tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/abolishing-private-schools-74933/articlesAbolishing private schools – The Conversation2019-10-01T20:03:51Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1242712019-10-01T20:03:51Z2019-10-01T20:03:51ZThe UK Labour Party wants to abolish private schools – could we do that in Australia?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294928/original/file-20191001-173387-x3cewu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Britain's Eton College charges charges annual fees of more than £40,000.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">from shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The UK’s Labour Party recently <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/privilege-of-a-tiny-british-labour-plans-to-abolish-private-schools-20190924-p52ufj.html">voted in a policy</a> to effectively abolish private schools and integrate them into the state system.</p>
<p>This is a courageous move designed to redress social inequity – many of those working in the top levels of the UK government were educated in private schools. Two of Britain’s three most recent prime ministers went to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/sep/23/head-of-eton-hits-back-at-labour-plans-to-abolish-private-schools">prestigious Eton College</a>, which charges annual fees of more than £40,000.</p>
<p>The UK opposition party’s plan will likely warm the hearts of similarly minded Australians. Many of the same arguments about educational <a href="https://cpd.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-State-of-Australias-Schools.pdf">inequality have been floated in Australia</a>. Many individuals and organisations have also, for years, been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jan/28/private-schools-do-not-deserve-a-cent-from-our-public-funds">calling for the government</a> to <a href="https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2015/03/25/australia-follow-chiles-lead-stop-funding-private-schools/">stop funding</a> non-government schools.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/factcheck-qanda-does-australia-have-one-of-the-most-unequal-education-systems-in-the-oecd-58156">FactCheck Q&A: does Australia have one of the most unequal education systems in the OECD?</a>
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<p>But implementing a policy in Australia like that proposed in the UK would prove very difficult. For one thing, it’s a matter of numbers. Only <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812539/Schools_Pupils_and_their_Characteristics_2019_Main_Text.pdf">5% of the United Kingdom’s students go to a private school</a>. The challenges are magnified in Australia where <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4221.0Main+Features12018?OpenDocument">nearly 15% of students are enrolled in independent schools</a> and nearly 20% in Catholic parish schools. </p>
<p>But beyond that, Australia’s complex set of school governance structures would make such a move very unlikely to succeed.</p>
<h2>Eight education systems</h2>
<p>Under UK Labour’s proposal, if it took office, private schools <a href="https://www.afr.com/world/europe/british-labour-puts-abolition-of-private-schools-on-the-agenda-20190923-p52tvw">would lose their charitable status</a> and any other public subsidies or tax breaks. Their endowments, investments and properties would be “redistributed democratically and fairly across the country’s educational institutions”.</p>
<p>For Australia to do the same, at the outset, it would be a constitutional issue. The Australian Constitution <a href="https://www.education.gov.au/schooling-0">empowers states and territories</a> to provide school education, thus creating eight different education systems. For Australia to abolish private schools like that proposed in the UK, a choice from three possible processes would need to occur to get around this issue. </p>
<p>First, Australia could change the Constitution. Second, all states and territories could voluntarily cede their powers for schooling back to the Commonwealth. Or third, each state and territory government could agree to enact the policy in its own jurisdiction. </p>
<p>Only <a href="https://theconversation.com/changing-the-australian-constitution-was-always-meant-to-be-difficult-heres-why-119162">eight of the proposed 44 changes to the Australian Constitution</a> have been agreed to since Federation. And given the political territorialism that exists between states and territories, it is hard to imagine any of these solutions being implemented.</p>
<p>Assuming one of the above could be enacted, taking over existing non-government schools would be further complicated by the diverse nature of school governance structures. </p>
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<span class="caption">Australia’s different school governance structures would make it almost impossible to cede all private education to the Commonwealth.</span>
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<p>In addition to being registered with their relevant state or territory government authority, more than <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/charitydata">1,000</a> non-government primary and secondary schools are registered with the <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/">Australian Not-for-profit Charities Commission</a>. </p>
<p>This means there are no “owners” who financially gain from operating the school. Financial surpluses are not distributed to shareholders but <a href="https://www.acnc.gov.au/for-charities/start-charity/not-profit">must be reinvested in the school</a>.</p>
<p>For a government to take over a not-for-profit charity in such a way would cause extreme anxiety to the thousands of community organisations which also exist under this legal structure. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/should-wealthy-private-schools-and-hospitals-have-charity-status-in-australia-73055">Should wealthy private schools and hospitals have charity status in Australia?</a>
