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

Not mainstream private but there is a lovely woodland primary I would send kids to. It's outdoor learning and small groups and looks amazing but £5000 a term so a whole year would cost more than I earn in a year after tax for just one of my kids

Yes. We live right next to a private school and it looks amazing.

No way. My kid would be the poor relation. It's a shit feeling.

No, I don't think it would be a good fit for my DC. I was privately educated and bullied. It wasn't a positive experience for me..

Absolutely

No, we would have chosen private school if necessary but have such excellent state schools here that we didn't need to. But in an area with awful schools then absolutely I would.

I always dreamed about sending my girl to a alternative Summerhill style school so maybe I would have done that.

no.

No, and I say that as someone who attended private school.

No. Because my DC are both happy and doing well in an excellent state school. Their friends all live in quite a close radius and they can walk there easily.

I firmly believe that everyone should have access to the same quality of education. So I don't really support the existence of private schools. But I know we are lucky that DC have good state provision. If either of them were really struggling and I thought they would benefit from a different school then I might consider it, but as things stand I wouldn't move them anywhere.

No (or at least not unless my children had an awful problem with their school and I had exhausted all other options so was desperate). I suppose I would rather private school than home education.

I already feel like my daughter feels a bit like the 'poor' one in her state school in a middle class area - noticed how different her holidays are to her friends, how nice their house is to hang out in etc (and I'm lucky she has no interest in fashion / brands or that would be another thing!). I can't imagine how she would fit in / keep up with affording the social life etc with private school kids as she got older!

Yes, definitely for my second child. First child, only if I found the right school. He wasn’t academic so would have benefited hugely from smaller class sizes, he may have struggled to keep up (ADHD, ASD & Dyslexic). DD is academic but hates the social stresses of school. She would benefit from the quieter, more structured smaller classes (likely ASD).

No. I don't agree with it, never have done. My parents were privately educated. I refused to do the entrance exams at 11, we could afford private but my DC go the local comp, it's not great in terms of education and behaviour but they're happy there.

DS' grandfather is a millionaire and offered to pay. I turned it down. He's now 14 in a state school and is a very high achiever expecting top marks at GCSE, does plenty of volunteering and extra curricular activities. I can't see how private school would have bettered that.

Not for Primary, but maybe for Secondary. I'm a secondary school teacher in a comprehensive and have watched the Tories strip sport, art, dance, drama and anything else extra out of schools over the last years. My school is very good, but there's no way we can compete on the extra curricular stuff in private schools.

If I can use my windfall for extra curriculars and a person to take them about to everything then I'd much rather do that. I'd rather they were able to learn with a full range of children.

I think private education causes societal harm, but I also completely understand why people make that choice in the system as it is.

Does it involve Friday night dinner in return?

It's hard. Yes, private schools can be great. But it's not your money, and if you can't afford it in the case of money drying up the child may suffer in transition to state school environment. Especially if it was to happen at a crucial time.

If it was grandparents money - what if they deteriorate and need care instead? What if you fell out with the person and they pulled funding? What if there is a price increase and they can't cover it?

Theres no such thing as string free money as people have said. Unless you have it all upfront, to last right to the end, it wouldn't be a risk I'd want to take.

Not for primary as DD has a place at an amazing little village school. But yes for secondary.

Ideally DD would go to DH’s old school but it’s £20k+ for day and that’s before Starmer fucks it.

I probably would in all honesty but DH would be such a staunch no (very against private schooling) it would be moot!

The LA are paying for my son’s private secondary school. ILs also offered to pay but we feel far more comfortable with the LA paying especially as they pay for a taxi too!

No. We have plenty of money and could pay for private school, but I find it ethically indefensible. Whether or not we could pay for it is irrelevant.

Well I would welcome the windfall, then I would stash some cash for helping the kids in future with post-18 Uni/deposit or whatever they choose to do, pay off some mortgage, pop a bit in our own savings and plan a memorable holiday together.

I wouldn't spend it on private school, for a start, my teens wouldn't want to change schools as they are happy where they are.

“What if there's plenty of money available for all of these things?”

There is always something else to spend cash on. DD would chose a Stradivarius violin over private school, DS a fast electric car, DC2 funding for the many PhDs he plans to do and DD1 would like a flat to rent out to her friends (although she probably won’t end up charging them because she is frankly pretty piss poor with budgeting).

If I were a multi multi millionaire or had a parent in that bracket and went back in time, then I would be living in Chelsea and sending my kids to private school. Hell yes! But only to an academic school like Westminster, not a posh school for girls like Francis Holland.
But because I am not, and the older ones have been through the system I can’t suddenly send the youngest to Wycombe Abbey or Westminster once they go co ed, can I. Even if my hypothetical now suddenly billionaire tech brother whizz kid offers. Will just tell him to buy a Stradivarius.

No, certainly not for primary - my kids primary was great, and it also meant they built up a lovely social circle of local friends, which is also really important for children, especially as they get towards years 5 and 6, and want to go out to play/explore.

Possibly for secondary - our local comp is not great, but all 3 of my kids went to super-selective grammar schools, so we were very lucky with their schooling anyway. If they hadn't got in to these schools, I might have considered private if I'd had a large enough windfall/someone else was paying.

Not if I lived near good state schools.