Figure 1.-- There are a number of commonly held images about private schools in Britain. They tend to be widely held by the general public with no experience with private schools. The strength of these images in part stems from the fact that British schools, especially boarding schools, often were not very nice places. This image has certainly been perpetuated by the media. These were not the situation we found at the schools we visited. |
There are a number of commonly held images about private schools in Britain. They tend to be widely held by the general public with no experience with private schools. The strength of these images in part stems from the fact that British schools, especially boarding schools, often were not very nice places. This image has certainly been perpetuated by the media. These images are not always consistent. One popular image is that children attending private schools were pampered and had access to much better facilities than children attending state schools. Another conception is that the schools are stark, unfeeling institutions and and a difficult experience, especially for younger children. Another conception is very strict if not draconian discipline. Some also view these schools as unfriendly places where the younger children are bullied. These conceptions have changed over time. Some of the bleaker images of private schools are not all that unrealistic, at least in historical times. As late as the 1950s, many of these schools were not very happy places. An American reader writes, "It seems like there have been a lot of British novels about boarding schools that most Americans haven't heard of. I was aware of Tom Brown's School Days. I was also familiar with children's literary classics such as Lorna Doone. Most Americans get their impressions about British boarding schools from books like David Copperfield. By high school age, Americans may have seen movies like "Young Winston" or "If" or read memoirs by people like George Orwell. It is interesting to read here the actual conditions at these schools."
