to think there is not much difference between private schooling and moving into catchment area of a good school?

[knowitallstrikesagain]

Lots of people I know consider themselves to be against private education. But the vast majority of them aspire to live in an area with a good high school. These area are more expensive to live in, so basically they are talking about using money to get their children a good education, they are just going about it in a different way.

AIBU to think you should not be 'morally opposed' to private education if you move into a desireable area just to be near good schools when you are well aware that other people cannot afford this location?

[vj32]

Very few schools have only expensive houses in catchment. You could rent to get in catchment. You could downsize.

Schools are strange places. Private schools are stranger as they are under fewer restrictions about what they have to teach and do. If you go to private school it is very difficult to come out not thinking that everyone 'like you' is rich, people who work in Tesco or don't have a proper 'career' are either thick or lazy, and that it is completely normal to go skiing every year and have a boat and a holiday home. This doesn't happen at a state school. No state school has an entire catchment of upper middle class houses.

[Sleepwhenidie]

YANBU I fail to see the moral difference too.

[knowitallstrikesagain]

vj I have to disagree with your point. Many people send their children to private school and use all available cash to do so. There are no posh holidays, skiing, boats etc.

And I know of a lot of areas that have excellent high schools and are considerably more expensive to live in, on average, than other areas with less good schools. There might be some affordable housing but this will still not be as affordable as housing in an area with a rubbish school. You are right that there may not be only 'very expensive' houses in the catchment area, but you can bet that a 2 bed flat will still be more expensive than a 2 bed flat elsewhere, therefore still out of reach of some.

And from what I have seen, rental prices in a desirable area are still higher than in a not so desirable area.

[blueemerald]

vj32, what the fuck are you talking about? I have friends from 4 private schools and none of them think like that. They all do jobs like teaching, human rights lawyer etc, jobs that benefit the whole of society. Also only 1 had a holiday home because her mother was from that country and I am the only one who has been skiing because I worked in a hotel for 6 months.

OP, I think you are right and would like to add people who are anti private schools but use grandma's address to get into a better school.

[Morloth]

YANBU, there is no difference as far as using your money to buy something for your kids that you think is better.

We did it, I don't dress it up as some sort of moral choice. We had a look at all the schools available, we choose the ones we thought would be best for the DS's and we bought into the catchment.

There is no cheap housing where I live, even the townhouses around here go for at least AUD$500,000.

I am not actually sorry about this, nor am I anti private education either, we used it in London when I thought it was the best choice for my DS. I will always put the needs of my children above those of others.

We went the house over private school path because we thought it made more financial sense. They get the great school and we get a house that will (hopefully) appreciate in value over the years.

[MousyMouse]

yanbu at all.

[Tannhauser]

There is a differenceactually- private is cheaper where we are than moving into the catchment of a decent school!

[GrahamTribe]

vj, what a load of cods!

A. Rental prices reflect the desirability of schools too.

B. I know plenty of schools which only have expensive properties withn their catchment area, often because the demand for the school makes the catchment area so small. An extreme example of this is Dulwich Village school in London where the catchment is year on year less than half amile walking distance from the school gates after siblings etc have been placed. You try finding me an inexpensive house within half a mile of the village, much less any social housing! That's a state school with nothing but an entire catchment of upper middle classes or middle classes aspiring to be UMC!

And downsize? Sure, put your two DC in a shared bedroom but many already live like that. What's your answer, make the 15 yo daughter share with her 17 yo brother or keep the 6 yo's awake all night by squeezing the sleepless toddler in with them?

C. Why the hell is it ok to make economic decisions in the best interests of your DC education if you can afford to move (including afford extra time expenses to get to work, removals fees and all that goes with a house move) but not if you can afford to pay for the education directly? Assuming that you can afford to move of course.

As for that public and independent school leavers find it hard to empathise with state school educated people or many of them thinking that people without serious careers are thick or lazy, what an insulting remark.

[JayelleBee]

We stay in the catchment area for the state school that is supposed to be the best in town. I still send my kids to private. It is simply a better school than the best state school available to me.

I disagree with the comments made earlier about independent schools kids looking down on folk who work in Tesco. What a lot of bollocks.

[conorsrockers]

knowitall - I think your name is 'apt'. What a hugely incorrect over generalisation.
We are currently looking at Senior Schools for DS1 and have looked at both Grammar (there is a VERY good one in our area) and independents. The differences are obvious, but whether they are worth an extra £500k over the next 12 years is what needs serious consideration for us as the sacrifice goes far deeper than selling our fictional yacht or losing one of our non-existent skiing holidays!!

[Frontpaw]

Have we missed trotting off to church to pray to a God you don't believe in or - converting especially to get into a good school. I have even heard of someone pretending to be Catholic (when I know they are muslim) to get into a school. I still can't work out how they swung that one!

Try downsizing in London! Or getting into a decent state school where there are so nmank children for few places.

I know lots of people educated in both sectors and the only differences I can see between them (either way) is the emphasis their families have put on getting a good education and working hard to get results. I find privately educated folk who have the 'oh, I haven't a clue how to fill up my own petrol tank - the little man does that for me' and BSing and saying it for effect. I have worked with titled folk and (minor) royalty and they know the price of a pint of milk and how to change a sparkplug.

[GrahamTribe]

conor, I think that knowitall's on the same wavelength as you, it's vj who isn't.

