Counseling Education

Are private school teachers better?

Are private school teachers better than state schools teachers? The controversial debate has been ignited once again after the Government’s latest education announcement.

The Government has recently revealed that two prestigious private schools – Wellington College and Guildford High School – will be among 150 new centres used as teaching schools to train teachers for state schools.

With plans to have 500 teaching schools in operation by 2015, many of them state schools, the proportion of private schools acting as training centres is still comparatively low. However, it does mean that in some cases private teachers will be giving on-the-job training to those in the state sector. What are the benefits of this, and more importantly, does this mean that those teachers who train at private schools get a better training than those who go to state schools?

Not so controversial really?

Perhaps private school teachers training their state counterparts is not such a controversial idea after all. The differences between state schools and private schools are varied, but never more obvious than when it comes to results.

Figures show that teenagers are three times more likely to score straight As at A-level at a private school compared to a state-run school. In total, 30.6% of pupils in private schools achieved three As compared to 10.7% in state schools.

Better resources?

Though there is undoubtedly a huge amount of variation among the facilities offered by state schools (a term that encompasses a variety of educational establishments – grammar schools and academies, for example), it would not be unfair to say that private schools often have better resources and facilities; better-equipped classrooms, better individual support for students, and so on. Not only does this provide a conducive learning environment in which pupils can attain the best results, but it also means that the best teachers are likely to be attracted to such establishments.

But while better facilities, along with other factors such as smaller class sizes and greater support for teachers, are often cited as reasons for the success of private schools, it would be wrong to assume that the actual teaching talent is not, at least in part, responsible for the wide disparity in results.

The personal touch

In a private school, there is often more of a focus on developing the pupil on a personal level, for example with involvement in after-school clubs. This allows teachers a greater insight into a pupil’s talents and interests, and helps them to tailor an education to get the best from the pupil – a factor that is also helped by more one-on-one time and smaller class sizes.

Parental influence?

This is also backed by private school parents, who can justifiably ask questions if they do not feel their money is paying for the best education. Ultimately, teachers answer to the parents and this, once again, gives teaching a more personal feel – as well as spurring them on to attain the highest teaching standards. Furthermore, a private school, and the parents of its pupils, will usually be quicker to replace under-performing teachers with those who can do a better job.

The best talent?

Of course, it could be the case the best teachers are attracted to private schools. One obvious reason for this would be pay. Teachers may find that smaller private schools cannot match the pay of state schools, but the larger schools will be able to because they are backed by parents paying tens of thousands of pounds each year. As well as higher basic pay, teachers at private schools will often find it easier to move up a pay scale, without the many complex assessments that state teachers are accustomed to.

Private schools are certainly capable of paying for the best talent and attaining impressive exam results. Perhaps it is not so controversial that private schools were chosen among the new teaching academies after all.

Image credit – Public Record Office, Victoria on Flickr