To ask why you send your children to private school?

The ethnic diversity thing isn't weird at all. All our local private schools have a disproportionate amount of children from Asian backgrounds. Lots live in multi generational homes, often much more crowded than is typical of white british culture, and this frees up a lot of money for school fees.

We’re a trilingual family and although we lived near an excellent state school, it didn’t provide education to enable DC’s to be educated in more than one language. Also the private school we chose had wrap around care and holiday programmes.

I haven't demonised anyone who chooses private.

However people are just plain rude about state schools, acting as though any parent who chooses one is basically neglectful because how could one possibly send a child to such a hell hole.

Perfectly fine to justify your choices arouns excellent facilities, smaller class sizes etc. There's no need to add in rude comments demeaning state education.

My reasons were they were our nearest schools. Neither my ex nor I were well educated, he left school with no qualifications and we were both working class. He'd built up a business that meant we could afford the fees. However, when I later started to work in schools, I was very pleased that my children were in their private schools.

If controlling the cohort is the driver you’re wasting your money - teens here socially mix state and private all dds closest friends are at various private schools yet she is not - hope their parents aren’t pissed off!

Oh and good wraparound care

@NotGoingToLie Because it’s not a core reason

It’s
Smaller classes and better discipline so the teachers can teach and the kids get more individual attention

A broader curriculum

Sometimes better academic results overall, often better results for kids with particular needs that a state school doesn’t have the capacity to meet

Smaller sizes of school so quieter kids don’t get lost

More sport and extracurricular activities so kids that need a lot of stimulation get it

less pressure and better resources mean school is often just more fun

More choice on the type of school - sporty for one child, small and nurturing for another

There will be some parents who worry about cohorts at state schools, but usually only if the school has particular issues, or their kids are likely to be in lower sets.

@Sausage77 well it will be for parents who are ethnically diverse. And maybe for others too of course. Why is that funny? Do you imagine ethically diverse parents don’t use private schools?

OP that is shocking.

My child is in private because he had awful luck at state and had just too many poor teachers, he has some sen issues and just wasn’t on track to do well at state, he was languishing in bottom sets, getting bullied and he was miserable. So we’re using up our savings and may remortgage to put him through private for years 9-11. Thankfully great state post 16 options locally.

Specific needs not being met at state school, she’s thriving at private school.

Who cares what anonymous randoms say?!

A PP on this thread went on the attack at anyone who chooses private.

DS wanted to apply to UWC for the IB which we agreed he could on the understanding that if he didn't get a large enough scholarship then he couldn't go. The scholarship was generous but still left fees higher than we could afford. In the end we decided the opportunity was too good to miss so we took out a loan. Only a two year course. Had it been any longer then it would have been a no. It also would not have been an option if he wasn't an only child.

Who demonises you though? Friends and family do a mix of state and private would be very odd not to mention incredibly rude to comment on another parents choices.

This. I'm so sick of being demonised for my choice of where to send my child to school. And by the way, I'm a lifelong Labour voter and will definitely be voting for them again in the upcoming election.

Honestly. A more traditional style of education that is pitched at the appropriate level. Homework that is actually marked and individual feedback given. Responsive teachers and SLT when needed.

My son is autistic but very bright and d struggles in large groups. He's done much better in a smaller class when younger and is settled in the foundation that his secondary school belongs to.

Many of us who use private schools pay phenomenal amounts of tax in part to subside state schools for others.

We are not the enemy.

@Futb0l and @LorlieS all children do deserve better, and a great number are being utterly failed by the state. I think even the schools that many in this country consider ‘good’ are pretty poor tbh, and focus on the wrong things / really only serve a small subset of academically oriented neurotypical children. Funding is a dire problem, but my issues with state education run much deeper.

I haven’t seen much from labour that suggests they will make schools (or nhs) better. Promises of more funding are meaningless unless paired with concrete plans for where that funding will come from. The proposed VAT policy is a joke - window dressing to distract their base voters from the more difficult choices that would need to be made if promises for additional funding are to be achieved.

My DD has ASD, sensory issues and Dyspraxia, and was horribly bullied in years 5 and 6 at her state primary school. We applied for an EHCP to get her into a SEN school for year 7, but this was refused.
All the local high schools are huge, and after looking around four we realised she'd find the environment completely overwhelming.
We made the decision to enrol her at a small private school that had very small call sizes and a reputation for being great with dyspraxia and similar.
She has just finished school, now aged 18, and loved the experience. We were not high earners, especially not when she first started, and it was a big financial deal for us, but she was surrounded by other quirky kids who accepted her, and she had friends for the first time.
Worth the sacrifice of not having new things and holidays for the peace of mind it gave us.

@Futb0l

This is a very unfair comment. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where state schools thrive, then good on you.

This is not everyone’s reality.

The education sector is crumbling, literally and metaphorically speaking.

I cannot afford private education but I did apply for bursaries. We were rejected. My daughter will be attending a state school.
I work in secondaries in my area and I am scared. Yes I said scared!

If we vote in a new government, when do you think we will see these changes?

There hasn’t been money in education for a long time, even if there was, will it change the ridiculous pressures that teachers now face?
It goes deeper than this. I can only hope that something changes drastically.

As many have said a major issue is SEN. Schools have quite a lack of knowledge in this area. I speak from working in inner London and then outer London. I am aware this may not be the case everywhere.
When I moved to outer London I spoke to the SENCO and was highly concerned about her credentials. Her lack of knowledge was worrying. I discussed this with the headteacher. It turned out she was not a qualified SENCO. The school have now employed a qualified SENCO and the previous ‘SENCO’ is now the inclusion manager.

Its not always about entitlement.

*If you truly think state schools are SO bad, change how you vote so all our children get something better.

Hahahaha. As has been repeatedly pointed out on mumsnet - people (5%) with the money to use private don’t magically have more clout than the 95% with kids in state school.

some states schools are good. If we get into one of those DD will go there. But it’s not good on the stats and I’m not sending her to a catchment school that has lost all control of behaviour, has to call the police to deal with the fights, and where the teaching is noticeably getting worse.

Lots of reasons really. Smaller glass sizes, better behaviour / focus on learning, lots of music / sport.

Omg dd2 state primary was absolutely terrible in covid times. Hopeless. We were left swinging in the wind. Dd2 secondary was brilliant though they got online school going in the same way as my sisters kids private school. So to be fair that was school not sector specific.

If you truly think state schools are SO bad, change how you vote so all our children get something better.

Our local state schools are fantastic (though selective). Our decision was based on excellent sports facilities, specialist coaching and matches every Saturday (and midweek as well on occasions).