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<p>Another group of non-government schools are governed by church authorities. A school such as <a href="https://www.sds.asn.au/sites/default/files/O72-0046.pdf?doc_id=NTEyNDU=">William Clarke College</a> in Sydney’s north-west, for instance, is governed by an ordinance of the Anglican Diocese of Sydney whose own authority is derived from <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1902/aca/sch1">state legislation</a>. A smaller number of schools, such as <a href="https://www.legislation.nsw.gov.au/#/view/act/1922/ncc/full">Newington College</a> in NSW or the <a href="https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/2017-01-01/act-2016-052">eight Queensland Grammar Schools</a>, are governed directly through acts of parliament. </p>
<p>To absorb these schools into one government system would require a change to a range of legislation covering charitable and religious organisations. Given various state and territory governments can’t even agree on <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/4221.0Appendix12016?opendocument&tabname=Notes&prodno=4221.0&issue=2016&num=&view=">the age students should start school</a>, achieving consistency in the legislative realm seems remote. </p>
<h2>We should keep working to reduce inequality</h2>
<p>Advocates of private schooling in the UK have <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/sep/23/head-of-eton-hits-back-at-labour-plans-to-abolish-private-schools">hit back</a> at <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/education-49857748">Labour’s proposal</a>, indicating lengthy, and costly, <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/043ceef0-de02-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc">legal challenges</a>. These could range from parents’ rights to make choices for their childrens’ development (enshrined in Article 18 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) through to <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/043ceef0-de02-11e9-9743-db5a370481bc">property and charitable trust laws</a>. </p>
<p>Resistance to the proposed policy change from the UK <a href="https://www.hmc.org.uk/blog/hmc-response-labour-vote-independent-schools/">Headmasters’ and Headmistresses’ Conference</a> (that <a href="https://www.hmc.org.uk/">describes itself</a> as an association of heads of “some of the world’s leading independent schools”) is already fierce and suggests the same would likely be the case in Australia. </p>
<p>One consequence of inaction is growing inequity. Successful education systems prioritise <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-14/australia-must-fix-school-inequity-for-top-education-system/11412438">equity and quality</a>. Analysis of social disadvantage by the <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/equity-in-education_9789264073234-en">OECD</a> found more than 52% of Australian disadvantaged students are enrolled in disadvantaged schools. This is compared to the OECD average of 48% and 45% in the UK (world leaders are Nordic countries at an average of 43%). </p>
<p>Australian analysis also highlights a <a href="https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1024&context=aer">growing concentration</a> of advantaged students are already in educationally advantaged schools. </p>
<p>Creating a socially and politically just education system is a worthy objective. But it’s not just a public-private issue. </p>
<p>Segmented schooling also exists in some Australian government schooling jurisdictions. For example, NSW has a highly stratified government education system which includes single-sex schools and various selective schools (academic, performing arts, sports and technology schools). </p>
<p>This creates enrolment interest from families living outside local communities, exacerbating infrastructure pressures in government schools. And some of NSW’s selective schools have <a href="https://theconversation.com/selective-schools-mainly-select-advantage-so-another-one-wont-ease-sydneys-growing-pains-118449">concentrations of students</a> who are far wealthier than in some private schools. </p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/selective-schools-mainly-select-advantage-so-another-one-wont-ease-sydneys-growing-pains-118449">Selective schools mainly 'select' advantage, so another one won't ease Sydney's growing pains</a>
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<p>The debate over what our society wants from schooling is about equitable opportunities for everyone. The policy outlined by the UK’s Labour Party raises fundamental questions about the role and process of education in society. There seems value to ask the same for Australia.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124271/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Kidson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Many Australians have long have called for the government to stop funding private schools. Now the UK’s Labour party wants to get rid of private schools altogether. Could we do that here?Paul Kidson, Lecturer in Educational Leadership, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1241412019-09-27T14:43:45Z2019-09-27T14:43:45ZWould abolishing private schools really make a difference to equality?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294540/original/file-20190927-185375-llkcyy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=112%2C28%2C6134%2C4139&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/pupils-computer-class-teacher-480125899">Shutterstock/SpeedKingz</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>For some, the British private school system evokes images of rolling playing fields and academic excellence that can pave the way to an elite university education and a prosperous life. For others it simply cements societal injustice and inter-generational inequality.</p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, the UK’s Labour party is now in the latter camp. And at its recent national conference it endorsed a series of measures that would effectively see <a href="https://theconversation.com/abolishing-private-schools-is-admirable-but-wont-make-choosing-a-state-one-any-easier-for-parents-124111">private education abolished</a>.</p>
