State Schools or Public Schools - at the end of the day, which gives its pupils :: Wessex Scene Online

State Schools or Public Schools - at the end of the day, which gives its pupils

27th October 2004
Hannah Mouland & Martin Jenner

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"I was always a little jealous of my brother who was sent to public school by my parents, whilst my sister and I slogged it out at the local state school - or ‘the jungle’ as I liked to call it."

State Schools

Hannah Mouland

I was always a little jealous of my brother who was sent to public school by my parents, whilst my sister and I slogged it out at the local state school - or ‘the jungle’ as I liked to call it. People would assume that my parents were still living in the eighteen hundreds when the boys were the only ones worth providing a decent education for. The real reason for my parents’ decision, however, lay in the fact that my brother - like many 13-year-old boys - is a lazy, arrogant little prepubescent Mick Jagger and he certainly would not be pushed to work hard at a state school. My sister and I were proud of the fact that we were intelligent and hard-working enough to achieve excellent grades in a perhaps more challenging environment.

It was at state school that I was introduced to a broad spectrum of people from all corners of society because some people who could have afforded to send their children to public schools were prepared to give the state system a chance. My school was surrounded by public schools and I had many friends who attended them. I found that they changed as they were moulded into the public school stereotype. Their accents evolved and they holidayed in Rock, Cornwall, which was then frequented by the likes of the Princes Harry and William. By sitting near them in a bar they could boast that they were more or less members of the royal family.

I began to think that public schools were all about improving one’s image. Conversations at dinner parties were a chance for parents to spout out some terribly long and important-sounding name of a private school - the longer and more complicated the better. If it also included the word ‘royal’, that earned one a few extra brownie points. It certainly impresses many people but I am thankful that I did not need to attend a public school to make a good impression.

I found that attending a state school has made me a well-rounded individual and, whilst there, I was perhaps exposed to reality rather than the fantasy world that some public schools seem to inhabit (a world where the only important things are enjoying a jolly good rugger match and making sure that one’s pashmina is tied in the appropriate fashion). Like my state school, Southampton University attracts people from a range of social backgrounds and I am now living on a corridor with just two others from state school.

Despite the supposed rivalry between state and public schools we all get on fantastically well in my flat. During this week I have learnt that not all public school students are twin-set-and-pearls-wearing toffs and I hope that, if they had not realised it before, the ex-public-schoolers have found that not all state school pupils aim to get pregnant at 16 or become the next Victoria Beckham.

Public Schools

Martin Jenner

The overwhelming image most people have of public schools is blazers and boarding rooms, pike-smoking masters eager to wield the cane against troublesome boys, class snobbery and upper-class accents so strong they could etch glass. A terribly Victorian image, in other words, shipped directly into the public’s brains via ‘Just William’ and lodged there by a never-ending series of stereotypes on TV and in literature.

Modern-day public schools (or independent schools as they are now known) are very different. In fact, they’re just like state schools to look at, although generally without the patina of decay that the latter often show. Up to date, well-staffed and progressive, they have all the best features of state schools and few of the disadvantages.

Whereas the children at state schools are there because they have to be, independent school pupils are there because they want to be – they’re bright, eager to learn, and given the opportunities they need. Not all of the schools are selective, but many are, and that means that the standard of pupil is going to be both higher and more even. The smartest kids no longer have to sit through a lesson aimed beneath them because everybody is at the same level.

The standards of teaching are higher, too – with better-paid teachers you’re going to get only the best, those tutors whose enthusiasm and knowledge appeals to and inspires the pupils to greater things.

But the best thing about coming from an independent is, indeed, a relic left over from the Victorian age. Unlike your typical state school, public institutions don’t just concentrate on the academic side of things but instead encourage their pupils to get involved in a wide array of extra-curricular activities, whether it be drama, art or sport. Children from a public school background not only come out with an excellent education but also with a wider base of knowledge and interest, often going on to excel in those areas.

The prejudice that occurs against public schools is, therefore, nothing more than jealousy finding an outlet. Everybody wants the best, but if they can’t have it people always find a way of pretending they didn’t actually want it. It’s unfortunate that the price means only certain sections of the population can make the most of these opportunities, but if they’re available why not take them?