If someone offered to pay for private schooling, would you take up the offer?

😂

Jesus fucking Christ

No. I don't think we'd fit in.

Yes

No

I'd have rather traded it for money to pay the bills or get them out of the mouldy council flat I could barely afford on my wages/was dangerously inaccessible for me.

Even the theoretical 20% VAT would have transformed their lives.

I wouldn't even if I believed in private education unless it was a grandparent and there were absolutely rock solid guarantees in place that the payment would continue even if the person died, remarried, needed care...whatever other unexpected events. And that there were no strings attached. Which is hard to guarantee over 15 years. Oh, and what about any subsequent children? Or other grandchildren as yet unborn?

It depends which private school, there’s a small one near us that only has around six kids per class, which I don’t think would be good for my kids. What if you didn’t get on with the other kids, it would leave you much room for making friends. If you’re talking about one of the top schools in the country that would (almost) guarantee a successful career and amazing opportunities that they wouldn’t get elsewhere then yes, I probably would.

Yes, absolutely! The schools around us are in a terrible state so we home educate but I wish we were able to send dc to a private school.

Yes, and did. 3 kids, youngest is just entering GCSE years. It was a close family member who had no kids of their own and the money. I am eternally grateful, state schools near us are poor sadly.

No

Yes, in the blink of an eye!

No. We could afford private education but DC’s will go to state school.

What’s a rounded education? Mine, at private, study 2 languages, do drama, art, learn and play instruments in bands and the orchestra, played rugby nationally, represented the school in the swim team, went on overseas trips and their friends are from every corner of the world. My son’s group of friends include Europeans, Indians, an Egyptian, someone from Uzbekistan and someone from China. Their GF’s from school are Japanese and Italian.

Mine at a comp that's been in and out of special measures also study two languages, drama and art, Learn and play instruments in bands, the orchestra and in festivals including some overseas, played football for the school, swim for the school, represented the school in various STEM competitions, record audio books for blind people, represented the school as part of the eco club. They too have friends from all over the world.
They also have friends who's parents don't give two hoots about education, and they are in classes with some who are interested and engaged and others who are disruptive and don't want to be there, they have friends who are financially secure, friends who live in bed and breakfast accommodation.

I wouldn't have for my own kids. We lived ín an area with very good schools, and as we lived in a very small town, they had the same friends and acquaintances from playgroup to sixth form. And basically I don't agree with a good education being dependent on relative wealth.

But if anyone dropped money from the heavens for my grandchildren's education, I'm afraid my principles would come to naught. The schools aren't good where they live, it's not a great area, and I suspect that one of the DGCs is ND and will find school difficult.

Yes, I'm a hypocrite.

Of the people on here with bucket loads of money that find private schools morally repugnant and would never countenance using them, I would love to know how many of your own children attend a bottom of the barrel state school with absolutely appalling results, or does your money buy you the privilege of living in a leafy suburb with access to the best state schools?
I doubt anyone is going to admit to it on here but in my observations, those that shout the loudest of the horrors of private school are in precisely this position.

It is very easy to say you would never use an independent school when your state options are good. Having had the misfortune to go to an awful state secondary (officially in the worst 10 in the country and subsequently closed down by the local council a few years after I left in the late-90s) I would move heaven and earth to avoid my children being in the same position.

Our local state secondary options now are not great and through luck (or bad luck when you take into account the fact that someone died to allow us to be in this position) having the money to be able to consider private as an option for our kids (still 2 and 5 years away from going to secondary) you can bet we are seriously looking at it.

For me it would depend on the specific schools involved. If I had been asked if I wanted to move my children from our local state school to our nearest private school the answer would have been a resounding no, not even if this donor was paying me a salary on top of paying the fees. However if someone had offered to pay for me to go more or less anywhere on the planet in place of the secondary school I attended I would have ripped their arm off.
People are keen to generalise - state is X, private is Y - but you really can't. There are good, bad and indifferent schools in both sectors and even if you have experience of both it will still only be of a tiny proportion of schools in the country. You can compare the schools you have experience of, fair enough, but you can't extrapolate from that to judge the whole of either sector.

No

If your kid is being relentlessly bullied at the local state school, you know he could do ok if he had a smaller class and an easier environment - would you reallysend him in day after day to be beaten and humiliated? For seven years????

Why would you assume your child is less likely to be bullied in the private sector? I was privately educated and I can assure you, bullying can and does happen in private schools!

If my child was being bullied and the school did not deal with it effectively then I would definitely consider moving them, but that doesn't necessarily mean moving them to a private school.

No for many reasons including: If it were selective rather than just fee paying it would not suit my DC as she's just not the highly motivated academic type; she has SEN and IME a selective school is not set up to meet her needs.

My DCs are grown up now but I have extensive experience of both the independent sector and the state sector one was educated in both one went to independent schools from 7 including Ritchie Sunacks alma mater. I’ve also worked extensively in both sectors. Paying buys you choice you can look for a school that you think has an ethos that will suit you and your DC. The relatively small handful of top schools with matching huge fees also inevitably provide opportunities and facilities that no state school can ever offer. But IME it’s not a done deal that your child will be happier or do better in terms of exams. I also personally don’t believe that either has a monopoly on good/bad teaching and trust me spoon feeding to pass exams unsurprisingly takes place in both sectors.
If and it’s a big if because independent schools have become increasingly homogenised over the last 10-15 years you can find an independent school that you feel really suits you and your child and offers things that you’re child loves that are not found in the sector then your child would hopefully emerge from the independent sector having received a more rounded education and some may feel that this is worth the expenditure.
Lastlt the idea frequently peddled on here that children educated in the state sector are more rounded and able to mix with everyone is IMO born out of prejudice not fact. Through work I’ve met children from all background from the children of heredity peers and Sunday Times rich listers through to children from the most deprived backgrounds, there are dysfunctional children/adults from both, many children from the top schools are as capable of mixing with people from all backgrounds as are children from deprived backgrounds and many from both backgrounds are not and sadly some from both are unpleasant arrogant shits. As one teaching friend wisely said to me “nice parents produce nice kids, unpleasant parents produce unpleasant kids”
So to answer the question assuming my DCs were children and I could find the right school with an ethos I liked and thought it would suit my DCs and there were opportunities on offer that the state sector couldn’t offer and it’s wasn’t a 6 hours drive away yes I’d take it because I think my DC’s would be happier.

No way

OK, but you are diverging/ extrapolating from my post, which was simply in response to someone who couldn't understand why another poster said their child's private education was not well rounded.

I simply pointed out that the reason it wasn't well rounded was because they are only mixing with a wealthy subset of society.

Which you agree with.

No - what I am saying is you cannot say that a particular choice is rounded.

There is virtue signalling and prejudice on both sides when really we'd all do what it took to give our kids the best..

Maybe some classes in some state schools are like that - just read the threads about bullying on here. But OF COURSE not the majority.

Just as some classes in some private schools are full of stuck-up, pony-riding, billionaire spoilt brat bullies. But NOT the majority. But prejudice is hard to shift. That's the point.

No because my children are settled in school.

If they were unhappy with school then yes, I'd consider it. Or for the youngest who hasn't started school yet. However I'd need to be very sure it would be covered all the way through. I don't think it's fair to make them change schools without a good reason.