The Future’s Private | NY Zone Exchange

The market for private education in the UK and the US is rapidly expanding as we guide our children through the haze of the economic crisis. Increasingly, parents are choosing to pay for the privilege of a more focused education, which is said to increase both the likelihood of their getting into university and future success in their chosen careers. Yet many of us still are not clear about what advantages a private education can bring to learning and why this matters in modern society.

A uniform syllabus

Private education usually prefers a curriculum recognised all over the world, rather than the looser, exam-focused approach of public schooling. In this way, International Baccalaureate is widely regarded as being a more challenging, broader-based option than A-levels or other similar qualifications. Involving six main subjects (chosen from literature, a second language, individuals and societies, experimental sciences, mathematics and computer sciences and the arts) studied over two years, students must complete a 4,000-word essay on the topic that interests them most. Starting at just 3 years old, students can enter the first stage of the programme and continue to progress through to school-leaver age. The programme also offers a huge advantage to those seeking a much sought-after place at university, since those with three As at A-level will acquire 360 UCAS points, whereas those with an IB score of 30 will have obtained the equivalent of 419 UCAS points.

Allowing the syllabus to be structured in this way means students are not forced to specialise in such a small number of A-levels. It has also been argued that this broader approach gives pupils a stronger starting point for higher education and helps to increase their capability within the workplace. By studying the International Baccalaureate, students from all over the world will be receiving a similar education, and thus the range of their knowledge and their qualifications will have a greater relevance within the international community.

International community

An important feature of independent schools, which is not necessarily the case for public schools, is their international appeal. At an independent school London offers, for instance, students will hail from all over the world, and the resulting multicultural environment enables students to draw from diverse educational cultures and become world citizens.

Are they the future?

From IB schools in London to international schools in New York, the future of education is almost certainly looking private. With the world in continuous turmoil, those that will prosper during the economic downturn are the ones with recognised qualifications and an understanding of the international community and, above all, themselves. A private education encourages the process of self-discovery, allowing students to thrive in ways they had not previously thought possible. These go-getters are the future and have long since left behind those trapped in the confines of the traditional schooling system.