Let us take this “in the round”. If there is a change to the “general taxation” of public schools, with private schools losing their charitable status, then the fees will massively increase and most, except the super rich, will transfer their children to state schools.
When that happens, the government, any government, will have to pump in billions of pounds to build new schools that will be needed.
Not only that but, ignoring cost, the performance of private school pupils is far superior than for state schools. Why is that? It is because state schools have become “trendy” and have had circular desks dotted all over the place. That is not the way to teach pupils and we are the only nation, who have gone the trendy way. Schooling should be with the teacher at the front and all pupils watching the teacher intently.
That is how I was taught and how many people of my age were taught, whether in state or in private schools. In my time, you had “o” levels and I attained 10 of them.
It is not the money that you throw at anything, it is the way that it is done.
Touching on politics for a moment, Labour never talk about the money that would have to be pumped into the school sector if private schools were “culled” and they never talk about the performance of private versus state schools. It is really nothing to do with cost but is to do with the quality of teaching. I can assure you that as a private schooled pupil myself, the school was populated with grossly underpaid teachers and some who were alcoholics.
But it was the structure of the school that was so important. I remember in “Big School”, all of us tearaways were in the gallery but all the head of school had to do was to walk down the aisle, turn around and look up. There was then immediate silence.
That is nothing to do with money, it is to do with respect. Respect for the head of school and the teachers too.
Sadly, in the state schools, there is none of that now and that is why our children are failing; nothing to do with any government but is solely to do with the children’s relationship with the teachers
And, of course, those parents who send their children to private schools are paying twice
David's Diatribe 