There is always controversy surrounding education. American gun shootings in schools. Immoral student-teacher relationships. Cheating at the highest level amongst schools. For the millions of young people enrolled in education at this current time, the experiences are all unique. Some love it. Some hate it. Some have devoted and often risked their lives to allowing an education free to all members of society. “One Child, One Teacher, One Pen, One Book can change the world”.  This quote is from Malala Yousafzai, a girl who was almost martyred by The Taliban for her views on female education.

One of the perennial debates in British education surrounds the kind of school parents choose for their children. Is it right that only a chosen few deserve to go to ‘elite’ schools due to money, intelligence or both? What do these fee-paying or selective schools have to offer?

First: Private Schools

Many of the people with not much knowledge on this matter will be quick to assume that private schools are the bane of the nation’s Education Sector. This is, quite simply, not true. If one is economically strong enough to pay for an education, should it not be their duty to do so and take pressure off of the public system already stretched to breaking point? The use of private education in this manner, is beneficial to the nation’s education system as, nowadays, many state schools are oversubscribed. Much of the reason behind this – aside from austerity measures introduced by the government – is that those who are able to pay for an education are not, and are utilising a system that cannot cater for them. Simultaneously, it is worth noting that the quality of teaching between private and State Schools is mostly similar; the only real differences exist in the manner of school funding and the subsequent facilities available.

It is no secret that Private Schools do get more funding than state schools. This is due to two main reasons. Firstly, they charge for students to enrol at their school. The average price in the country to send a single child to Private Education for a year is £13 000. Considering an average class size of 18, this results in each class, per year, being worth on average £234 000. Obviously, a large percentage of this goes towards paying the salary of the school’s staff, whilst the rest tends to go on funding. Of course, some Private Schools do occasionally organise charitable events, but these have very little effect on the school’s cashflow. Secondly, alumni are more than likely to leave the school an inheritance upon their death, particularly if they found their education at the school particularly enjoyable and beneficial to the rest of their lives. State schools do not charge for the education they offer and rarely receive donations from alumni.

Second: grammar schools

Whilst not viewed with the same social stigma as many private schools are, they are by no means viewed with amicability. Similar to private schools, they are viewed as elite, though in a different sense: intelligence rather than monetary. Grammar schools do, similar to state schools, receive their funding directly from the council and do not charge for the enrolment of students. That is where the similarities largely end. Grammar schools obtain their students through a system of examinations based on their academic prowess – the popular term for these examinations is the “Eleven Plus”.  The fact that students have to ‘fight’ their way into the school shows an intrinsic motivation that is, generally, echoed by the entire student body. This makes the students ideal. They are willing to work hard and do well for no better reason that to succeed. They do not need the extrinsic motivation of money or fame; all they need is the desire to succeed. This is what they have.

This makes the student so much easier to teach. No cajoling or bargaining is necessary. It also makes the results of Grammar Schools that much higher as students are both innately intelligent and driven to succeed. However, as a result of this expectation, there is a sort of negligent attitude from some of the teachers. This expectation is that they will work for themselves. Another expectation is that they are going to do well, simply because they are at a Grammar School. This negligence can end up with students performing to a standard that is not befitting of their actual ability.

One ex-grammar student, named Morgan Anniss, now taking his A-Levels at a comprehensive in Cornwall, said “They [grammar schools] heap on so much pressure on students causing them to buckle and underperform…As a student, if you are wanting to achieve, you can genuinely achieve at any school you got to; you just need to put in the work".

Callum Caldwell - Heathfield Community College