To want to educate my child in state but provide the straw that make it like a private education?

To some people presumably it does matter as they spend money on swimming lessons. I was just pointing out that if swimming lessons in school are important to someone, it’s one of the areas state and private are probably most different. I wouldn’t rely on state school swimming lessons to get a child swimming to be honest.

Not our experience of private educated teens Dd has friends from various different local private schools friendly gorgeous girls
dont give two hoots what school Dd is at.

That sounds awful. “Allowed to join”-how horrible.

@Tmpnmc86 oh it does to private schools and their parents.

In Wales, Urdd is a national voluntary youth organisation which provides opportunities for children to take part in a range of experiences through the medium of Welsh. Kids must be members to take part in their activities. It’s about £10 per year with discounts for families in receipt of certain benefits.

Our dc were in a one form entry Welsh medium primary. We’d cobbled a swimming team together for our area’s Urdd swimming gala which was held at a local leisure centre. Parents had taken time off work to help get the kids there and back a d the kids were very excited to have the opportunity (and a day ‘off’ school!) .

Imagine our surprise when a team from a private girls school in the neighbouring county rocked up in their school minibus, wearing their school swimming costumes with matching swimming hats supported by their swimming teacher! Everything then had to be translated into English as they had no clue what was going on. The main thing was that they won lots of races despite not even subscribing to the ethos of Urdd. That really pissed me off.

Well, anecdotally of course, I'm a state parent and my 14 year old has just moved from an Ofsted outstanding single sex former grammar school (known as xxxxtown Grammar School) to a good comp in a far less affluent area purely because I've inherited our family home and moved back. I asked him how his first week went on Friday and one of the things he said was 'it's better than the Grammar because if we have a problem the teachers actually help us and don't shame us because we can't do something'. It obviously doesn't happen in all state schools but clearly there's some!

I agree that connections is the really big one you can’t replicate outside the private sector. Confidence you can help with but it’s tricky especially if they’re not thriving in their state school.

Does it matter? Kids will learn to swim if you take them to a pool enough. It was my thing that I did with my dad every week when I was a child. Two of our kids learnt from messaging about in the pool at center parcs.

Even my child who couldn't go swimming due to COVID was swimming within half a dozen seasons once I was able to go swimming with her again.

It's not capped at 20, some classes are 21/22, but none are full. My oldest class has just gone up to 24 in year 4 as 3 children joined this year but has been 20-21 past 4 years, youngests class in year 1 is 19. It's just undersubscribed as the other primary in our village has an outstanding ofsted whereas ours has a 'good' rating, and many parents are drawn to an ofsted rating.
Head is very good at getting grants, extra SEN funding, finding ways to raise money such as leasing school buildings to holiday clubs etc. Doesn't use supply teachers as has extra on staff, which she says is more cost effective. Kept it as a seperate infants and juniors on paper, which attracts more government funding than a combined primary.
We have a PTA,raised about 8k last year, helps, but not huge. There are a few middle earning parents - teachers, nurses etc, but I don't know of any which would be very well off.

I don’t think it works like that anymore. Maybe 20 years ago not now. Not in law firms anyway. It’s all blind cvs and inclusion and diversity

Interesting you think you can imply motive into the decision making of 1,000s of disparate parents you don't know. Your assumptions show how little you know about the subject. And, frankly, how ill-fitting your username is. No room for your lazy stereotypes here.

"I didn't want my boy screamed at, manhandled, publicly shamed etc - which takes place in every state school."

Jesus. Is that what you think?

I believe the national curriculum requirement is 25m by the end of y6. Most privates would have all of y2 doing that. Most states, swimming will be a term or 2 in upper KS2, not weekly starting in reception.

Swimming is part of the curriculum so all schools have to do it.

That would be grammar then and not just any private

Haven't read the full thread. Apparently the biggest influence on a child is their peer group. So surround your children with ambitious, driven and hopefully talented and high achieving peers .......

My son had swimming at state primary. French he had was with the native speaker and qualified teacher, every school has specialists at ICT and a room full of computers, many many clubs after school Chromebooks, music and art teachers. Art therapist, a counselor you can meet and go with you frenemy to discuss iasues, gardening, chickens and .any many other things.
Yes, there is more kids in class but it depends on the age. You have to compare it at a specific age group. The older they get the less teaching assistants per class

F

Yes I did but it doesn't mean I am the one who put that claim. I just helped to find you it.

Because you posted the guardian article quoting my request for the research.

My DDs have 12-1 ratio with a teacher and a TA. There is also 2 floating "reading" TA so all children from Reception to Year 2 and read with for 20 mins a day.

They have specialist teachers in French, art, ICT , music and PE. They have swimming lessons weekly from Reception to Year 6.

You just can't get this in state.

@PunnyAzureCrab neither of my state educated dc have ever been ‘screamed at, manhandled, publicly shamed’. In fact they have both excelled in a large, Welsh medium state school which offers not only a great bilingual education but a huge array of extra curricular activities too. Just as all private school are different, so are all state schools and they definitely don’t all deserve to be tarred with the same brush.

Teachers in private schools don’t need to be qualified teachers. That in itself would be a concern to me and would need a lot of homework on my part before I would ever consider letting them form a part of my dc’s education.

I didn't want my boy screamed at, manhandled, publicly shamed etc - which takes place in every state school.

Really? Don't recall anything like that. Neither does my 11 years old child. I think that private school parents have odd perception about what happens in state schools.

Are you able to follow the thread? Why are you addressing to me? Does PeachSalad read to you JaninaDuszejko?

You can't (speaking from experience as I'm a state-educated survivor, raising a privately educated child). You can't replicate the smaller class sizes, the better teachers (it's harder to fire bad teachers in state schools), and the better respect for your child. I didn't want my boy screamed at, manhandled, publicly shamed etc - which takes place in every state school. Private education isn't about the results (they're often about the same as the best state schools) - it's about the emotional care. Who do you want raising your child 30hrs a week?

There are some good state schools around where bright children fulfil their potential. Ours is all girl has best results in the county and the results are equivalent to the local girls private. It’s not perfect but it’s decent.

Mine have fulfilled their potential anyway been happy and have lovely friends. Some teachers are excellent most actually some aren’t. Sport is better at private - but there are good local sports clubs. We do values/manners/ cultural education in house. Could have afforded private but it would have been a painful stretch for two of them and frankly for us - not worth it.