The sad truth is that in the Greater London very few state schools can claim 70% or higher test scores. The only school available to Becky when we moved over boasted at the time that they had achieved an unprecedented 55% GCSE score. If you dissect what it means, you conclude that a bit over half of the pupils get at least 5 C’s on exams – and the rest does worse. This doesn’t even sniff “mediocre”, IMHO.

I taught for a couple years at a US Dept of Defense school at UK military base. It was really no different than most American schools except that the students were perhaps less diverse, very much middle class and fairly well behaved. I never had a chance to visit a British state or public school, and my kids were babies then… Well, actually, I was expecting Zach, he was born a month before we moved home.

It is stereotypical that US education is not particularly broad or deep, the quality isn’t there. My youngest’s school is pretty good – the only quality measure I’m aware of, test scores, puts it at 70%. It’s well funded with caring, passionate teachers and a good sprinkling of AP and high-end technology classes.

The neighboring ultra-rich island school district is at 95%, but I don’t think the high-achievement, snobby pressure would have been a comfortable fit for the boys, I’m glad we are where we are.