Thursday 11 February 2016

Independent versus state schools

There has been a lot in the news over the past week about the merits of state versus independent sector.

This has been encouraged by a press release by the Good School’s Guide – a slightly sneaky bit of PR puff to sell a new book that has got out of hand and which the GSG seems to be slightly regretting now.

It is an age-old and slightly pointless debate – independent or state schooling?

What is more to the point is what is the right school for a child.  Factors that parents are interested in are clarity of vision, strong and consistent leadership, great teaching, good pastoral care and an ability to open children to the outside world in an intelligent and insightful way.

These elements can be found in both independent and state schools.  However the word “independent” is key.  State education is still, in our opinion, bogged down in political meddling, an unclear view on how to measure quality, and a complacency on how good it actually is.

A good independent school has the ability to rise above that.  Its nearest state counterpart, the grammar school.