Talk:Private school

Requested move 30 November 2022

 * The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review after discussing it on the closer's talk page. No further edits should be made to this discussion. 

The result of the move request was: moved. It seems to be apparent that "private school" is the most widely understood term for this kind of school. (closed by non-admin page mover) — Ceso femmuin mbolgaig mbung, mellohi! (投稿) 20:17, 21 January 2023 (UTC)

Independent school → Private school – Per WP:COMMONNAME. Both were separate articles until they were merged (see Talk:Independent_school/Archive_1), but the less common name was chosen. It should be moved to the more common name. More than five times more common in google scholar results since 2000. See also ngrams. Vpab15 (talk) 17:05, 30 November 2022 (UTC) — Relisting. – robertsky (talk) 18:44, 8 December 2022 (UTC) — Relisted.  P.I. Ellsworth &thinsp;,  ed.  put'r there 14:42, 9 January 2023 (UTC)

This request has been reopened and relisted this date as the result of a discussion on my talk page.  P.I. Ellsworth &thinsp;, ed.  put'r there 14:42, 9 January 2023 (UTC)

 No consensus. See below no strong agreement to rename this article. As is usual with no-consensus outcomes, editors can strengthen their arguments, discover new ones, and try again in a few months to garner consensus for this name change. Thanks and kudos to editors for your input; everyone stay healthy!  P.I. Ellsworth &thinsp;, ed.  put'r there 17:38, 30 December 2022 (UTC)


 * Support Rreagan007 (talk) 18:28, 30 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Comment, to preempt any potential WP:RETAIN opposition: the term private school is widely used in the UK . Both terms are used as synonyms. A government website also claims both names are equivalent: Private schools (also known as ‘independent schools’) charge fees to attend instead of being funded by the government. . Vpab15 (talk) 19:04, 30 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Oppose per MOS:RETAIN. @Vpab15 you are forgetting the UK's definition of a Public school, which are also examples of independent schools. The term is an umbrella one and more inclusive. YorkshireExpat (talk) 20:58, 30 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes, for some reason in the UK "public school" refers to a kind of private school. That is extremely confusing. However, not sure how that is relevant to this move request. Could you please elaborate? Vpab15 (talk) 21:10, 30 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Well, we were here first ;). Both public schools and private schools can be classed as independent schools, so better to use the title with the widest scope. YorkshireExpat (talk) 19:23, 1 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Private school and independent school are just two names for the same thing in the UK per links above. Also according to the Independent Schools Council's website: Private schools (also known as 'independent schools') . Vpab15 (talk) 17:35, 2 December 2022 (UTC)
 * And yet it's called the Independent Schools Council. All private schools are independent schools, yet not all independent schools are private schools. Why change? YorkshireExpat (talk) 19:36, 2 December 2022 (UTC)
 * not all independent schools are private schools. The references I provided say they are the same. Vpab15 (talk) 20:12, 2 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Some terminology here. Read this bit, which agrees with the way the article is already written: All independent schools are private schools, and these terms are often used interchangeably but technically, independent schools are all overseen by a board of governors or trustees, whilst other private schools may be run by their owner with no governing body.. A reference here that differentiates private schools from public schools (in the UK). Also explains prep schools, which are private but have a different name, but are also independent. Independent is an umbrella term. MOS:RETAIN and, also I think, MOS:ENGVAR both apply here. YorkshireExpat (talk) 22:24, 2 December 2022 (UTC)
 * So it seems some UK sources do not make any difference between the two terms and some consider independent schools a type of private school. In that case, we should choose "private school", since that is the broad term the best matches the scope of the articles. Also, per MOS:COMMONALITY, we should use the more common term considering other countries. That is clearly "private school". Vpab15 (talk) 12:23, 3 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Please read the quote again: All independent schools are private schools, and these terms are often used interchangeably but technically, independent schools are all overseen by a board of governors or trustees, whilst other private schools may be run by their owner with no governing body. Indeed, the article itself says in the lead that there is a difference in British English, so once again, MOS:RETAIN and MOS:ENGVAR both clearly apply. The one thing that all the types of school we have discussed here, and that the article discusses, is that they are independent, and therefore the current title remains the best choice. YorkshireExpat (talk) 18:24, 3 December 2022 (UTC)
 * You said better to use the title with the widest scope. You also said independent schools are all overseen by a board of governors or trustees, whilst other private schools may be run by their owner with no governing (emphasis mine). So it seems "private school" has the widest scope, doesn't it? I am struggling a bit to understand your opposition. Vpab15 (talk) 12:42, 8 December 2022 (UTC)
 * So these types of schools CAN ALL BE DESCRIBED as 'independent' in the sense of being independent from Government, whereas due to various technicalities and historical oddities, some would describe themselves as either being public, private, or independent. Therefore the 'independent' description has the widest scope, hence the MOS:RETAIN argument. Some publications consider all UK 'private' schools to be public. This also leads me towards and WP:ENGVAR argument. You simply are not considering British English in your argument. YorkshireExpat (talk) 17:14, 8 December 2022 (UTC)
 * "Private school" is a widely used term in British English per your own links (and mine). I don't think various technicalities and historical oddities is a strong enough reason to ignore WP:COMMONNAME. Vpab15 (talk) 18:40, 8 December 2022 (UTC)
 * It may be widely used, but is not universal, and therefore not a common name. 'Independent' is also widely used (as evidenced by the references). You seem to be ignoring MOS:RETAIN and MOS:ENGVAR. YorkshireExpat (talk) 18:47, 8 December 2022 (UTC)


