Yes, I adapted 'public' school for the American sense of the word, because I believe most people here live in US. I was mostly in what we call primary school and then comprehensive - i.e. free, government run schools
I only ever went to one of what we would call a 'public school' - i.e. a fancy fee-paying school. I didn't care for that much either.
My disrupted education had nothing to do with my personal abilities or behaviour, I just had a family with a bunch of undiagnosed neurodiversities who couldn't stay in one place for long and didn't really understand why pulling kids out of school every six months or so isn't a great idea. I just learned to keep a low profile and coasted through school getting grades in that little window where you're not singled out for extra help but not really achieving anything either.
I am looking into scholarships for my daughter in case I can get her into one of the better schools. She's super smart but struggles with focus, so we'll see.
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"No way, you forgot what a bird sounds like? No wonder you're depressed." - Jake the Dog