As a student at Ursuline High School, I feel proud to say that I have been educated at a good state school and have been able to achieve my full potential so far. I wonder, however if I had gone to a private school would I have done any better, or worse?

I also wonder, if private school children are shielded from the harsh realities that modern day society enforces upon individuals in the real world. Are they protected from these realities or are they just as exposed to it as state school children? As a student at a state school, I have become accustomed to being in different social situations and am very knowledgeable of different social backgrounds and classes.

It could be argued that children that attend private schools are not prepared for the real world and are not used to being with a wide range of different social backgrounds.

The gap between the standards of state school and private school grades has also been greatly reduced in recent years. So, are parents of private school children dishing out thousands of pounds each year for no reason?

It is plain to see from any perspective that good judgement of character and basic social skills are core attributes needed to allow young individuals such as myself to prosper in a modern day society. Is this segregated school structure an old fashioned way of dividing society by class or is this the best way to prepare the elite for the professional vocations they will no doubt fulfill?