 * Support per COMMONNAME. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ortizesp (talk • contribs) 19:25, 8 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Comment. In the UK, all public schools are independent schools, but not all independent schools by a long chalk are public schools. Private school and independent school, however, are technically synonymous, although the former today tends to refer only to smaller schools rather than the larger public schools. When I was at public school in the distant past, the term "independent school" was rarely heard and public schools were happy to (somewhat confusingly, admittedly, but confusing those not in our tribe is what we British excel at; see British Army other ranks rank insignia) also describe themselves as private schools. -- Necrothesp (talk) 16:06, 14 December 2022 (UTC)
 * From a British English point of view, there seems little good reason to change the article name and a couple of middlingly decent reasons to leave it alone. I might also point out that other major English variants appear to commonly use 'independent'. It has always seemed to me (as a state (i.e. public ;)) school alumnus) that public schools described themselves as such to make themselves appear just a little more elite. It is all very confusing. And let's not even get started on Grammar schools. YorkshireExpat (talk) 21:41, 14 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Support per nom. Shwcz (talk) 16:01, 17 December 2022 (UTC) — is a confirmed sock puppet of.
 * Oppose In Australia, independent school is the formal name for non-government schools, it includes private schools, but it can also include Catholic schools or other religious schools. Vic Park (talk) 12:27, 18 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Support - the WP:COMMONNAME seems fairly clear, and as noted, in the UK the terms "independent school" and "private school" are used in sources pretty much interchangeably (even "public school" can refer to the same thing too). &mdash; Amakuru (talk) 13:55, 19 December 2022 (UTC)
 * @Amakuru and what about Australian English, as noted in the comment above yours? YorkshireExpat (talk) 17:45, 19 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Strongly oppose:
 * In Australia: As per the comments above and this article from Australian ABC News makes its clear: The term "private school" is largely meaningless. It is not used in this country by any government or formal educational organisations. It is commonly, and incorrectly, used to describe non-government schools, including Independent and Catholic system schools. But these schools are certainly not "private" in the sense of being for-profit businesses. The article, and other sites, go on to explain that a non-privilidged community school can be described as an independent school, yet probably wouldn't meet most reader's understanding if the term private school is used. In Australia, a church-run school would be considered independent, and unlikely to be considered private.
 * In Canada: There is a distinction between independent schools and private schools, defined by their governance, as per this article. Independent schools are not ‘private’ schools, though they are often referred to that way. The key difference is that private schools can be for profit and independent schools are not. Independent schools have charitable status and donations can be eligible for tax receipts. Private schools are also independent in that they are not part of the public school system, but are for profit and may come in many different varieties of management structure.
 * In the US: This article and also here opine that there are significant differences between independent and private schools, most notably surrounding governance. This excerpt from the Utah Office of Education is interesting in how it defines a private school: A school that is controlled by an individual or agency other than a governmental entity, which is usually supported primarily by other than public funds, and the operation of whose program rests with someone other than publicly elected or appointed officials. Hence, in the US, a church-run school would be considered private, but not independent.
 * In the UK: The body representing independent/private schools is called the Independent Schools Council and the UK Government regulatory is the Independent Schools Inspectorate. There is no Private Schools Council or Private Schools Inspectorate (my emphasis). So the term private is not used at an "industry" or "regulatory" level.
