To think State education is really poor?

The thing is that individual cases are completely useless. The worst case of bullying I have ever encountered was my godson and happened in a well known London prep and followed him to a top flight public school. But I wouldn't dream of saying that means there is a lot of bullying in private school. Interestingly, one case of bullying in state school seems for some to condemn the whole sector...

And private left my brother deeply traumatised. A lot of the teens at his private school were taking huge amounts of drugs and it was a quite unpleasant environment behind the shiny brochures.

I didn't have such a bad time at private but much preferred state. So many of the girls at my private school were very avaricious and obsessed with comparing each others homes/cars /holidays. Educationally I would say the experience was very similar between private and state (top sets admittedly)

I dont see playing out when its pissing it down as something worth paying tens if thousands for.
One of my dc studied maths at cambridge and another physics at oxford and i spent not a penny on theirv education.

Tbf my son gets a better education being home educated than state. State left him with ptsd.

@LemonAidG less intelligent is a thing. I know we don't like it these days but some people ARE generally brighter than others. I say this as someone who really isn't that bright, only did well in one subject and don't have other skills l can point to as evidence that I am intelligent in different ways. There's loads of us average kids who aren't SEN, and aren't ever going to get 5 A's at any level. The constant failure that still persists to recognise that we exist, we aren't just 'lazy', we just aren't that good at stuff doesn't help. Sure, we would probably do better if we weren't the fobbed off majority of middle-grounders nobody is interested in, but it actually helps if people don't keep pretending average people with average abilities don't exist. We AREN'T all equal. And these days it matters more, because there are fewer and fewer jobs for the 'average' that will pay enough to live on.
I was fortunate to have led an average life at a time when it was easier to live on a low wage, and to have a DH. We both earned, we both got a mortgage, now paid off.
These days, you need skill or traditional academic ability just to make ends meet, but still we just ignore the 'average' in the state system.

@Boswelian- what do you mean not good enough? Obviously state schools don't have private schools bells and whistles-they can't. But all my children's friends did well, got to the universities (including Oxbridge) and into the careers they wanted. Seems good enough to me!

Caerulea - looks like you may have hit a nerve

How is it cruel? Some people are less intelligent than others so maybe need somewhere like private school to get them to achieve more highly. Yes ideally state schools should all have the funding so all children get an equal chance but given this country keeps voting for a government that’s not going to do that the choice the parents face if they can afford it is private or the state system we have. The OP is clearly considering private, so I felt it was a valid point I made.

"Less intelligent", what a cruel thing to say. So much for the cliche of the snobby private school parent, also exists in a state school eh?
There are lots of factors that impact a child's education and abilities - it's not because someone is less intelligent.
I've lived abroad in Singapore where my DC attended a state school, the level of investment from the govt was impressive. The lack of funding in state schools is embarrassing, the government should be held accountable.

Mine is at state school not even a particularly high performing one and got 5 As at higher without us having to pay £££ for the privilege. So no, not in our experience, but maybe if your child was less intelligent it might be an issue.

David Cameron stopped the school rebuilding scheme. Many schools fundraise for books, educational visits etc. Termly fees at Harrow are £16,850!

@Boswelian Do you really not understand the difference money makes to class sizes, food and so on?

Oh you probably would come & would probably be utterly delightful! It's an area that really runs the gamut of people, I promise.

I was careful to say things like 'tend' because it's definitely not everyone, like absolutely not, there is just a clear difference on balance & one you (all of us) are not likely to see among your (everyone's) peers cos by & large we keep the same sort of social groups. State schools are a real mix of ppl from all backgrounds, private schools are not - with rare exceptions obvs.

Trust me, though, arseholes are everywhere in all shapes and sizes & their colours are most obvious when you're serving them or cooking for them. Unfortunately that means it plays out exactly as I have described often enough that it becomes A Thing for private school families more than for state schools.

I think it’s more that some people don’t place any value on something which is free (at the point of use). It’s the same with the NHS.

There are vast numbers of people who don’t realise how lucky we are in this country to have a “free” health and education system. It should be appreciated and respected more than it is, as it was when it was first introduced.

Children should be brought up to value their education and grab every opportunity. Instead, there are too many parents moaning about their child being expected to wear the correct uniform for example. Children and adults should recognise that everyone has responsibilities as well as rights.

@CurlewKate

Yes, I agree. I was quoting a poster upthread (annoyingly my reply function doesn’t work).

@CaptainJackSparrow85 "The problem is that people do not see education as a privilege any more,"

Good. They shouldn't.

Sorry, but why is anyone surprised by this?

We all have our own experiences. None of DDs friends are entitled etc but I'm not saying it doesn't exist however I've met many rude and entitled state school kids too.
You have experience within 1 setting but don't write off all private kids and parents, in my experience it isn't a true representation.
Maybe that's just the sort of people that the particular setting you are talking about attracts and possibly I would never go there as it wouldn't be "us" so would never witness that type of behaviour.

The problem is that people do not see education as a privilege any more, they have become consumers, where "the customer is always right". This has seen the erosion of the "service", if you like, and the outcome.

I don’t really think it should be viewed as a privilege though. Education is a legal requirement, a fundamental human right, and forms the future workforce. Yes it’s a privilege in the sense that children could be down the mines but I don’t really think that should be our benchmark.

Don't believe I said that 🤷🏼‍♀️

@Caerulea OK so all private school kids and parents are entitled and vile and the kids hate their family time. OK.

The sad thing is that the system used by the majority is crumbling. I teach and have seen the erosion of staff pupil relationships due to curriculum overload. Classes are too big, there is not enough provision for those with additional needs and pupils and staff are overwhelmed.

I don’t see how this contradicts what I said