<p>The proposal would see endowments – or recurrent income from past benefactors – of wealthy private schools “nationalised”. The money would then be used to help subsidise the integration of private schools into the state-funded system. </p>
<p>Creating one system of schools for all would have many potential benefits. For a start it might mean that more high attaining pupils, currently in private schools, would be role models for a wider range of fellow pupils. It might also help to improve social cohesion and foster understanding by creating <a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/education-policy">a better mix of young citizens</a> who will work together in the future. </p>
<p>The better-off parents currently using private schools could add their support to the operation and improvement of their local state schools. And it would enable a large number of issues to be standardised – such as teacher qualifications, provision of extracurricular activities, access to sporting facilities and safeguarding. </p>
<p>Some commentators, though, <a href="https://www.kentonline.co.uk/kent/news/its-absolutely-insane-212917/">claim the idea is rooted in envy</a> and will damage something valuable and traditional in education. Others have said it is not feasible – that <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/d93922e6-dde8-11e9-b112-9624ec9edc59">the costs would be too great</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7496721/Eton-headmaster-SIMON-HENDERSON-slams-Labours-plan-abolish-private-schools.html">Critics have also pointed</a> out that <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/f0e7b158-deb7-11e9-b112-9624ec9edc59">private schools already offer free</a> and assisted places to a small number of disadvantaged pupils – or open their facilities for use by nearby state schools. And others have <a href="https://theconversation.com/get-rid-of-private-schools-wed-be-better-tackling-inequalities-between-state-schools-121805">proposed more modest changes</a> such as ending the charitable status and tax exemption of many of the richer schools. </p>
<h2>Are private schools better?</h2>
<p>Private schools come in <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0013189X030007018">all shapes and sizes</a>. Many are small, with few facilities and these are often accommodated in converted residential accommodation. Quite a few are religious. And some buy in (often from the US) their own curriculum and teaching materials. </p>
<p>In general, these schools don’t take very privileged children, and do not produce notably high attainment results. Quite a large number are special schools, or even hospitals – taking in young people with some of the severest learning or physical challenges.</p>
<p>That said, the majority of privately educated pupils attend larger, more established and popularly successful schools – though <a href="https://mailchi.mp/a7aa2d643ebe/abolisheton">few of these are like Eton</a>. Most are coeducational, non-selective, day schools, with somewhat smaller class sizes than in the state sector, but otherwise not very remarkable. </p>
<h2>Top results?</h2>
<p>A number of private schools have among some of <a href="https://ukguardianship.com/best-independent-schools-in-the-uk-gcse-league-table-2018/">the highest exam results</a> in the country. Though this is not entirely surprising as not only do private schools have better facilities and smaller classroom sizes, but the state sector also has special schools and pupil referral units making up a proportion of its exam grades. </p>
<p>Indeed, more than 20 years of educational research shows that the results of any school are <a href="https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/Do_parental_involvement_interventions_increase_attainment1.pdf">largely determined</a> by the nature of their pupil intake. That is to say, grammar schools do not produce better results, they simply <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2018.1443432">select the most pupils who are already achieving higher levels academically</a>. Schools in the north of England are not worse than those in the south, they simply have <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244018825171">more long-term disadvantaged pupils</a>. </p>
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<p>Across the state sector, any difference in results can be explained by the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244018825171">prior attainment and challenges that pupil’s face</a>. And although the data is less complete for private schools, <a href="https://www.bera.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/J05587-BERA-RI-140-Interactive-02.pdf">there is no reason to expect anything different</a>.</p>
<h2>Reform the state sector</h2>
<p>So if private schools are no better for pupils, perhaps abolishing them would make no difference either way. It would not create a crisis of attainment, but neither would it enhance equality – as the same privileged pupils will still have high attainment at state schools. And those pupils will still dominate subsequent opportunities based on having higher grades. </p>
<p>Some richer parents might also opt for home education, paying for tuition, and banding together to fund extra-curricular activities. The result would be the same as now. Indicating that schools themselves may not really be the issue. </p>
<p>Perhaps then it would be better to address the sharp inequalities in school access in the state system and move towards a position where there isn’t an incentive to spend money on private education. But for this to happen laws and procedures for all schools would need to be equalised. </p>
<p>Private schools would need to be made more transparent, provide more data and be required to use qualified teachers. At the same time faith-based, grammars and all other “diverse” kinds of schools should be phased out – and one school format decided upon.</p>
