What are the differences between Chinese and English private school?

Answer 1

Differences between Chinese and English private schools should be set against the context of wide differences in educational approach and philosophy in China and England in general. These are reflected in differing relative emphasis on academics as opposed to sports, music, arts and social activities and the relative roles of teacher and student in the learning process.

History: Chinese private schools have only been reestablished in the last two decades compared to a long interrupted history for many English schools of two or more centuries in many instances.

Teachers:the best teachers in China tend to remain in the public school system, while good teachers in England tend toward the independent sector

Motivation behind school: A large number of Chinese private schools tend to be set up with profit-making goals, whereas most English private schools are registered charities.

Fees: Both are more expensive than their public school counterparts, but in absolute terms, English schools' tuition fees are considerably more expensive.

Size: Chinese schools tend to be much larger than English schools. Private schools may be as large as 4000-5000 students, compared to a large school in England of 1500 students.

Campus size: Most older private schools in the UK have large campuses with extensive playing fields.

Academics: Private schools in China are academically inferior to public schools whereas private (independent) schools in England are academically superior to public schools on the whole, based on exam results and university entrance. This is driven by some of the factors above.