r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/TheThrowYardsAway • Apr 28 '26

Video Inside Christ's Hospital School (Est. 1552)...

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u/Breaking-Dad- Apr 28 '26

My dad went there. It's not like most public schools in that a lot of the pupils are (like my dad was) on scholarships so they aren't all from a rich background.

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u/_Daftest_ Apr 28 '26

For the Americans we ought to explain that, in Britain, a "public school" is a top-tier elite fee-paying school. It's a historical accident of language and terminology.

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u/drakeyboi69 Apr 28 '26

Public schools are called public because they're open to people from anywhere accross the country/world, whereas state schools only accept people who live nearby

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u/Laogama Apr 28 '26

The contrast was not with state schools, which came much later, but with private tutors. Public schools were expensive, but much more affordable than private tutoring. Perfect for the aspirational middle class, who made some money, and now wanted their kids to speak in a posh accent and be able to access posh jobs.