Figure 1.--Most private schools were initially single gender schools. Many have followed the lead of state schools and shifted to coeducation, but many others have also continued to be single gender schools. |
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Today in the British welfare state, it is the private schools that are controversial. One of the many controversies surrounding British education. Britain’s independent schools are the subject of an extensive and long-standing debate. The Labour Party views the private schools with considerable disfavor, seeing them as a socially divisive remanent of privilege. They believe that by “creaming off” some of the better students, private schools not only give their pupils and unfair advantage, but lower the standards of the state schools which are increasingly dominated by the comprehensive secondary schools. Since the World War II, most British state school systems have done away with the 11-Plus examination which evaluated children at 11 years of age for admission to the country’s academically oriented grammar schools or the secondary modern schools with lower academic standards. Now most British children go to comprehensive secondary schools when they finish elementary school at about 12 years of age. Comprehensive schools are comparable to American high schools with a mixed range of abilities present in the same school. As an American viewing the British debate on the shift from grammar school to comprehensive it would seem that attitudes are largely determined on ideological grounds. It would seem a reasonably simple task to determine if comprehensive education has aided or hindered the ability of gifted children to achieve academically or if comprehensive education has improved the academic skills of the average Britain. As many times that I have discussed the subject with British friends are heard in discussed in public fora, almost always it is simply an airing of deeply felt ideological views.
Today in the British welfare state, it is the private schools that are controversial. One of the many controversies surrounding British education. Britain’s independent schools are the subject of an extensive and long-standing debate. The Labour Party has traditionally viewed the private schools with considerable disfavor, seeing them as a socially divisive remanent of privilege. They believe that by “creaming off” some of the better students, private schools not only give their pupils and unfair advantage, but lower the standards of the state schools which are increasingly dominated by the comprehensive secondary schools. Since the World War II, most British state school systems have done away with the 11-Plus examination which evaluated children at 11 years of age for admission to the country’s academically oriented grammar schools or the secondary modern schools with lower academic standards.
The idea of testing the children at age 11 and basing a child's future on a single test it seems to us is a subject of considerable importance, but separate from the basic issue of selective education. We would prefer a discussion more in terms of measurable academic benefits, but the issue of selection and privilge is one that has to be addressed. The concerns expressed over privlidge are important and a matter of concern. Such discussions often run up against the simple fact that people are different with different aptitudes and abilities. We provide special programs to talented musicians and atheletes, should not special prpgrams be provided to academically talented children? The concern over private schools is that peope with money can give their children advantages through private education, some would call it an unfair advantage. That of course is true and a concern. But the issue is much larger. There are state school districts in affluent neighborhoods that provide a better education than schools in inner-city schools. There are also parents who insist their children do their home-work and provide a home enviroment that favors education. These are all advantages that might be considered unfair. The problem with those who want to elimate uch advantages is that their remmedies are often to reduce the quality of education for the privlidged with obvious adverse consquences for the society as a whole. A great many Britons who have made major contributions have come from the public schools or grammar schools. Some might say that a system with less privlidge would simplt mean that in the future such contributions would be made by a wider swath of society. Others would argue that the result may very well be that there woukld be fewer important contributins by a less well educated population.
Most British children now go to comprehensive secondary schools when they finish elementary school at about 12 years of age. Comprehensive schools are comparable to American high schools with a mixed range of abilities present in the same school. As an American viewing the British debate on the shift from grammar school to comprehensive it would seem that attitudes are largely determined on ideological grounds. It would seem a reasonably simple task to determine if comprehensive education has aided or hindered the ability of gifted children to achieve academically or if comprehensive education has improved the academic skills of the average Britain. As many times that I have discussed the subject with British friends are heard in discussed in public fora, almost always it is simply an airing of deeply felt ideological views.
Ironically, it has been the disappearance of the grammar schools and the increasing conviction on the part of many parents that standards in the state schools are declining which has caused many modest-income parents to choose private schools for their children. It is interesting to note that a large number of students at most prep schools now come from homes where the parents did not go to private schools as children, suggesting that increasing numbers of parents are deciding that the state system simply does not meet their child’s needs
(Dennis: repeat?/percent?) Parents with modest incomes have to make considerable economic sacrifices as fees can run $7,000 and more a year for boarders. Adverse Government policies could seriously impact the independent sector. Many private schools would probably have to close if the Government were to remove the tax advantages of charitable trusts or end government subsidies which allow military and civil servants stationed abroad to enroll their children in private schools. Some of the more extreme Labour leaders would simply like to abolish private education altogether.
Independent schools are often defended by the Conservative Party which view private education as a basic right afforded free citizens in a democratic society. This is why private school administrators today prefer the term "independent" to "private". They say that private schools help reduce rolls in over crowed state schools and provide healthy competition which benefits the country’s overall educational system. Most Britons would agree that the country’s educational system needs to be strengthened, but Conservatives believe that the proper path is to improve the state schools, not to attack the independent sector. Private school defenders point out that no Western democracy has ever outlawed the right of the parent to select private schools.
