students who do not deserve their parents wealth and are inconsiderate of other people. It frustrates me that kids from a wealthy background have a higher chance of succeeding in life when they are no different to you and I. A touchy subject i must agree.

option 4 privatize all schools, free competition will do the rest

What about improving your public schools

Who's a private school student as well?

when they say all private schools they are completely forgetting about low independent schools that are basically the same as state schools. I go to a lower end private school because I get extra support, this would be devastating for my education. My parents work soo damn hard to send me there, every paycheque goes straight to education. Just because you go to a private school doesn't mean you are minted or rich. such a tiny percentage of private schools are elite.

I like how France manages this, it made many schools half private. If the schools want any state funding, they must follow strict guidelines. So, there's less difference between many public + private schools, so most parents are cool with just putting their kids in public school. This is an oversimplification but basically how it goes.

Every human deserves the same education, that being the best education available.

Stop crying and work on bringing state schools up rather than attempting to bring down private schools.

Unfortunately, I don't think things will play out as proposed. If you abolish private schools in the UK those children will be sent to private schools in Switzerland, America, etc. This is not an easy issue to solve. At least take away their charity status though so the treasury has more money for public schools.

The argument should be based on improving state education not on banning anything which exceeds state provision of education. 'Success' however you define it is not monocausal and the type of 'success' described in this video does not factor in parenting, pre-schooling child development, culture and so on. No one turns up at Oxbridge, the Bar or a ftse 100 company and they just say "Come on in". I went to a non-selective state school and it was a total waste of time - teachers questioned students why they wanted to attend Oxbridge, a significant part of the pupil population had social problems/problem homes. Even compared to the grammar schools nearby students had a totally different academic work ethic and ambitions. Abolishing fee-paying schools is and will never be the answer to a complex problem of school funding, culture, academic work ethic and bad teachers to name a few.

I remember thinking it was weird when I found out so many private schools have charitable status. That said, taking away that status would reduce the number of free places/bursaries for poorer children, thereby actually reducing the ratio of 'poor' to 'rich' pupils even further. I'm always sceptical of this talk of 'the rich and powerful', partly because it's usually used by people with an innate distaste for 'rich' people but mostly because it is rarely defined. I went to a private school (on a bursary myself, in fact), and I can't think of a single one of my classmates whose family was either particularly rich or particularly powerful. Not all private schools are Eton. This video's title is misleading in the sense that it implies that multiple points of view will be addressed, and arbitrarily inserting that little image of Vladimir Putin was childish; do better.

Once again Finland shows how civilised it is

Dissolving Grammar schools was a big mistake. Depriving bright working class children the type of education similar to private schools. The emergence of the Comprehensive system seriously under serves the most able pupils.

I lived in Iraq for 3 years, as a son of a diplomat of friendly government to Saddam 1997-2000, only at my second year I realised my school had children of officials, because private schools aren't allowed, allow mixing with other people, it was incredible how the system forced the most elite kids to do homework,behave and dress like everyone else, incredible how a teacher with a stick in his hand reigns supreme absolute power uninterrupted by these parents, they taught me like their own, maths , science, Humanities , English (with emphasis on correct pronunciation ) , just before we left , I noticed the pics of alumni , saying " proud to have made a successful student qusai Saddam Hussein a graduate of our school" ,if a dictatorship done it right, you dear Britain are doing something very wrong.

Only in the UK could you have this debate. In Australia, 35.6% of schoolchildren are privately educated and the number is rising. But then, unlike the UK, most Australians have private health insurance (PHI) on top of universal public health insurance. PHI potentially offers faster access to treatment, greater choice, higher levels of comfort, and additional services not covered by Medicare. It is a pity that the UK has gone socialist. In 25 years time time, because of socialism and Brexit, the UK will have dropped to number 25 in terms of GDP.

