State schools gain on private
Share:
The Good Schools Guide 2016 has seen state schools gain on private schools for the number of places in the guide.
State schools in Britain have improved so much that some independent schools may go out of business, the guide’s editor, Lord Lucas, says.
When the guide was first published in 1986, state schools made up only 4% (10) of those recommended. Now, about a quarter of the schools featured are state schools.
The guide is published annually and describes 1,200 schools, with passages written by parents. Included among these are schools which may not get good results but which benefit children.
Lord Lucas, speaking to BBC Radio Four, said that the rise in state schools being featured shows “a smaller market for independent schools” which might see a number of private schools going out of business. He also said that, although parents were willing to make “extraordinary sacrifices for their children”, school fees (which average around £15,500 annually) have gone up “more than people’s ability to pay for them.”