Category: Let's talk
Would like to discuss the above. Especially in relation to disability issues, but in general too.
what exactly do you mean by the private sector? Are you refering to private schools?
Yes, private schools.
usually from waht I've seen here in the US, the private schools are more specialized in a specific field IE MIT of cal tech are more into IT or the sciences, USC with it's film school etc.
Sometimes and dependent on the field one might go into, a private university might be encouraged.
I was referring to schools, rather than insitutions of higher education such as universities. I realise in the U.S. the term "school" can be used in this broader sense, but that isn't the case over here. Confusingly, perhaps, the school that I teach at is called a college, but it's a school, nevertheless; specifically, a secondary school (i.e. 11-18). There's only one private university in the United Kingdom: the University of Buckingham. The rest are part of the state-funded system. This is not, however, the case with schools, both primary and secondary, of which there are now more than 2000 private ones, a number that is growing all the time as confidence in the state sector rapidly dwindles. Of these private schools, approximately 10% are known as "public" schools, which is where American and British usage part company completely, for here the term "public school" refers to a small group of private schools who consider themselves a special elite, often charging the highest fees and with the strictest entrance requirements.
Since the private sector is now taking over the role of the failing state sector, I'm interested in hearing people's experiences of it, specifically with regard to its provision for students with disabilities.
thank you for clarifying.
I also went to a private highschool and I can tell you from experience that it is a much better education than the public sector. here in the US, our primary problem is the lack of teachers, larger and larger class sizes and outdated equipment and buildings.
Private schools is the ideal since you are getting a much broader education and witha lot of schools, one on one assistance is available.
Finally, it is accepted that individuals who attend private schools have a much greater chance of getting into a higher, post secondary education.
All of those problems with the state sector exist in the UK too, but much worse than these, in my opinion, are the educational fads that come and go. First, we had the abolition of (most of) the grammar schools, then the abolition of streaming, and now the abolition of separate lessons for different subjects. All of these have had the opposite effect to what was intended. Instead of bringing up all standards to match those of the best, they have reduced them to the lowest common denominator. There's no doubt that even the smallest and least well-resourced of the private schools now offer a better education than most of the state schools. Not all of them charge fees, either. The one I work at doesn't, being supported by endowments, and many others have scholarships and bursaries available.
never went to one but that's an interesting way to say private schools, but it's generally known to be a better education system, yeah.
I disagree with your view that the private system is taking over from the state sector.
Quite apart from anything else, the majority of people simply cannot afford to send their children to private school (and we're not talking the "public school" elite system here but the private system in general).
Currently *some* private schools offer scollarships but a large reason for this is that in the current economic climate they cannot be seen to be under-subscribed so offering scollarships to children is a good and effective way of keeping their numbers up. And this has only really been more prevalent in the past couple of years, so previous to this private and state education really was a contributing factor in the social divide.
There are good and bad schools in every sector. There are failing schools in the state system but equally there are good ones. Similarly the term "private school" does not necessarily equal good school. As I said in a previous post (on another thread) my experience of private school (especially at primary level) is that they lack in pastoral care and focus largely on academic atainment. And the reality is that not every school suits every child.
Incidentally while the grammar system has been largely abolished, as you will know this is not the case everywhere. I live in a grammar area with some of the top grammars in the country. But these are selective - you have to pass one of the three main tests in order to get in, so it's certainly not the case that every child is entitled to the same education...
I have not gone to a private school but through observation of people I know who have attended them I can conclude that the system is not better. I am not pleased with the education system in general so I do not see this as an apples and oranges situation as you do, Dark emperor.