What makes a ‘public school’ public?

Education forum organiser Harley Richardson explores the 14th Century roots of one of the most controversial and misunderstood parts of the British education system…

‘Public school’ has to be one of the most confusing education-related phrases in common parlance. In the US it means what most of us would expect it to mean – a community school that is free for members of the public to attend. In the UK, however, it means the opposite: an exclusive, fee-paying school attended by the children of the elite, such as Eton, St Paul’s or Harrow. A school much like a private school, in other words. So what, if anything, is ‘public’ about a public school?

Read the full post on Learning through the ages for the full story.