<p>Above all, successive administrations and secretaries of education need to <a href="https://theconversation.com/abolishing-private-schools-is-admirable-but-wont-make-choosing-a-state-one-any-easier-for-parents-124111">stop creating or expanding new types</a> of state schools – and instead use the clear evidence which shows that the tax-payer funded, SAT-tested, Ofsted-inspected schools are <a href="https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/sites/default/files/files/Do_parental_involvement_interventions_increase_attainment1.pdf">all about as good as each other</a>. And that paying for a private school simply to get an advantage in terms of exam results is a waste of money.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124141/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Stephen Gorard was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to investigate school intakes and outcomes</span></em></p>There’s no evidence that private schools produce better results than state schools for equivalent pupils.Stephen Gorard, Professor of Education and Public Policy, Durham UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1241112019-09-26T11:12:44Z2019-09-26T11:12:44ZAbolishing private schools is admirable, but won’t make choosing a state one any easier for parents<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294346/original/file-20190926-51434-jdmdua.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=90%2C0%2C3935%2C2685&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/etonian-schoolboys-english-independent-boarding-school-1174007794?src=gsQnkNVbQ4elEAK3BQOSTA-1-0">Shutterstock/Bell Photography 423</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Labour has voted on plans to <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-49798861">abolish private schools</a> by removing their charitable status and redistributing their wealth to the state sector.
At the <a href="https://theconversation.com/labour-party-conference-what-to-expect-as-party-debates-its-brexit-position-and-election-plan-123933">party’s conference</a> delegates approved a motion for this to be included in the party’s next general election manifesto.</p>
<p>The idea behind the move is that it will ensure every child gets the best education and start in life – helping to end inequality in the British school system. A system where the prospect of doing well is still significantly <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-britains-private-schools-are-such-a-social-problem-111369">shaped by a student’s socioeconomic background</a>. But the motion has not been taken well by private schools, which have <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/09/23/private-schools-threaten-sue-labour-plans-abolish/">threatened to sue Labour</a> over plans to abolish them.</p>
<h2>The problem with private schools</h2>
<p>Private schooling has inequality as a founding premise – with entry almost entirely dependent on the ability of parents to pay. Private schools perpetuate inequalities and maintain privilege. This can be seen in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/private-school-and-an-oxbridge-degree-remain-the-currency-of-british-politics-37189">over-representation of privately educated people</a> in better universities, and in key professional careers that shape society – such as journalism, law, politics and finance. </p>
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<p>This dominance is achieved not only through the educational outcomes produced by the schools in terms of qualifications but also through what sociologists regard as the <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/newsarchive/creating-cultural-capital/">social and cultural capital</a> that can be gained in private schools. In this way, attending a private school gives students a ready-made network of similarly advantaged friends to help them in the future. </p>
<p>And pupils will also have learned ways of “being” and interacting, which can help ease the way through interviews for university, professional training and jobs. The <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/every-woman-should-part-old-girls-network/">“old boys” or “old girls” networks</a> thrive on a sense of entitlement, belonging and common cultural references.</p>
<h2>A question of choice</h2>
<p>In the meantime, the state schooling system has also become permeated by choice – a concept that was formalised by Margaret Thatcher in the <a href="http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/timeline.html">1980 Education Act</a> – and has remained key in education ever since. </p>
<p>The logic of the market and choice has led to a rapid increase of different types of state schools – including grammar schools, religious schools, academies and free schools. Meaning that parents – and occasionally young people – are increasingly seen as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0965975940020102">consumers of educational options</a>. </p>
<p>So rather than ideas of social welfare, there is a “parentocracy” made up of individual consumers. This is at odds with an education system <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9780230224018">that aims to reduce inequality</a> and provide good outcomes for children regardless of their family background. </p>
<h2>Impact on parents</h2>
<p>This concept of “choice” has led to secondary schools becoming larger and fewer in number – with government policy producing not more schools but an increase in different types of schools. And for parents, this had made choices at once more limited, but also more complicated. </p>
