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Discussion on whether indy schools are better . . .

Last post 06/04/12 at 13:28 by Dogfish1, 12 replies
Post started by TheoGriff on 27/12/11 at 21:50

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  • TheoGriff avatar
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    Posted by: TheoGriff 27/12/2011 at 21:50
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    On Opinion.

     http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/t/541486.aspx

    Best wishes

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    TheoGriff. Member of the TES Careers Advice Service.

    I do Application and Interview one-to-ones, and also contribute to the Job Application Seminars. We look at application letters, executive summaries and interviews, with practical exercises that people really appreciate.

    www.tes.co.uk/careerseminars
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    Posted by: v12 28/12/2011 at 11:44
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     Hmm.  I thought I'd steer clear of contributing - the problem being that there are a lot of teachers who don't fully understand the need for independent schools - so the arguments tend to veer to extreme examples which try to prove a fatuous political point.

    We occasionally have interviewees for positions here who have absolutely no idea how a boarding school works - or why they are so important. 

    They rarely get appointed as one clause at the bottom of the application will state something like:

    The candidate must fully support the ethos of a boarding school and be prepared to contribute to the extensive extra-curricular activities programme.

     
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    Posted by: Crowbob 31/12/2011 at 17:39
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    v12:
     Hmm.  I thought I'd steer clear of contributing

    Boo!
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    Posted by: doublehelix 02/01/2012 at 21:36
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    I'm one of those teachers who don't fully understand the need for independent schools, and I teach in one! I fully support my school, but can you argue that the country NEEDS independent schools? If so, please do. Similarly, why are boarding schools so important? What would the nation miss if there were no boarding schools? And please don't go on about extra-curricular activities. These can happen just as well in maintained days schools as in any other school.
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    Posted by: florian gassmann 03/01/2012 at 06:44
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    doublehelix:
    What would the nation miss if there were no boarding schools?

    More than £200 million of inward foreign investment from the families of the 9000+ boarders who live overseas (mainly, but not exclusively, in the far east).

    There would also be considerable difficulties for many parents in the armed forces, the diplomatic service and those working for international companies with jobs that require a change of location at frequent intervals, if there was no longer any boarding provision. Not to mention those in the UK who live in remote areas where daily travel to school is not a realistic option, and so boarding is essential (and which is why there are state boarding schools as well as independent boarding schools).

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    Posted by: WillowFae 09/01/2012 at 13:55
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    If independent schools closed down the government couldn't afford to fund education for those students as they entered the state system.  I remember one London borough at the start of the recession working out what they would do if 10% of the private school students in their borough left and went into the state system.  Their conclusion was that with their funding situation they couldn't cope with it.

    So, a purely financial reason why we need independent schools.
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    Posted by: TheoGriff 09/01/2012 at 19:03
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    WillowFae:
    one London borough

    Richmond

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    TheoGriff. Member of the TES Careers Advice Service.

    I do Application and Interview one-to-ones, and also contribute to the Job Application Seminars. We look at application letters, executive summaries and interviews, with practical exercises that people really appreciate.

    www.tes.co.uk/careerseminars
  • clarinetguy avatar
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    Posted by: clarinetguy 12/01/2012 at 23:24
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    You can also include cathedral choristers up and down the land who, because of the intensive reheasal schedule in both morning and evenings, need, for the most part, to board. There could be no justification for doing away with this tradition.
  • LondonChap avatar
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    Posted by: LondonChap 14/01/2012 at 00:44
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     Ive always found this particular debate farcical.....

     Independent education is no different from taking a stroll down the high street.... it all boils down to consumer choice.

    You send your kid to a private school all youre doing is making a consumer choice...... no different from buying Nike rather than Lonsdale..... M&S rather than Tesco...... Samsung rather than Hitachi....John Lewis rather than Primark.

    The customer makes a choice based on a perceived quality and value for money.... thats it.

    But for some peculiarly British reason those that make this choice are castigated for being snobs or other such nonsense....... and heaven forbid you should choose to teach in this sector!

    So next time you see someone decide to but an Audi instead of a Peugeot feel free to turn your nose up at them, pelt them with eggs and accuse them of being a traitor.

     Sarcastic 

  • amusedpenguin avatar
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    Posted by: amusedpenguin 14/01/2012 at 13:52
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    This is the thing I have found a bit strange about starting in a Independent school. I have started at my school which was in fact the school I was sent to, through what I see as good luck and accident. (The job came up, and with little luck with other applications I went for it.) But now I am at a private school, friends think I have it easier than themselves at state schools, they think that independent schools have no place and should be shut down and if I teach there I am just as much a snob as the parents who send their kids there. I don't understand this whole rationale. One: Why is it an achievement for them to have it harder than me at school? I still have to work hard, I still have to deal with behaviour issues. Two: The argument has already been made, where do the kids go who can no longer go to independent, and if so, can systems indeed cope. Three: I dont think I am a snob (admittedly I may not be the best person to comment on this). And I think its fair that in a consumer led society, people who choose differently are considered snobs. Has anyone else come across this attitude?
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