 * In summary: The term private school has a different meaning in North America than in UK/Australian settings, principally related to the school's governance structure. In Australia, the term private school is used to incorrectly refer to the non-public sector. In the UK, there are complications around public schools that are non-government schools, and may be either private or independent. In addition to this there are government schools, some of which are incorrectly called public schools. Rangasyd (talk) 09:38, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * @Rangasyd solid analysis. Also, the situation in South Africa and New Zealand appears to be similar to that in Australia. YorkshireExpat (talk) 10:14, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Per WP:OFFICIAL, we usually go with common names, not official ones. From all the links above, it is clear "private school" is a widely used term in those countries. Also, no conflict of interest whatsoever about Colette Colman, the executive director of the Independent Schools Council of Australia criticising the term "private school" and saying it is "meaningless", saying there are mostly not used by the privileged or elite and basically asking for public funding for private schools. An opinion piece doesn't count as a reliable source in this topic. Vpab15 (talk) 10:35, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * @Vpab15, it is clear from all the evidence presented that both terms are widely used (hence MOS:RETAIN), but in some cases 'private school' is incorrectly applied. The scope of the article clearly covers those type of schools that @Rangasyd discusses, therefore to use the term 'private school' would be incorrect. As it appears that the main opposition is based around English variants other than American English, MOS:ENGVAR applies.
 * If anything your arguments suggest to me that 'Private school' should be split out as a different page, but with a section in this article, as private schools are also independent schools. YorkshireExpat (talk) 12:27, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * MOS:RETAIN doesn't apply here, since "private school" is used pretty much in all varieties of English. So whatever the variety of English currently used in the article (let's say British English), changing "independent school" to "private school" will preserve it. You keep repeating that some independent schools are not private school, but you have provided sources that say All independent schools are private schools, so you are actually contradicting yourself. Vpab15 (talk) 13:08, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * You're cherry-picking by not giving the second half of the quote, which contradicts the first half, plus it's only one source, and 'pretty much' is not 'all'. Also, the article does not specify an English variant, and talks about the situation across the Anglosphere.
 * Why is a new article specifically on Private schools not a reasonable compromise? YorkshireExpat (talk) 13:54, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I don't think there is scope to have two articles about the same topic. The differences are not enough to warrant it in my opinion. By the way, the article is not only about the Anglosphere, it is about private education and private schools in general across the world. This is a bit off-topic, but I think the article dwells too much on the terms, rather than the topic itself. There is way too much "refers to" and "is a term for", which we should avoid per WP:ISATERMFOR. Vpab15 (talk) 14:20, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * I do agree that it would need a rewrite if renamed, mainly to remove the references to schools that are independent, but not private. YorkshireExpat (talk) 21:03, 21 December 2022 (UTC)
 * Canadian here. You seem to have stumbled upon one lobby group's idiosyncratic definition of private school, not a definition in wide use in the Canadian literature or in popular usage. In fact, that page from the Canadian Association of Independent Schools from which you quoted seems to contradicts itself, saying in one place that "private schools can be for profit and independent schools are not", which would suggest that the term private school is inclusive of independent schools, and in another that "private schools are ... for profit [emphasis added]". Graham (talk) 23:05, 9 January 2023 (UTC)