<p>Navigating the complex terrain of different kinds of schools with different entry policies has become a key part of being a “good” and “effective” parent. <a href="https://www.spectator.co.uk/2018/11/why-are-the-middle-classes-so-obsessed-with-schools/">Media coverage</a>, and much <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/30036294?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">academic literature</a>, might suggest that concern about this is a particularly <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/eerj.2008.7.2.176">middle-class anxiety</a>. But in an <a href="https://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719091155/">in-depth study</a> conducted in three areas of Manchester with different social-economic and ethnic profiles, I found that many parents are deeply ambivalent about the process of choosing schools. </p>
<p>Indeed, I found that at all parts of the economic spectrum parents are concerned and sometimes deeply anxious about making the right choices for their children. The study found that for parents, emphasis on choice can produce feelings of inadequacy. Both in terms of feeling there aren’t enough acceptable choices available, and in feeling that if there is only one school to (in practice) choose from, something is wrong – as no choice is being made. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=407&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/294348/original/file-20190926-51401-8cep98.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=511&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The world-famous Eton College.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/windsor-england-26-may-2017-architecture-1006187545?src=gsQnkNVbQ4elEAK3BQOSTA-1-2">Shutterstock/Kurt Pacaud</a></span>
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<p>For most of the people I spoke to, the option of attending a private school was a financial impossibility. And for many it was something they were also politically or morally opposed to. Many of the parents in my study assumed that a private education would be a better education. But many also felt their children would suffer in an alien social and cultural environment – where they would be made to feel economically disadvantaged. </p>
<p>I suspect then that many of the parents in my study would welcome the Labour Party proposal to abolish or withdraw state support for private schools – and would feel that it makes the education system more just. </p>
<p>That said, others might feel that it goes against the idea of choice – which has become so deeply embedded in the education system. That is to say even though such a choice is not available to most parents, the idea that – on an aspirational level at least – it is still an option may still be an important factor for some parents and pupils. So it may well be that Labour would have their work cut out to convince all parents that abolishing private schools really is a step in the right direction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124111/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bridget Byrne receives funding from the ESRC (Economic and Social Research Council). </span></em></p>Over the past few decades secondary schools have become larger and fewer in number. For parents, this had made choices at once more limited, but also more complicated.Bridget Byrne, Professor of Sociology, University of ManchesterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1218052019-08-14T13:13:34Z2019-08-14T13:13:34ZGet rid of private schools? We’d be better tackling inequalities between state schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287917/original/file-20190813-9431-43rsis.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/windsor-england-26-may-2017-architecture-1006187545">Kurt Pacaud/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson is the 20th Etonian to become prime minister of the UK. Most of his cabinet is composed of privileged, privately educated people, with <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/sutton-trust-cabinet-analysis-2019/">two-thirds</a> of his ministers among the 7% of the population who went to fee-paying schools. </p>
<p>With <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jun/25/britains-top-jobs-still-in-hands-of-private-school-elite-study-finds">more than half</a> of Britain’s senior judges, top civil servants and diplomats also privately educated – not to mention substantial numbers in the media, arts and sport – the UK continues to be a country run and dominated by a privately educated minority.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=678&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/287923/original/file-20190813-9429-1dycwk7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=852&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Old Etonian Boris Johnson.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/london-uk-24th-july-2019-boris-1460208074">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>In the same month, Labour pressure group <a href="https://twitter.com/abolisheton?lang=en">Labour Against Private Schools</a> announced its intention to include <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/09/abolish-eton-labour-groups-aim-to-strip-elite-private-schools-of-privileges">abolishing private education</a> in the party’s next election manifesto. The #AbolishEton motion is calling for an election pledge to “integrate all private schools into the state sector”, and the withdrawal of charitable status. For many, private schools have long been regarded as sites of inherited privilege which stifle social mobility.</p>
<h2>Rich man, poor man</h2>
<p>Despite being presented as symbolic of the sector, Eton is not your typical private school. It is just one of 2,500 fee-paying schools across the UK and its enrolment of 1,200 pupils represents <a href="https://www.isc.co.uk/research/">less than 0.2%</a> of the 650,000 children in fee-paying schools. Best known for educating many public figures, such as George Orwell, Ian Fleming and Princes William and Harry, a year’s boarding at Eton costs around <a href="https://www.etoncollege.com/currentfees.aspx">£40,000</a>, while the average annual fee for private schools in northwest England (the lowest regional average) is under <a href="https://www.isc.co.uk/media/5479/isc_census_2019_report.pdf">£11,000</a>.</p>
