To think State education is really poor?

All the schools near us are outstanding. I was and am happy with ds's school. Ds1 left and is at uni, he's fine, ds2 still there. I've got friends with dc at private. But once you've got to uni, does it matter if your 3 x A* are from private or state? They said your ds was 2 years behind?

Well said!!!

Obviously

There is extra resource at private - but it comes at a huge cost.

And several of his fellow Labour MPs sent their children to private or selective schools. He was heavily criticised at the time for the school he sent his sons to.

*So how did I end up a solicitor from a working class back ground. I know many working class background doctors and lawyers.

If you want something badly enough you'll work for it. It's all too easy to blame someone else for what you wouldn't work for.*

Oh for goodness sake. For someone who claims to be educated, you are very ignorant. I'm from a working class background and have a PhD. So what. That does not mean that life success isn't MUCH more stacked in the favour of children from more affluent families. Yes, some (you and me) dodge, sidestep, or overcome the extra obstacles (or in many ages are just lucky). But do not be so ignorant as to assume that others are simply lazy. The odds are stacked against some children even before birth. There is a whole system at play here, and you need to open your eyes a bit.

It's extra curricular. So swimming, music lessons, dancing, sports, horse riding. It doesn't mean extra learning in the sense of "learning subjects".

… and my son went to Oxford , worked damn hard! Doesn’t mean this shower want an educated , thinking working class!!!

@CaptainJackSparrow85

Missing the point of the thread spectacularly, but my child’s state school has waterproof onesies for outside play. And they ask us to provide wellies.

LOL 😂👏

Mine too! 🤣 DS would be upset if he had wellies provided instead of taking in his own Spiderman ones which he knows and loves, and the class's wellies all sit on a shelf outside the classroom door which is cute overload.

@JaninaDuszejko
I clearly said IME (in my experience) and those children with SEN were given extra support. Deafness is a whole other level.
My point is there is extra resource at private.

Missing the point of the thread spectacularly, but my child’s state school has waterproof onesies for outside play. And they ask us to provide wellies.

They have all those facilities and opportunities but they have to spend time with ghastly posh, entitled kids
I'm hugely proud my DS is a state educated kid at a top RG uni. All my kids are thriving in state schools.

@Boswelian If he really is 2 years behind they won’t be falling over themselves to accept into their very selective fold

Our state school has award winning choirs, puts on an amazing show every year, wins Science prizes (beat local private schools to do so), does loads of sports (including having a ski team), offers a huge array of trips every year and has excellent pastoral care.

We have chosen to continue with music lessons outside of school but only to avoid missing other lessons regularly - there is a more than decent range of instruments on offer.

Not all state schools are dreadful.

Eek! Reported double post.

Friends of mine were very clearly told by their local private primary that they would be wasting their time applying for a place for their deaf daughter. They weren't interested in having pupils with additional needs. My friends were shocked at the way they were treated. She went to her local state school, was sat at the front of the class and did brilliantly and is now at a (Russell Group) University.

Well, I employ several young people age 15-21. I can tell you that the ones who are privately educated are not anywhere near as good at the job as others are from state schools.
They might be able to get high grades but they are not prepared for the working world!

This.

Also agree that the 'two years ahead' claim is a bit if a red flag. Unlikely, and would be of dubious value anyway at a young age.

Not sure this is a new phenomenon op....isn't it exactly the reason rich people shell out for private education? Because all the extra funding means it can provide a much better experience and funds aren't drained by meeting the barage of SEND, mental health and poverty related needs that state schools are battered with. The underfunding of state schools is very poor...the schools and the staff in them do a remarkable job given the shit they have to deal with.

You may be bright and brilliant - I’m sure you are and would have a brilliant career no matter what school you went to.

the argument against divisive paid for education - or at least mine is - comprises many things including social equality. But you often hear how people feel their children would not have achieved if they hadn’t been privately taught/coached. Astounds me that they are competing against people like me

The trouble with all this "extra curriculum" is that there is a maximum amount of learning a child's brain can do before it just gets tired. Learning isn't the only thing a child should do in a day! Having more lessons actually gets to diminishing returns territory. Children should be playing, socialising, and enjoying quality time with their family too, to learn social skills and feel secure and confident. The best private schools offer a schoolwork-life balance to their children.

Yes, DDs outstanding state secondary did the same.

It's a grotesquely simplistic assessment to say private = good, state = poor.

@Thepeopleversuswork this is very true.

In our town there is a private school that seems to be fairly popular. It's results are good but not massively better than any of the state schools in the town. Slightly better, that's all. When you consider that it is also selective and that it's intake will be primarily from reasonably well off middle class families who are very committed to their children's education then I don't think that is a ringing endorsement. If the other schools can take all abilities from all backgrounds and still give them a run for their money I am not sure whether it is worth the money.

I had a colleague whose DD attended there. Very bright girl, but when she got some health issues in VI form which meant she was struggling to keep up, the school were just not interested. Totally unsupportive. She ended up having to leave and finished her education at the local college who were much more understanding.

I have to admit the extracurricular opportunities at the private school are probably better. Certainly for music anyway. Like a PP though we were in a position to provide those activities for our DC ourselves

One of the private schools near us advertises a 100% success rate into the local Grammar, the small print states 100% of the children they recommend take the 11+.