 * Support - Per WP:COMMONNAME, WP:ASTONISH, and I frankly just find the objections to be mostly edge cases and/or over-technicality about language. The goal is to be useful, not perfectly precise. Garnet Moss (talk) 20:30, 9 January 2023 (UTC)
 * @Garnet Moss calling the rest of the Anglosphere an edge case is maybe a little harsh. YorkshireExpat (talk) 20:43, 9 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Reading user Rangasyd's examples against using "Private School", their American counter-citation is completely contrived, "Private School" is absolutely the common parlance here. Their Canadian counter-citation literally states that "private school" is the primary colloquial term used to describe them. Their Australian and UK counter-citations simply say that it's not a meaningful technical term, but imply that it is nevertheless widely used. The confusion over "Public School" is more notable, because in British and American English they mean very different things, but "Private School" is colloquially understood across the Anglosphere to refer to non-state schools, and differ only in the details (profit/nonprofit, religious/secular, etc.) Garnet Moss (talk) 21:03, 9 January 2023 (UTC)
 * But it still stands that the article covers schools that are not 'private schools' whether or not they are referred to as such. There is a Venn diagram here, where 'independent schools' are the superset containing 'private schools', and, as written, this article discusses the superset. Also, your argument does not adequately address the situation in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, or other English speaking countries that are not the USA or the UK. Even if 'private school' were the common name (which I would still argue against) and this article were to be renamed, a lot of information would have to be removed as it is not about 'private schools'. I think the best solution, and a compromise, is a split, where another article named 'Private school' is created, and information taken from here to populate that, but that would require overruling the previous merge decision. I would argue that there are enough sources referring to both, and the differences, to merit that inclusion.
 * In response to the Ngrams, I am coming to the conclusion that this is not useful when discussing moves involving WP:ENGVAR. It seems biased towards American sources, even when British English is selected. YorkshireExpat (talk) 17:33, 10 January 2023 (UTC)
 * It seems biased towards American sources, even when British English is selected. What leads you to that conclusion? Graham (talk) 05:53, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Experience of moves on here where WP:ENGVAR is relevant. See Talk:Grey as an example. Tricky for me to prove anything of course, but 'gray' is really not widely used in the UK. YorkshireExpat (talk) 07:09, 11 January 2023 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
 * Comment As if to highlight the point that this is not an ENGVAR issue, there's an article in the Guardian this very day, predominantly using the term "private school". There are plenty of uses in Australian sources too, e.g. This title arose as a result of a merge a few years ago, which chose a title which is much less common worldwide, and without a strong consensus. There's very little reason to keep this present title.  &mdash; Amakuru (talk) 08:11, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Please explain to me how the different understanding of 'public school' in the US and the UK is not an WP:ENGVAR consideration. YorkshireExpat (talk) 19:43, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Because this article, in case you missed it, is about private schools. The fact that "a rubber" means something different to Americans as to Brits doesn't mean that we need to move pencil. This article's title (current and proposed) is unambiguous. Red   Slash  23:18, 11 January 2023 (UTC)
 * @Red Slash please read this and, indeed, the first paragraph of the article you are commenting on. YorkshireExpat (talk) 17:20, 12 January 2023 (UTC)
 * Support. It's not an ENGVAR issue, as much as some confused and well-meaning folks seem to think it is. Independent schools are private schools. Private schools are independent schools. "Private" is never a synonym for "for-profit"; it quite literally means "independent from the government, not belonging to the public". So we might as well choose the more WP:COMMONNAME. This proposed title is also more WP:CONCISE. Red   Slash  23:18, 11 January 2023 (UTC)