# Talk:Public school (United Kingdom)

I note the link to the above list was deleted on 4/10/21, when the list itself was deleted.  I am disappointed to see this list disappear.  It was deleted, noting the discussion, on grounds of 'lack of notability', 'advertising/marketing/puffery', 'trivia'.  It is too late for me to join the deletion discussion but I do fundamentally disagree.  The value of the list is being part of UK and Commonwealth social and economic history evidencing the role of (mostly) public schools in proving the officer class in the UK armed forces.  Indeed it also shows how officers may well be over represented as recipients of this medal.  I am unsure how this deletion may be appealed.Hjamesberglen

Public schools were originally so named because they were operated by the people, in contradistinction to church schools, which weren't. This should be included in the lead paragraph; instead of being squeezed out like juice from a recalcitrant lemon later in the article.
Nuttyskin (talk) 16:10, 23 September 2023 (UTC)

That age is long past. It is time we abandoned this outdated terminology so that other countries don't have to pass an English culture exam to know what we are talking about. Carusus (talk) 13:48, 4 September 2025 (UTC)

My understanding is that Scotland and Wales do not use the term "public school" at all nowadays. In which case the title of this article surely should be "Public School (England)". I can't bring myself to read the article in its entirety as it's thoroughly boring and stinks of elitism, but if it does not already make it clear that even in England the term 'public school' is becoming increasingly deprecated, then it should do so. Whether "public schools" were originally so-called because they were "open to anyone" or "run by the public", it's a fact that any English school still using the "public school" moniker is most certainly not open to anyone or run by the public. Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 21:33, 12 November 2024 (UTC)

You might be right, Cambridge dictionary says the name is used in England only ([1]). We probably need to start a WP:Requested move process to move to Public school (England). Vpab15 (talk) 21:56, 12 November 2024 (UTC)
Thank you @Vpab15. The potential for confusion in the term "public school" is obvious. In USA, a public school is a state-funded school: which is logical and intuitive. I rather suspect that owners, staff and alumni of English "public schools" revel in the blatant contradiction in terms. I can recall as a child being utterly brain-scrambled when I was told that the polar-opposite words "private" and "public" in fact meant the same thing when succeeded by the word "school".
In contrast the term "private school" is, I think, wholly unambiguous. It would be a lot simpler and clearer if articles about private/independent/fee-paying schools used the terms private, independent or fee-paying. Perhaps, excusing my facetiousness, with a "footnote" to explain that some of those connected with private schooling in England like to call it 'public schooling' as an extension of their elitist ethos. I'm only here by unhappy accident, and I'm going to exit stage-left and leave any changes to someone else! I've put my point-of-view into the public/private domain for posterity :) Flusapochterasumesch (talk) 22:21, 12 November 2024 (UTC)
A quick glance over at the Glenalmond College shows this in the references - a Scottish source, using the term "public school" to refer to a Scottish independent school.  So I don't think we can unambiguously say this is a purely England and Wales usage.  I've rephrased more cautiously in the lead.
I've also removed the wording "Fee-charging schools are referred to as private or independent schools" - of course, these terms are also used in England, but don't have the same meaning as "public school". This reads, as do some of the comments above, as if "private school"/"independent school" and "public school" are being read as synonyms?  They aren't, public schools are a specific group of schools and are associated with a specific culture - the two terms aren't interchangeable. TSP (talk) 15:38, 28 November 2024 (UTC)
All public schools are private/independent schools. But not all private/independent schools by a long shot are public schools. -- Necrothesp (talk) 16:33, 5 December 2024 (UTC)
i'm still trying to get over the fact that high schools in the UK are called "college".  how about a mention about THAT near the top?!
eton college -- UK "public" (US: prep) school
oxford college -- UK college
????
help a yank out here!  2601:18A:807C:1C40:79:23E9:4593:1953 (talk) 17:10, 18 May 2025 (UTC)
We in the UK still can't understand why a university in the USA would be called a "school"! -- Necrothesp (talk) 10:49, 29 May 2025 (UTC)