<p>Arguably, most fee-paying schools are not dissimilar to the best-performing state schools, having little connection to the privilege and prestige of places like Eton. The gap between elite boarding and private day schools is perhaps larger than that between the private and state sectors.</p>
<p>There are also wide variations between state schools, linked to the socio-economic circumstances of their catchment areas. In <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/7/9/169">Scotland</a>, more than a fifth of state schools have fewer than 30% of pupils attaining at least three Highers, while the top 15% have more than 70% of their pupils achieving at that level.</p>
<p>Inequalities also exist for students when applying for university – often regarded as a means of increasing social mobility. At the top fifth of state schools (measured by exam grades) 73% of pupils applying to university apply to the leading institutions; among the bottom fifth, it’s 34%. This <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/access-to-advantage-university-admissions/">compares</a> with around 88% for those from private schools.</p>
<p>Many of the leading state schools act closer to private schools than disadvantaged state schools. Schools in the most advantaged areas are <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/appg-social-mobility-closing-the-regional-attainment-gap/">more likely</a> to have teachers with degrees in their subject area with students who <a href="https://www.suttontrust.com/research-paper/making-a-statement-university-admissions/">produce better personal statements</a>, which is a key part of the university application process. </p>
<p>Characteristics and practices of state schools can partly explain these variations. Our <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/7/9/169">research</a> into the role of guidance teachers showed that schools in wealthy areas had many professional and graduate parents whom they could draw on for support and saw their roles as easing pupils into university while cultivating a CV that appealed to admissions offices. These are similar to the characteristics <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/titles/9294.html">seen in private schools</a>.</p>
<p>By contrast, in the least wealthy areas, guidance teachers often described their role as increasing the aspirations of talented pupils. There was often little experience of university among parents and pupils had few role models in the local community promoting the benefits of higher education. Schools in disadvantaged areas, therefore, focused on trying to sell university to pupils, not the other way around.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/288018/original/file-20190814-136213-80pc2m.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Bringing private school pupils into the state system could see existing state pupils moving to less advantaged schools.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/teacher-helping-female-pupil-line-high-1195675996">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<h2>Integrating private schools</h2>
<p>But the proposal for Labour to integrate independent schools into the state system risks increasing, not decreasing, the inequalities that exist in the educational system. Most privately educated children will live within the catchment areas of the most affluent schools, thus adding well-resourced parents, in terms of both knowledge and finances, to the already advantaged schools. Those schools would benefit and some existing pupils would be displaced, perhaps towards less advantaged schools.</p>
<p>Most of the pupils who get high grades and university places through private schools would achieve similarly through the top-end schools of the state system. The privately educated who would lose out would probably be those living in the poorest areas.</p>
<p>Abolishing private schools would not remove privilege. We would continue to see prime ministers appointed who otherwise would have gone to schools like Eton. It is not attending the school itself, but what underpins admission, where the real privilege exists. Those families would continue to network and cultivate the lifestyles and experiences that foster entitlement. “Entitlement coaches” would become a new parenting industry, replacing the unspoken benefits that elite boarding schools confer on their pupils who exist in a bubble of wealth and privilege.</p>
<p>Already there are <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/5320613/Private-school-grief-how-the-credit-crunch-is-closing-down-schools.html">many private schools closing</a>. A policy focus is needed to ensure that when these fee-paying schools return to the state sector the existing inequalities are not increased.</p>
<p>Some state schools are already seeking measures to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/23/state-schools-choosing-expensive-uniforms-to-exclude-poor-pupils-says-mp">exclude pupils</a> from poorer homes and recruit pupils from wealthy backgrounds. Ensuring that re-categorising schools does not create unintended inequalities is crucial.</p>
<p>Finding strategies for limiting the inequality between state schools should be a central policy focus. Integrating private schools into the state system is an ideological issue which offers few substantive or pragmatic benefits for helping socially disadvantaged young people thrive. And it fails to tackle the problem of inherited privilege.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/121805/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Integrating private schools into the state system will offer little benefit to socially disadvantaged pupils. Addressing the inequalities between state schools should be the focus.Dave Griffiths, Senior Lecturer Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology, University of StirlingJennifer M Ferguson, Doctoral Researcher, Sociology, Social Policy & Criminology, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.