I wrote to the head of my Local Education Authority when they offered my child a place at a state school that OFSTED had just said couldn't teach any children properly but in particular those with advanced learning (my child fell in to this category). It was not one that I had on the list of preferences. I pointed out that the law states THEY must provide school places that meet the needs and abilities of all children in their area and the PARENTS must ensure they receive an education that meets their needs and abilities. So we would both be breaking the law if I accepted the place. Their response was " we won't discuss this as nothing will change". The school was "appropriate", they said, it was the nearest school to where I live, which is a deprived area. After suffering enormous financial hardship by educating my son at home for a year he got a full scholarship to an independent school that met his needs and abilities. Now I am a parent complying with the law. The problem is not independent schools it is a state education system that, because they are underfunded, they feel justified in simply telling poor parents "live in a poor neighbourhood - get a poor education and don't come crying to us because we're not interested". That is an over-simplification, I know, but don't be fooled in to thinking that getting rid of independent schools will instantly fix the education system. If Education Authorities complied with the law and provided school places that met the needs and abilities of ALL children in their areas, the comparison with independent schools would look very different.

So make state run schools better, so no one have to choose private schools, capitalism - best product for lowest price.

Yes! Or at least get rid of their charitable status. Giving the wealthiest schools a tax break is a kick in the teeth for ordinary people in state schools.

7 minute video, not one mention of how this policy would benefit state schooling. Why? Because it will damage state schools.

They payed for the school and if private schools closed loads of jobs would be lost. I’m not rich but my parents are teachers and you get a discount.

She says it is not about removing parents right to choose, but offers only one solution. The removal of choice.

As an alumnus of a mediocre public (i.e. state) school in America, I do appreciate the frustration. But it is not realistic to expect schools to have the resources, equipment, networks, etc of top flight private schools without a) charging a lot for tuition, and b) being selective and catering mainly to the children of the elite. Abolishing private schools may give us a leveler thrill but it would have limited beneficial impact on any state school

I'm not Brittish and from outside this video sounds crazy to me. Why do you want to destroy the best schools of UK instead of trying to make state schools better ?? Why do you want to take down some people instead of thinking on how to create more opportunities for more people

As soon as you quote Michael Moore you've lost the argument.

taxing the private schools would mean they charge more and become more elite and the facilities even more exclusive. I agree that private schools are for privileged people and fuel elitism but this is not the way to combat this. Education should be of the highest standard, for all people.

This is jealousy

Its hard to make it to the top of society , but if your succesful enough to make it there ,then not only will you be rich and powerful ,but you can sleep well at night knowing that because of your hard work your children will be just as succesful if not more than you.

My father went to a non fee paying grammar school. I went to a private school. He did much better acadamically than me and earnt much more money than I ever will.

when your school appears in this video lol

My parents can’t afford to send me to a private school, the ones near me don’t offer scholarships that bring the price to a affordable level. Most of my friends went to private school as their parents (or grandparents) were rich. It’s just pushover the class divide further

I would’ve failed English and English literature if it were not for a private school

The odd thing is I go to a grammar school and what surprised me greatly was the amount of people who were well off. My school is also extremely rich for a independent school so i don’t think that there is any point in destroying private schools. It is just a matter of choosing which school is right for you even if it means travelling farther than you would have liked.

Improving the standard of state schools and abolishing private schools aren't mutually exclusive acts. You could even argue the two go hand in hand.

State schools are struggling because of cuts to education, state schools have large class sizes. People who go to private schools, have more opportunities and do better in exams

I went to a famous boarding school. It makes me laugh when people say the parents are the top 5%. I can tell you most of the parents at my school were taking second mortgages and loans out to pay the fees. People forget that people earning 100k or over are paying 50% income tax. Parents sending kids to private schools should be given tax breaks for relieving some pressure off the state system.

I grew up in a rough council estate. I always knew I wanted my children to attend private school and not have to see what I saw growing up. That was my motivation in setting up a business & bettering myself. I’m happy to say my daughter now attends one of the best private schools in our County.

Nothing is stopping anyone from sending their children to a private school. Even if you don't have the funds most of these places will have scholarship that great kids can apply for.

This is the Politics of Envy and Jealousy at play.

I think there needs to be a case for choice of education style where resources allow (home education/Montessori/Steiner...) but they should all be free.

Private schools should be private no state funding or subsidies. Eaton isn't a charity it's a business it should pay its taxes

no mention of the influx of foreign students spending money in the UK and broadening our global soft power. Just a thought.

