To ask why you send your children to private school?

If you can afford it then I don’t see a big issue. What I do find a bit unusual is people who sacrifice literally everything to send their kids to private school.

Private school where I live is not the same as UK (not nearly as expensive) and I chose it for my kids as it offered much smaller class sizes than our local school and didn’t have as many behaviour issues. Also more varied class options (music, art, gym, technology etc).

I live somewhere with poor local schools. If I lived somewhere with great schools, I would have used them.

Yikes your catchment school sounds awful!

Honestly we just sleepwalked into it. We moved from abroad, started calling nurseries in order of distance and they were the first ones to say yes. Then she seemed happy there and it was covid so not like we could tour other schools anyway and 3.5 years later here we are with a sibling also attending!

I didn’t say music and drama! Public speaking, overall culture of just loving their school and learning. The growth mindset and of course the smaller classes. At prep 14-18 and Seniors around 20-22

I wanted school to be enjoyed, not endured. Our only state option was a fucking mess and DD was a quiet, nervous kid who would have been cannon fodder there.

YABU not to report every single instance - of course the school have to act on it. legally, they need to report to the council, for a start

In the private system where I am the ratio teacher to students is 1:8 or 1:7 depending on the school. In the public it’s more like 1:13 to 1:15. My child isn’t outgoing and I don’t want him to get ‘lost’ and be invisible in a big class with no enough teachers. The rest of my reasons are more minor.

We moved mid-year, a move planned a long time in advance. None of the schools around us would even give us an indication on whether they would have spaces for the kids, or if we'd be able to access the after school club. We both work ft, couldn't afford to wait for God knows how long to get school places and there was no guarantee they wouldn't end up in different schools at opposite ends of the city. So we had the kids sit the entrance exams to a private school just in case and they ended up going there. Glad we did.

A lack of diversity at their ‘outstanding’ primary. Moved them at 7+.
Literally no effort put into catch up post Covid. Eldest was not pushed to her potential.

Outside academics just the amount of opportunities on offer. The sport, I don’t think one of my DC would be a county netballer if she’s stayed at her primary.

i love the mix of children from different ethnic backgrounds. They were the only children of colour in their respective classes. Other religious festivals were not even acknowledged.

The overall drive of the teachers is outstanding.

The extra curricular on top
of the sport is amazing!!

I taught in one and got 50% discount and it made the pragmatics of three DC and a full time job manageable. I think that since the 1990s there’s been a slow creep of narrowing curriculum and less exciting teaching in many state schools. The music, drama and sport were also a big factor.

Interesting. Scotland here. Primary is local authority. Excellent rural school. Two teachers job share my child's class. Both utterly wonderful. The attention and time I would not be able to replicate elsewhere. Composite class, primary 1-3. 14 pupils.

High school meanwhile, likely to be private all the way. Catchment school makes me cry never mind the children. And I know most parents with children ages with mine feel the same way

Just want them to have a brilliant time at school and develop a love of learning, I also value lots of physical exercise and sport which the private sector does really well.