To think State education is really poor?

They actually have two longer days per week, so you’re wrong here. It’s not at the cost of anything else it’s actual added learning time.

They also have an excellent language offering as well as a vast music , art and drama provision.

It is typical in private schools to say children are ‘behind’, yet the National Curriculum is widely criticised for being extremely demanding of children. My theory is that this is their ‘business line’ - they appeal to parental guilt in order to hook you in. I teach in a state primary school and I can honestly say the education we provide our children is fantastic. No we don’t have waterproofs and wellies, but we have dedicated, well-trained staff and a forward-thinking leadership team.

There will be great state schools and poor ones; equally there will be great private schools and poor ones, but I think parental pressure is such that more boxes will be ticked in private in terms of ‘extras’. This doesn’t necessarily equate to better education!

I've never looked round a private to compare but
I thought my Dd's primary was very good. They had huge grounds and changed into coat and wellies to play outside in the winter. P.E twice a week in winter then P.E once and swimming once in summer. They had specialist P E teachers and learnt so many different sports as well as a fully kitted out hall for gymnastics. They had a specialist French teacher and Music teacher. She had instrument lessons too. And the Maths and English was so much further advanced than anything I did at Primary. The classrooms were noisy, though with 27ish to a class.

We have a Grammar system here for secondary and it's awful because you go and look at the Grammars and they're like another world compared to the comprehensives. There are also a couple of faith schools which my DD was lucky enough to get a place at as they are comparable to the Grammars and actually beat some of them in results. But it was so obvious when doing the school tours of the massive divide between Grammar and Faith schools Vs Comprehensives.

Yes I'd take this part with a pinch of salt OP.

The UK national curriculum is designed the way it is so children access it in a spiral, planting seeds then revisiting them to nurture them until they grow into massive trees of understanding.

If you try to skip ahead or hothouse them, the children don't actually do the deep learning/proper retention/understanding of the underlying concepts required to apply that learning to the next thing. The pressure to always "be better" and get ahead of your peers causes children to burnout at different points along the way. Some do it around GCSEs, some do it in the sixth, and some do it during or after uni.

The NC isn't perfect but it's pretty damn good, it's designed to meet children at the developmental milestones they're at (such as stages of brain development) and decent private schools don't try to skip it or get ahead of it.

Anyone who knows anything about how children learn would never say a child is X years behind at primary, it's a meaningless statement.

This is why hothousing is a bad idea, and good schools (private, public or state) don't engage in it.

I'm not anti private schools at all (DH works in one), but from what you've said I'd advise you to go with caution OP and look through the marketing to what they are actually offering, as difficult as that can be. Some private schools are worse than state schools and they're still expensive.

Depends what you class as better and what your other options are locally.

Private schools get a ton more money to spend on extra curricular stuff. And they are all-whatever they say-selective.
You can pay for all those extra curricular things and send your children to state school.

Of it wasn't "better" people wouldn't pay £20k a year for it ..

There's no need for an upper case S on the word state in your thread title OP.

No offence, but I honestly find it hard to fathom how a (presumably well educated) poster could write such a dumb OP. Unless of course it was meant to set everyone off and posted in AIBU to guarantee a bun fight.

@EasternStandard yes area dependent but in any state school there will be a % of parents who just aren't engaged and poverty issues which simply don't exist at private schools to the same extent. Persistent disruptive behaviour at private schools isn't tolerated and offenders are usually asked to leave, at DDs school in a class sizes of 18-20 she said there are only occasional disruptions and these are quickly stamped on.
It isn't a case of all private = good, all state = bad as this is blatantly over simplistic and untrue but not all of us have good state schools.

The thing about ‘two years ahead’ is generally complete tosh.

But they do like to spout it!

You can get quite close in state depending on the area. Parents are invested they just commit to house prices instead, ime anyway

You are completely correct. It is a combination of 3 x the funding per child plus private schools not generally having to deal with behaviour/attendance/poverty issues. Parents who send their kids private are, by their nature, invested in the outcomes.

Money talks

They put wellies and waterproof trousers on and play in the rain at my daughter's state school

It will be interesting to see if you apply for a place, and whether or not he will be accepted - private schools can do this as they are selective. LEA maintained ones can't.

*them not then

Don't forget the attitude difference.

Private schools aren't trying to teach children basic manners and behaviour, they're not fighting with parents who don't value education. They're not also trying to clothe and equip the children. They're not dealing with many generations of poverty and unemployment.

State schools would be very different if all the children & families had the same attitudes, aspirations, backgrounds and financial security that private schools have.

And the funding. Imagine what could be done with 3x as much funding.

Frankly, you should be amazed at what good state schools are achieving in these situations. (There are badly run schools, I'll admit).

In our area, the very deprived town is next to a very well to do town. The state high school results are world's apart. The top sets in the deprived school area, perform the same as the bottom sets in the richer area.
That's been the same for decades.

If your child is in the middle at a private school they will usually be pushed to excel whereas due to financial constraints etc the state school may not have the capacity to grow then. In primary the kids with SEN will also be given extra attention, IME

Oh and private schools always harp on about being 2 years ahead. Its bollocks. 2 years ahead of the bottom of a state school class maybe.

They aren't going to tell you they are about the same, are they. Ask how they quantify & evidence that gap.

Lots of those facilities don't necessarily mean a good education.

There are lovely shiny prep schools like those where i live. Our bog standard state primary has the same % of pupils head off to the local grammars as the preps do, except without all that stuff and for £15-20k a year less.

Ok, you patronising internet oddball @Ballsbaill I’m not a Labour voter (not Tory either) but I have been a state school teacher under both governments and know which I’d prefer for my children. I certainly haven’t forgotten about tuition fees

Why oh why must people be so rude on the internet

To think State education is really poorly Funded?

Fixed your title OP