This document discusses the histories and philosophies of public and private education. It explores the development of mass education for working-class people alongside the private education of the upper classes. It also examines the debate around what constitutes 'public' versus 'private' education, and questions who defines the purposes of education. Key themes discussed include the gendered curricula of girls' and boys' private schooling historically, and the ongoing class divide in education today. Feminist perspectives on domestic and private learning are also considered.