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Original poster

To think State education is really poor?

814 replies

Boswelian · 17/11/2023 19:55

We sent our eldest to a taster day at a private school. He was agog. His school don't allow playing on the grass when it's wet. The private school change them into waterproofs and wellies for break. PE 3x a week. Sport every day. Dedicated specialist teaching in art, DT, languages, sciences etc. 16 in a class instead of 30. The difference in the quality of life between the two school has really blown my mind. The state school is "outstanding". The private school reckon DS is 2 years behind their curriculum. We've been told in state that he's meeting expectations. How is this remotely acceptable?

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RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 20:07

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 20:04

You thought wrong

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From 2006 fees rose gradually by inflation until 2012 when, under the Coalition Government, tuition fees were raised to £9,000 per year following an independent review of the student finance system by Lord Browne.

commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-8151

Sorry, didn't mean to shout.

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 20:04

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 20:04

Is that you Rishi?

I thought the huge increase in tuition fees was under the Lib Dem/Tory coalition.

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You thought wrong

hettie · 16/05/2024 20:04

Boswelian · 17/11/2023 19:55

We sent our eldest to a taster day at a private school. He was agog. His school don't allow playing on the grass when it's wet. The private school change them into waterproofs and wellies for break. PE 3x a week. Sport every day. Dedicated specialist teaching in art, DT, languages, sciences etc. 16 in a class instead of 30. The difference in the quality of life between the two school has really blown my mind. The state school is "outstanding". The private school reckon DS is 2 years behind their curriculum. We've been told in state that he's meeting expectations. How is this remotely acceptable?

Hilarious.... This one is as old as the hills. My (newly minted) parents were told the same when I went for an 'interview/assessment' at the local private school aged around aged 10... Apparently I would need extra input and resources because I was coming forum shitsville state primary. Which was odd because a) it never materialised and b) I was top of the class in most subjects within a term...I then spent years being bored shitless and under challenged... But you know it had a sports hall, did drama and kept me in school till later in the day (which was probably important to my parents). I could weep at the money needlessly spent...My kids go to a 'good state school' and it out performs (results wise) several privates nearby....

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 20:04

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 20:00

No.

Labour introduced university tuition fees.

Labour started cancelling grammars.

Labour will introduce tax on education.

Edited
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Is that you Rishi?

I thought the huge increase in tuition fees was under the Lib Dem/Tory coalition.

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 20:00

ladygindiva · 16/05/2024 19:59

I thought it was the libdem Tory coalition

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No.

Labour introduced university tuition fees.

Labour started cancelling grammars.

Labour will introduce tax on education.

ladygindiva · 16/05/2024 19:59

Ballsbaill · 17/11/2023 20:03

Education education education for the rich rich rich under labour.

Your precious Blair ... the first thing he did was introduce university tuition fees. How short a memory you have.

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I thought it was the libdem Tory coalition

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 19:58

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:54

Particularly Maths.

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I’d be surprised if a school doesn’t set kids. Impossible to teach otherwise?!

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 19:54

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 19:52

I think some posters who haven't experienced decent comprehensive education don't understand how it works. At DD's school the pupils were set for English and maths from year 7, so they were always learning with other pupils of similar ability.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to teach pupils of very different ability in those subjects.

We had sets. That was the only saviour really. But even in the top sets, there was such a high turnover of teachers. Maths we had sets 1-7. Etc

Then in the ones which weren’t set, RE, Art etc - it was chaos. I remember teachers crying etc. :(

My daughters are now at a fantastic Single sex private school, which is the polar opposite of the one I went to. It’s like Mallory Towers (though not boarding) and they love it.

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:54

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 19:52

I think some posters who haven't experienced decent comprehensive education don't understand how it works. At DD's school the pupils were set for English and maths from year 7, so they were always learning with other pupils of similar ability.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to teach pupils of very different ability in those subjects.

Particularly Maths.

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 19:52

I think some posters who haven't experienced decent comprehensive education don't understand how it works. At DD's school the pupils were set for English and maths from year 7, so they were always learning with other pupils of similar ability.

