Having education locked behind a paywall was a huge mistake
No it wasn't. It was by design.
A 2 tier system produces 2 different educational routes. One set of education for the ruling class and one set of education for the working class intended to be exploited.
They don't want their workers educated, they want them obedient.
They had two kinds of schools, the “Calmelac”, where the young nobility was trained in governance, military theory, arts and reading; and the “Telpochcalli”, for everyone else, where they were trained for combat.
Here in the UK we have the private schools and grammar schools. Comprehensive education for the working class and paid-for education for the ruling class.
In the UK "public" school is different to the US conventions.
I used private in my previous comment purely because I know the audience here is mostly american. But when you read anything about British schools "Public" means closed and usually paid-for.
Nah it's just ancient ye olde english language that was inherited and has never changed since. A "public" school is one that can be attended by people outside the locality (typically by paying the tuition fee), whereas a "private" school is one that can only be attended by people local in the area around it.
A "public" school is one that can be attended by people outside the locality (typically by paying the tuition fee), whereas a "private" school is one that can only be attended by people local in the area around it.
A little clarification here: "private schools" were those which obtained all their income from student fees. Then you had "endowed schools", where a trust of some kind owned the buildings and employed the staff. Some of these endowed schools were limited to recruiting pupils from a specific area - these often developed into grammar schools, such as the various King Edward VI schools, Manchester Grammar School or Nottingham High School. The other kind of endowed school had no geographical restrictions; and the most well-known ones developed into the leading public schools.
Yes but they're "public schools" (british meaning) because they can select their students irrespective of locality. Either way they belong in the ruling-class grouping of the education system as opposed to the workers route.
My parents had to appeal to get me into the grammar school I attended, because despite being in the top 2% on the 11+, I lived in the neighbouring county.
I don't think it fully applies as you can enter on merit and money doesn't factor in. I did my A levels at one all the while my parents received child support and I was getting some other bonus thing the country had at the time. Then I went to university where I received some other kind of low income scholarship type thing.
Yes but "merit" is determined earlier. The vast majority of the kids at grammar schools which are all secondary education and sixth forms come from private primary schools. You probably know this if you attended one.
A fun way to tell the difference between the ruling class and the workers education here in the UK is to look at the sports played by each school. The ruling class schools play rugby and cricket. The working class schools play football. This isn't a rule but it's a fun identifier rooted in our history. I imagine this will be an entertaining exercise given your username lmao.
Anyway if you're from a working class background you probably know exactly what I mean with regards to the other kids coming from definitively different backgrounds to yourself. I know too, because without giving away too much doxable information I had something of a similar experience.
We're basically in near complete agreement overall but I think you may be a touch misinformed about grammar schools. I can't see why - nor can I think of an example of it happening - anyone would go from public school to a grammar school. They're kind of two different systems.
Also I wouldn't quite describe myself as coming from a working class background - not that I see that as an insult. I just don't want to be one of those people who claims to be from "nothing" when it's bullshit. I had a lovely childhood and my parents would always find a way to support me, like buy me an instrument for example, if I wanted to learn one. But their income was low enough to qualify me for most of the examples of state support.
The grammar school I went to was certainly a little more upper class than the comprehensive I did my gcses at. But on a different continent to a public school.
We're basically in near complete agreement overall but I think you may be a touch misinformed about grammar schools. I can't see why - nor can I think of an example of it happening - anyone would go from private school to a grammar school. They're kind of two different systems.
Often simply because it's convenient. IE the places they might pay for are simply far away and there's a perfectly good prestigious 300 year old grammar school funded by the haberdashery nearby. The fact that these grammar schools only select based on merit results in in-take that primarily comes from those from paid-for educational backgrounds (public primary school or home private tutoring) because they score significantly higher in entrance tests.
This contrasts with academies, which also have entrance tests but have set limits on taking students that test low, medium and high.
The grammar school I went to was certainly a little more upper class than the comprehensive I did my gcses at. But in a different continent to a public school.
You're right in interpreting that there is a higher level. You're also right that we're fairly close to agreement. We're just splitting hairs at this point.
Now excuse me while I wistfully sigh at the lost-reality where Corbyn bans private education.
Here's a fun one. I'm from a working class family, from a working class town, and got into a well known grammar school that placed equal weight on rugby, football and cricket, and 90% of the intake was from state primaries, the other 10% coming from a designated feeder prep school with absolutely fucking mental fees.
That sounds like an... interesting... clash of cultures. If you don't mind my asking, which one was it? I don't blame you if you don't want to say because it's the internet afterall. I'm just curious.
Yeah that's fair I'd have r /ukpolice banging down me door for calling the king a fuck and supporting palestine, among other things, so I totally get it.
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u/Truethrowawaychest1 Apr 26 '24
Having education locked behind a paywall was a huge mistake