Public school

For those of you in the mood, RationalWiki has a fun article about Public school.

Public schools are different things on either side of the Atlantic Ocean (The Pond). However, both sets of schools are heavily influenced by the

American public schools

Public schools in the United States are schools paid for by government funds to educate all students in the area for free or minimal cost. People with an axe to grind call them "government schools", which is something of a shibboleth for conservative libertarians. Because of the First Amendment to the US Constitution, public schools in the US are not allowed to hold religious functions, which tends to get Christian underwear in a twist. Also they tend to want to teach evolution in science class. Apparently that's because evolution is science or something, but this time the twisted underwear mainly belongs to fundamentalists because mainstream Christians don't have such a problem with it.

Public schools on both sides of the Atlantic are heavily influenced by the Prussian schooling model. Is the purpose of public schools

...to fill the young of the species with knowledge and awaken their intelligence. ... Nothing could be further from the truth. The aim ... is simply to reduce as many individuals as possible to the same safe level, to breed and train a standardized citizenry, to put down dissent and originality. That is its aim in the United States... and that is its aim everywhere else. --H. L. Mencken

British public schools

What are known as public schools in America and other countries are called state schools or comprehensive schools the UK. They are funded by the government and attended by the vast majority of British children.

The term "public schools" is used in Britain to refer to a small number of expensive (and snooty) prep schools, the most famous being Eton, Harrow, Rugby, and St. Custards. Exactly what is public about them is a bit of a mystery to someone who didn't grow up with the term, but the name is derived from the time when anyone (the public) could attend, given the cash necessary.

Traditionally British public schools were boarding schools where parents from the elite would send their sons to get beaten by headmasters, housemasters and prefects. This was believed to be "character-building". Today corporal punishment is illegal in British schools. Public schools often have esoteric traditions dating back several generations. One of the most famous public school traditions, now discontinued, was "fagging" (nothing to do with homosexuality, although reputedly a lot of that goes on at public schools too). Younger pupils used to be selected as "fags", acting as servants to school prefects (an elite group of older students). Until the mid-twentieth century, prefects had the right to cane or otherwise discipline their fags and other younger pupils. The Duke of Wellington is often quoted as saying that "The Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton", although it is unlikely that he did.

Nowadays public schools are generally regarded as rather elitist, giving rise to the "old school tie" environment in "the City". As any fule kno "the City" refers to the financial and similar companies/organisations primarily in the City of London (The "Square Mile" - not to be confused with Greater London).

Rich parents pay very high fees to get their children (usually sons) a select education at public schools. There are also public schools for girls (Roedean being the most prestigious) and some boy's public schools accept girls at the senior level in the 6th form. The most successful public school students conventionally progress to the similarly elitist and traditional Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Today there are a high number of state school-educated students at these universities, but there is still a large public school contingent.

See also

• Public education