I can't imagine how difficult it must be to teach pupils of very different ability in those subjects.

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:52

twistyizzy · 16/05/2024 19:47

Maybe I don't see education as needing tangible monetary returns. Maybe I just want DD to be happy, find her niche and enjoy school.

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That's all fine and of course it is a personal choice. I'm only pointing out that if you were considering both options side by side and appraising both financially, the moving one would have been the financial return no-brainer, even before the consideration of VAT.

EasternStandard · 16/05/2024 19:50

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:44

But you have to factor in human behaviour, emotion and values and that is not quite as straight line.

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Oh behaviour too. But that’s what I think Labour are not factoring in. With much at all, not just this.

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 19:49

Saschka · 16/05/2024 19:18

We tried teacher-graded assessments. The people paying for grades all got A*

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Bit like the Covid generation.

twistyizzy · 16/05/2024 19:47

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:35

The money in the house move would be an investment which could be cashed in for future funding of university fees. The private school fees have zero tangible financial return. They are very different types of spends.

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Maybe I don't see education as needing tangible monetary returns. Maybe I just want DD to be happy, find her niche and enjoy school.

opticalconclusion · 16/05/2024 19:44

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:44

EasternStandard · 16/05/2024 19:36

Basic economics. Wish we had more of it in education

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But you have to factor in human behaviour, emotion and values and that is not quite as straight line.

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:43

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 19:41

And then struggled when they got to university.

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Perhaps but the bigger point is they took up places on inflated grades that should have gone to other more talented DC.

RampantIvy · 16/05/2024 19:41

Saschka · 16/05/2024 19:18

We tried teacher-graded assessments. The people paying for grades all got A*

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And then struggled when they got to university.

runningpram · 16/05/2024 19:39

My DD goes to an inner city state school with very significant levels of disadvantage. They study Spanish in yr 2 and have an after school languages club, yoga club and go on trips to see world
renowned orchestras. She can wrote beautifully much better than I could when several years older and is learning to code. We meet kids from the local prep school pit of school and they don’t seem further ahead at all. Im not sure what the local private school could offer except a posher clientele!

Charlie2121 · 16/05/2024 19:37

HumourM3 · 16/05/2024 19:32

No quite the reverse.

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Well you must have had a sudden Road to Damascus moment since your previous posts were written if that’s now the case.

EasternStandard · 16/05/2024 19:36

Charlie2121 · 16/05/2024 19:34

That argument is flawed. Everyone has a tipping point price for every single purchase they make.

It is simple economics that as soon as prices increase demand falls assuming supply remains constant. The notion that every single family could afford the increase is ridiculous.

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Basic economics. Wish we had more of it in education

ForlornLindtBear · 16/05/2024 19:35

twistyizzy · 16/05/2024 19:20

Some of us aren't bothered about amassing assets though. We could have afforded the house move but we chose not to. I would rather invest my money in DDs education, this way we can also hopefully pay for her through Uni too. A house move would mean we couldn't do that.

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The money in the house move would be an investment which could be cashed in for future funding of university fees. The private school fees have zero tangible financial return. They are very different types of spends.

Charlie2121 · 16/05/2024 19:34

HumourM3 · 16/05/2024 19:15

Average fees are £15k. VAT on that will be £250 a month. I absolutely don’t believe that people paying £15k a year with such hatred of the state system won’t shuffle their direct debits and shop at lidl in order to save their delicate flowers from the horrors of state schools.

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That argument is flawed. Everyone has a tipping point price for every single purchase they make.

It is simple economics that as soon as prices increase demand falls assuming supply remains constant. The notion that every single family could afford the increase is ridiculous.

HumourM3 · 16/05/2024 19:32

Charlie2121 · 16/05/2024 19:31

You epitomise Labour’s race to the bottom.

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No quite the reverse.

Charlie2121 · 16/05/2024 19:31

HumourM3 · 16/05/2024 19:15

Yes grammars need to go too.

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You epitomise Labour’s race to the bottom.

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