I had the misfortune to attend Eton College! Although it offered a wonderful education I have spent the rest of my life trying to free myself from the sense of superiority Eton prides itself on instilling in its pupils. This superiority has been a chain around my neck that entrapped me in expectations that made it very hard to become my own person. Banning private schools would begin to dismantle the system of prviledge that riddles Britain and which lies behind the madness of Brexit.

My parents work bloody hard to send my sister and I to private schools not because of the connections but the fact that they can enforce rules and children often work really hard and my school because they make sure that we know how hard our parents work and how there money shouldn’t be wasted and we have to work to the best of our abilities make the most of he facilities and education we are being given

This is waffle, people get so annoyed about private schools and the elite, people seem to forget that wealthy people give so much to state schools. There’s too much envy just stop moaning

The main thing is its up to the students if they are willing to learn and all teachers are the same they teach the same have the same grades the difference is if they will learn And that only

Abolish public schools!

I went to state schools and turned out ok(in my eyes) I agree more should be done for state schools for example smaller classes with more teachers. But private schools need to exist for such niche subjects when people become too diverse they often cant choose a favourite subject nor specialise in that field.

Honestly, getting rid of private schools is on of my biggest fears!

If we abolished the private schools that feed Oxbridge, where would we get all the Guardian staff from?

Better to tax those who can afford these schools,and use the tax to reduce class sizes in state schools.

It shouldn't be a debate, all schools should be of a great quality, all children should be supported to do well and achieve their dreams. The fact this isn't the case in 21st century Britain is heartbreaking.

You can just improve public schools curriculum. It’s not private schools fault!

the only thing you have abolished is the letter T...

Maybe we should improve state schools and copy what private schools are doing instead of closing down private schools

If you abolished private schools where would all the guardian columnists come from? Can we abolish the guardian instead?

I’ve heard a lot of dumb proposals in my life, but banning schools is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. It isn’t even possible. How do you ban people from willingly paying someone to teach their children. Should they ban tutors and computers as well?

they will go to school in switzerland instead

Absolutely not instead we need to get our other schools up to there standards then there would be no need for private schools..

I spent my first 2 years in a private school, but I left.

No we shouldn't, my kids went to private school for 8 years then went to state and they were actually finding spelling and grammar mistakes from their teachers!!!

Abolish.

We should make all school attendance as voluntary as college to make sure they're filled with students who attend because they care about the topic matter, not because they'll get punished if they don't attend. That way, rude teachers would get no students and can pack their bags. Schools would be forced to make sure they have the most interesting courses and the most helpful staff to stay in business.

All roads lead to marxism with these people.

Someone's just salty

Abolition is the only answer. Anything else just keeps a system that is designed to enforce inequalities.

Many years ago I went to private schools where I didn't do very well because I was "different". However, having an inventive mind which could be put to better use, I recently went back to Uni, studied and worked right through the pandemic as a VERY mature student and recently graduated with Honours in Product Design. This time the priviledge was not provided by my parents, impoverished (by fees), but the fact of being a repatriated Brit and able to access Student Finance Loans. The staff and teachers' unions were constantly on strike due to poor wages and zero contracts. Education in the UK needs a total reboot. How? I don't know ... but Old Etonians should definitely be prohibited from making that decision!

Lets be honest the kids in normal schools would vandalise and destroy the equipment

Also to make it even fairer - people shouldn't be allowed to teach their kids anything outside of school. How else could one child whose mother is an astrophysicist be equal to another whose mother failed all of her GCSEs?

finland has a great education system because they have the best european teachers not because they abolished private schools don't be dumb

i think people forget that private schools lessen the strain on the government’s money as they are funded purely by the money of the students’ families. which is why state schools don’t have luxurious facilities, it’s because there is a limit on the amount of money that can be given to each individual school so there’s also the limit of quality.. but you cant do anything about it, abolishing private schools would only increase the strain on the governments money for state schools, so would the quality of state schools even go up?

It seems far more logical to me to work on any prejudice that contributes to private school alumni earning more than state school alumni. Why bring the education standards down for the 7%? You'll only get lower average quality of education. Even for the remaining 93%, by adding this 7% you'll put greater pressure on the state education system and dilute the state education funding.