constant battles on the subject of private versus state education, so why didnt anyone mention this before?

[vvvodka]

dc just been put into private school. and they do games. lots and lots and lots and lots of games. and i dont have to scout around for decent footie, or karate or whatever, they just do it all at the school, coz the school organises it. he now does about six hundred percent more sport than he ever did in his ofsted outsdanding state school.

and he meets a bigger variety of people. more skin colours, more accents, more cultures, just more variety of everything. not just in his school, but also in the schools that they go off to play matches against and that come to their school to play matches with. in dc1's entire seven year career at the outstanding state primary, he never once met another childf rom another school in an event organised by the school.

so far, i am very very pleased with it. i just am surprised that no one ever mentioned it on the state versus private threads on here. or maybe they did, and i had tuned out at this point? or is ofsted fibbing about that particular state school being outstanding?

[Hullygully]

They don't mention all the art, drama and music either...BUT it depends if you think it's worth paying for or not. It don't come cheap.

[Hulababy]

Oh it has all been gone over before. Thing is oftehn there are two polarised views, with neither side listening to one another. And the rest of the people in the middle don't get heard.

IT's just like all the other contraversial threads on MN. They pop up every so often, same people, same agruements, nothing resolved.

[Pyrocanthus]

Not wanting to get drawn into private vs state debate, I have to just say that my DDs' 'outstanding' state primary, though nothing special in the sporting department as far as teaching is concerned, hosts a football tournament and fields teams in football, netball, athletics and swimming. Over the years my DDs have been involved in music festivals, sports coaching events, a county-wide road safety quiz and a couple of other cultural events with other schools.

I don't doubt for a moment that your private school provides more sport within the curriculum, but it sounds like the state school needs to get out more.

[vvvodka]

so true. i know i often dont do more than skim read them, and i have supposedly been interested in this debat.
yes, the state definitly needs to get ou tmore. is very very insular.

[FuriousGeorge]

I don't know about private schools,but dd's state school has inter school sporting fixtures,concerts,visits ect.In fact they are visiting an inner city primary next week,and that school will visit ours in the near future too.

[vvvodka]

fg, i guess its just the state my kids went to. the fact that ofsted thinks its outstanding, and its in a 'nice' area just lulls everyone into a place wehre they think its normal to be so insular.

[policywonk]

These things get mentioned a lot by private school parents on these threads, IME.

[thedolly]

vvvodka - consider these costs:

hockey £100 per term
rugby £100 per term
football £100 per term
karate £100 per term
swimming £100 per term

So, for £500 per term (an over estimate btw) your DS could do all these activities (either after school or at weekends) provided you organised them yourself. He would presumably meet a bunch of new people (maybe even those with different skin colours, accents, cultures, depending how you organise it) at each activity and probably when they play matches too.

Your DS will probably not meet a broad social mix at private school. It will most definitely be skewed towards the more 'privileged'. You are probably paying an extra £2000 a term for that privilege. .

[Lonicera]

My child's state primary does quite a lot of inter school stuff: drama festivals, music festivals, football, multisports, maths competitions to name a few I can readily think of.

[vvvodka]

dolly, thats just it, he is meeting a broader variety than he did at the state school he went to.
this isnt a state versus private thread. i cant be bothered with the arguments and debates, or whatever you want to call them. i just wanted to metnion something that i am very happy to be currently experiencing. if people want to turn it into once of those threads, then i shall have to bow out.

[seeker]

But that's the point - you pay for it! You can still pay for all that stuff if your child goes to a state school - it's just that the taxpayer isn't paying for Jocasta's polo lessons, either at state or private. At a private school you hand over the dosh and the school provides the polo lessons, at a atate school you hand the dosh directly to the polo club. Or the swimming, trampolining,rugby [isert sport of choice]club.

[thegrammerpolicesic]

Maybe the problem with the state v private threads is that there is so much diversity in both sectors that it's hard to generalise.

There are some immensely diverse private schools near here and some very monocultural ones too.

There are some state primaries with lots of clubs and activities, and others whose idea of music classes is solely confined to a recorder class or two.

[Lonicera]

Last year my child's state primary took part in this: www.guinnessworldrecords.com/adjudications/080714_Chinese_whispers_post.aspx

[Ivykaty44]

They dont realise the difference, but as cat64 says all will differ even withine the same parimiter.

We have two secondaries near us, both are good school - one has lots and lots of sports clubs and even though they dont have a pool they have a swimming team - the other school doesn't have that many sports clubs but they have others styles of clubs.

Lucky though the local pulic school has great facilities and hire them out and my dd who goes to a state junior goes to clubs at the very well equipt public school and uses their facilities that the parents have funded and I now help upkeep with my club money

I can't afford fees or public or private school but I can stretch to clus of different variety

[MollieO]

You pay whether at state or private school. The only difference I've noted is the additional costs, like music lessons, tend to be cheaper at school than if you arranged them separately although some are exactly the same. You are paying for smaller class sizes, better (on the whole but not always) facilities and a less constrained curriculum. You may also have better wrap around care provision (more compatible with working hours).

[thedolly]

If you wanted your child to meet a 'bigger variety of people with different skin colours, accents, cultures' than his Ofsted outstanding state school provided then it was up to you to ensure that he did.

If you are saying that you didn't realise that it was what you wanted but that it is an added perk of private education then you are likely as not to get a 'debate' about what it is that you are paying for when you go 'private'.

Whether or not Ofsted should judge schools on their 'diversity' is a whole other debate .

[OrmIrian]

Didn't he. My DC often do. Athletics events, dance/theatre events, G&T events.

And we aren't 'outstanding'.

[Rhubarb]

Because vodka, those of us with children in not very good state schools, don't like those whose children are excelling in these utopia like private schools, rubbing our noses in it.

I don't think for one minute that any of us are under any kind of illusion that states are so much better than private, there is a reason people pay for private after all. But as we have no choice but to send our children to these mediocre schools and try our best in the meantime to make up for this in other ways, whilst also knowing that a child with a private education is far more likely to win a place at a good Uni than our state children.

It's called boasting and is none too nice.

[vvvodka]

i dont want to be part of any debates. i am very happy with my choice for my dc. i am only mentioning it, coz i am very pleasantly surprised by this aspect of his new school, compared to his old school.

[Rhubarb]

So you thought you'd come and share that information with us all. About how wonderful your dc's private school is.

Thanks, that's made me feel so much better! In the meantime I'll just go and offer to listen to children read in my dc's state primary because they are short of TAs.

[OrmIrian]

Well the answer to why it wasn't mentioned before is because, for many of us using state schools, it isn't the case.

[HolyBumoley]

It has been mentioned. Lots. (including by me!)

I'm glad you and your DS have found a school you're happy with.

[missismac]

Yawn, another boastful "what a marvelous experience my child is currently having at private school - can't understand why everyone doesn't do it" thread (subtext, if you can't afford it you're probably just a whining layabout that doesn't work hard enough). Honestly, how dull. Go and spend some more money vvvodka.

[vvvodka]

yes i did rhubarb, and i dont understand why you are taking this so personally.

i also have an excellent gp practice, that i can walk to, with excellent healthvisitors, and baby clinic etc. doctors appointments available on the day, etc, if i mention that, will i get people accuse me of boasting about htat? after all, its a postcode lottery isnt it?