[knowitallstrikesagain]

conors Not sure, but I think you may be mistaking me for another poster who thinks that everyone who pays for private school does so not because education is a priority, but because they have shit loads of money and don't know how to get rid of it.

Unless you are referring to my OP being a pile of bollocks, in which case, fine.

And thank you, I do so love my name and how it annoys people

[Principality]

YANBU OP.

VJ You are talking absolute bollocks.

My DC go to a private school because the local state school was failing DS1. To put DC in that school we have given up a lot. We drive an 8, nearly 9 year old banger car. We do not have holidays, except last year when my parents kindly offered to pay. We do not live in a big house, but a small end of terrace. We could afford all of the above if we didn't have two dc in private education. This is absolutely fine, our choice which we are very happy with.

But it fucks me right off to have some gobby ignorant person tell me that because of the school i send my dc to, we must be skiing, boating, holiday home-ing delusionals.

[OrmIrian]

They might also be using their money to benefit the entire family by moving into a nicer area and a better house. It isn't just about education.

[knowitallstrikesagain]

I am working class and I don't know the price of a pint of milk. In fact, I hadn't even noticed it was sold in litres til yesterday.

I must have been privately educated

[chandellina]

GrahamTribe, look harder, there is social housing estate even near Dulwich Village, and plenty of children at the school otherwise not living in mansions.

[mummytime]

Well if you can get the same end result then buying in the right catchment makes sense financially, as when your kids have left you can move somewhere cheaper and get some of your investment back.
Admittedly a) I live in a risky area for DCs excellent secondary and refused to move into catchment. B) DCs school has social housing very close.
However we could afford our house, unless we cashed it in, I couldn't afford the £30000 a year it would cost to put just my girls through private school.

[GrahamTribe]

Where, chandellina? (It's been years since I've been there, I'm old and my memory's failing).

[Frontpaw]

I know how much milk is! Only because I buy so much of the stuff. Don't know how much a pint of beer is though - its been years since I went into a pub.

[LaurieFairyCake]

Dulwich village house £1300 opposite the infant school

<a class="break-all" href="//www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-33022435.html?backListLink=%2Fproperty-to-rent%2Fmap.html%3FlocationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E85470%23_includeLetAgreed%3Don%26houseFlatShare%3Dfalse%26locationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E85470%26previousSearchLocation%3DDulwich%2520Village%26radius%3D0.0%26searchLocation%3DDulwich%2520Village%26searchType%3DRENT%26sortByNewestListing%3Dfalse%26useLocationIdentifier%3Dfalse%26box%3D-0.09244%2C-0.07806%2C51.44775%2C51.45247%26popupPropertyId%3D33022435%26mapType%3DMap&fromMap=true" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">2 bed flat

<a class="break-all" href="//www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-33938263.html?backListLink=%2Fproperty-to-rent%2Fmap.html%3FlocationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E85470%23_includeLetAgreed%3Don%26houseFlatShare%3Dfalse%26locationIdentifier%3DREGION%255E85470%26previousSearchLocation%3DDulwich%2520Village%26radius%3D0.0%26searchLocation%3DDulwich%2520Village%26searchType%3DRENT%26sortByNewestListing%3Dfalse%26useLocationIdentifier%3Dfalse%26box%3D-0.09244%2C-0.07806%2C51.44776%2C51.45248%26popupPropertyId%3D33938263%26mapType%3DMap&fromMap=true" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">lovely 3 bed for £1600

I love a challenge Graeme

[flowery]

All those who think it's just as bad, could you answer me this?

I'm against private education. We were moving from London to Cambridgeshire, and took schools into account when deciding which area of the county to live in. Would you say I shouldn't have even looked at what schools were where and what their reputation was etc? Just decided on a location based on other factors?

[DIVA85]

VJ is a typical person who has never had any experience of a private school and is is being ignorant and thinking because you go to a private school there is a stereotypical image you need to keep up with.
Grow up VJ, you are the only one judging anyone.

[Emphaticmaybe]

Where I live each high achieving state comp in the affluent suburbs has to take a cake slice of catchment towards the inner-city to include schools of different socio-economic make-up. I think my kid's school is truly comprehensive. The 4 schools that feed it can be divided roughly on the grounds of very wealthy middle class, first generation middle-class, working-class, and the state supported.

What is wonderful, is that I don't think my kids feel divided at all. It's given them the opportunities to meet children from all over the globe as well as from different economic backgrounds while still having access to a great education (78%) pass rates some years.

It allows the kids from disadvantaged backgrounds to be part of an environment where, because of parental involvement and support of the school, there are many extra opportunities for all and reaching your potential is expected. The PTA actively recruits parents from all ethnicities and economic backgrounds to be part of the school support system.

What I'm saying is, to attend my kid's school you could live in houses ranging from 1 million+ to social housing and still be eligible for a place. I think comprehensive should mean comprehensive ( all inclusive) or you are still adding to the divisions in society and the 'buying' of an education through being able to afford property in the right area.

[flatpackhamster]

flowery

I think that, yes, if you're going to be intellectually consistent, you should have ignored the condition of the local state schools. If you're looking for an area to move to with good state schools then you are essentially selecting, just on the basis of catchment area.

I don't think anyone should criticise a parent for doing the best for their child. What sticks in the craw is when parents who are 'against private education' select on the basis of wealth by moving to a new catchment area. They're essentially saying "I want to pretend I'm being moral without actually risking a bad education for my child".

Private schools (and grammars) are the last bastion of educational quality in the UK.