While the issue of private education has been addressed in other countries, the debate over state and private education is probably more divisive in Britain than any other European country. Totalitarian countries committed to the inculcation of narrow, unquestioned political and social ideologies invariably seize control over the education system in the countries where they have seized power. Little discussed is that the fact that the Soviet Union and other Communist countries had extensive, but often quite selective systems. Interestingly at a time when the British left seeks to end private education, communist governments in Eastern Europe are restudying their educational policies. The Polish Government, for example, is in the process of allowing the Roman Catholic Church to reestablish private schools. Western democratic societies have consistently viewed private schools as an integral part of a pluralistic society, affording parents the right to choose institutions offering a wide range of social and religious values. The debate over private schools, however, does reveal a basic tension in western democratic countries between the rights of parents to provide for their children’s future in a competitive society and the state’s commitment to ensure that all children are guaranteed some minimal equality of opportunity. It is a difficult line to draw. To restrict the advantages that parents can offer their children impinges on one fundamental right, the prerogative of parents to make basic decisions concerning their children. To allow wealthy parents to provide advantages to their children threatens the perpetuation of deep seeded social inequities. This is particularly worrisome in countries which do not offer a high quality educational opportunity in the state system. Educators and parents alike in a large number of countries, including Britain and the United States, are becoming increasingly concerned about declining standards in the state sector.
As with many other contemporary social issues, the education debate has taken a very different turn in the United States. No politician of national standing, even decidedly left-wing politicians have advocated abolish private schools. Private education is intricately woven in with the theme of religious freedom guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. . The largest U.S. private system is administered by the Roman Catholic church and many fundamentalist protestant groups have founded private academies in recent years. While the average American might view private schools as elitist, few think that it creates a problem requiring government action. Most Americans do agree that declining standards in the state system is a serious national politician, even so it would be inconceivable for any politician seriously seeking elected office to advocate the abolishment of private schools as part of a program to improve the educational system.
Recent political , and social trends in Britain and other countries, suggest that private education is not a declining phenomenon. The education debate in Britain, however, seems to be slowly shifting from the divisive private versus state schools to addressing how the state schools can be improved. Calls for
reforms have come from a wide range of the political spectrum. An increasing number of Britons app~ently have concluded that the well intentioned reforms of the 1960s and 70s to make schools more egalitarian have resulted in declining standards. The British education system which was once viewed as one of the world’s preeminent state systems has lost much of its standard-setting image. Recent studies comparing British students in other European countries have caused considerable alarm. Prime Minister Thatcher is currently seeking to introduce the most far-reaching changes in Britain’s education system in 40 years. The Government’s proposals call for a unified national curriculum; test administered at ages 7, 11, 14,and 16 years of age; and parental rights to select schools. While these proposals are controversial, it seems likely that Britain will implement major educational reforms in the next few years. Until considerable improvement is brought about, however, it is likely that even many parents of modest means will continue to select the independent sector for their children.
Our prep school E-book here covers only Britain. We note that there are prep schools founded all over the world. Prep schools of course exist in former British colonies where the educatinal system developed similarly to the British system, such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. Quite a number of prep schools exist in these countries. And to a lesser extent prep schools are found in other Commonwealth countries. To some extent these schools serve the British ex-patriat community in different countries. Here theretend to be only a few prep schools. These prep schools also appeal to locals who admire the quality of the prep school program. The schools not only follow the prep school approach of focusing on core subjects (muneracy and literavy), but the programs outside of Britin often lead to the prestigious International Baccalaureate curriculum.
Most British prep schools were originally established as single gender schools, most commonly boys schools. The earliest prep schools were boys' school which began to appear in the mid-19th century. British parents were more concerned about the education of their sons than that of their daughters. In addition many parents were more reluctant to send their children to boarding schools. These trends mirrored attitudes toward public schools. The first girls' prep school was not establoshed until about 1900. Almost all of the preparatory schools founded before World War II were single gender schools. An increasing number of schools have now become coeducational. Here the primary empetus appears to have been financial rather than educational philosphy, although such decessions varied from school to school. Schools wanted to maintain their rills and many parents did not want the complications of multiple schools. Interestingly, while many traditionally boys' schools have shifted to coeducation, few traditionally girls' schools appear to be making a similar transition. Thus in Britain today there are boys schools, girls schools and coed prep schools. Here there are some minor variations such a single gender schools that have coed pre-prep sctions.
The image of boarding in some remote norther location sometimes comes to mind when one thinks of private schools in Britain. Many early private schools were boarding schools and britain has an extensive tradition of boarding which is not elsewhere replicated in Europe. The early public (private) established a tradition that continues to this day. Boarding was, however, expensive. Parents in Britain's expanding middle class in the 19th century wanted a private education for their children. But many simply could not afford the bosrding fees. Mostof Britain's prepsaratory schools were founded in the 19th century. Many were founded as boarding schools in rural areas. Day schools also appeared. For many schools, the day schools were looked down on by the private school educational community. Boarding was seen as an important part of the program. Over times the day schools became incresasingly important. This was especially the case after World war II when parents began to reassess the importance on boarding, especially for younger children. Ome effectoif this was the closing of many boarding schools or a shift to a day program. Britain's economic problems was another factor. Other factors favored day schools. One was urbanization. Schools once located in the country found themselves in the middle of a city. Also Britsains shift from an imperial world power to a European country meant that was less need for families stationed abroad to bosrd their children. Day schools are thus today a major component of the private educationsal sector.
One important feature of private education in Britain has been boarding. Not all private schools were boarding schools, but most of the best known were boarding facilities. Boarding composed an important feature of the classic prep and public school experience. While boarding has declined suubstantially at prep schools, it still is a major feature at the public schools where most of the boys from prep schools continue their education. Parents believed that sending their boys off to boarding school was a character building experience. Many British parents now tend to think that 8 years of age is to early for children to board, but earlier it was a widely accepted convention. This convention was less accepted for girls. Thus the educational experience for well to do boys in Britain was very different than that of the less affluent children attending state schools.
