The private school system doesn't just entrench privilege, it can allow abuse to go unchecked
The best of Voices delivered to your inbox every week - from controversial columns to expert analysis Sign up for our free weekly Voices newsletter for expert opinion and columns Sign up to our free weekly Voices newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The investigation also prompted disturbing allegations by former pupils that children at some Accelerated Christian Education schools had been subject to public exorcisms, physically beaten and “groomed” for marriage to older men inside church communities. Grammar schools dominate PMQs Again, while state schools must give children the chance to sit mainstream qualifications like GCSEs and A Levels, private schools are given much greater flexibility – meaning some former ACE pupils have entered adulthood with only “Christian certificates” to their name. Due to historic legacy and class privilege, private schools in the UK have long been subject to a different set of rules than their state counterparts. We assume that private schools must be good quality – why else would so many wealthier people send their children there at such great financial cost?
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