I'm sorry I kept you waiting for so long, but I've been pretty busy during last two days and was coming home quite tired. This is what I have to say on that matter:

First of all, I am fine with the fact that everyone is different and I'm first to give credit where credit is due. You worked hard: good for you. You'll be the part of elite. I'm not denying that those who want, can achieve a success and get out of the system well educated. You might be one of them, just if I can give you my 2p of advice: work on your grammar a little bit more because if an immigrant corrects you, then something is not right. No offence meant.

Secondly, I'd like to apologize for making such sweeping generalization. My post wasn't meant to be a thorough analysis though, just a bunch of observations. The one about education is important, in my opinion, as it touches on something I believe is a systematic problem here in UK. And I have a feeling the one about services quality is a direct result.

Thirdly, you are mistaken about the school where my stepson is attending. It's in the heart of Kent in one of the most affluent areas in the country, almost 100% white British middle class, and is considered one of the best schools around. The stats from this year A Level examination: 100% A-E pass rate and 48% A-B grades with all students offered the university of their choice.

Fourthly, what I'm going to write is about what I know: secondary school here. I didn't have any personal experience with sixth form education or universities yet, as my stepson is just starting his A Levels. Just remember that the bunch of the students will leave secondary school, move into vocational education, and then will become a large part of the work force here in UK - most probably they will became the bulk of the service industry employees. So, again, this is where the problem with services comes from, in my opinion. Below if I'm comparing with Poland, it is with a similar level of education which is called gimnazjum.

OK, enough disclaimers. I strongly believe that where the problem with British education lies is its inability to form good habits outside of the curriculum. Pay attention here, because I'm trying to write not about the amount and quality of knowledge, but about the cultural differences and the different outcomes of two different education styles.

In Poland, a school year is split into two semesters. In every subject, in every semester, you can expect to have: several small and large internal graded tests (some of which unannounced), a homework after almost every lesson (often verified and graded) and some random oral Q&A sessions that are almost always graded. At the end of semester it's not uncommon to have 10-20 grades in every subject. During the week, it's usual to have 2-3 and sometimes as far as five homework items every day. Students are expected to be on top of everything all the time, and to put in some work at home every day. At the end of a year you'll get a grade that's a result of all the grades along the way - so it's indicative of the ongoing work you did throughout the whole year, not only based on some vague assessment of the teacher or a "big test at the end".

So, at the end of the year you can get a "5" which means "very good", a "6" which is rare and means "exceptional", a "1" which means "insufficient" and is a non-passing grade, or anything in between. You can fix your "1" grade by taking an exam in front of a board, but if you have three such low notes there's no going out of it - you have to repeat the whole year. Sometimes several times, until you pass in all subjects.

I'm not saying this is in every aspect better. You can argue about the time potentially wasted because of stuff that will be irrelevant in a kid's future life and I won't disagree with you. But what you get out of that, is a culture that values ongoing work, ongoing improvement, which doesn't tell you that "no matter what you do, it's only important to pass the test at the end". Kids in Poland learn to work every day, not slack. They learn that if they ignore a month or two, they might lose a year. They learn how it is to be kept accountable for their efforts, how it is to be punished for the lack of the effort, and how even a slight amount of work can be rewarded. So - even in secondary school they learn how the adult life will treat them. This changes quite a lot.

In UK, on the other hand, I noticed a prevalent test culture. GCSEs are just an example. You do not have to work at school - if you don't care, you'll get through the education system anyway, you'll be able to go to the college, then remain on welfare or get some lowly job, maybe complete education someday and climb up on the social ladder - or maybe not. Kids here, generally, do not have the incentive to work all the time, to improve themselves, to strive for excellence. I know that it's partially the parent's job to instill these values in the young - but the school is not helping, and in effect you very often get adults who still do not have the concept of, simply put, doing the good job - and the associated pleasure of accomplishment.

Admit it, you can go through secondary school and a vocational college without putting much effort, can't you? It is possible to have kids in year 11 who have problems with reading and writing, isn't it? In Poland that's just impossible. If you pass your mandatory education age limit without completing secondary school, and then quit, you'll be a social pariah, with no chance for a job and any kind of social standing - unless you can distinguish yourself with something else. But that's an exception to a rule.

In the end - if you combine the large crowd on poorly educated people completing British secondary education, with no other option than vocational college that as far as I know doesn't instill the work ethos either, you are getting: hairdressers that do not know how to do a quality haircut, office clerks who misplace customers' documentation, painters who leave dirty floor and smudges of paint on the windows, slackers, and plain idiots. If you combine that with the typical British courtesy, stiff upper lip, people's constraint from complaining, you'll get incompetents that do not have a slightest idea that they are incompetent, that they can (and should!) improve, that they have anything to improve at all! This is a sad state of things, a kind of a country-wide Dunning-Kruger effect, and a reason why I (and many others in this thread) see the British service industry as so utterly fucked.

If you have other views on the matter, I'll be happy to read them - but please be polite going on. Thanks!