Only a private school is good enough for my darling baby girl

Not sure primary schools in Dulwich are oversubscribed anymore. There are not as many children as they used to be. DVI is very good, goes only until year 2.

The others are ok/good. Not perfect but better than your choices in Brixton perhaps?

I do think think JAGS or Alleyns are perfect either. Sending the kids there when you can barely afford it is a mistake.

If you live in Brixton then you can easily sell your house, buy a cheaper one in the leafy suburbs and send your daughter to private school.

She might have excelled the same. My DD got 12 x grade 9’s at her state school.

Like I said in the post about strange places the other day….. you’ve never been to Bacup… (and we still have the 11 plus grammar system also…) pissing in a bin is mild, you wanna see shagging in a bus shelter! Yes miss W, I absolutely mean you!!!! In case (which I doubt but who knows?) she is on here!!! lol (not lol).

That is too simplistic as an answer. Some people are able to maximise their potential whatever the environment whereas others are not.

All children are different. Not all children are capable or willing of accessing that information. Ditto their parents/carers. And even if the parents/carers are, the children aren’t always ready to learn from or with them. My dd was unable to access education in a meaningful way in her former state secondary school. She changed to private school in year 9 as she needed a nurturing, caring, smaller and individualistic environment to thrive. She wasn’t making noises at her former state school - in fact quite the opposite as she was silent in most of the lessons, unable to concentrate and learn - so her needs didn’t even touch their radar.

Not in my naice village it doesn't. The most exciting thing we've had was a dog running down the main street in a pair of striped boxer shorts. Never did get to the bottom of that.

( Thinks: Maybe they were Boxer shorts? 🤔).

You've chosen to live in zone 2 of one of the most expensive cities in the world, you are an academic, so are not tied to London yet you say there is no greenery? Just sell your house in Brixton and move probably anywhere else. With the price difference you could probably afford private school and a big house

I sense, joking aside, the feeling is very real for OP. I don't think it's unreasonable to feel that way. If you're smart about it, it's possible. You just have to lose the "it's unfair" mentality, roll up your sleeves and get to it. And then sit there smug as hell that you didn't pay full fees (because you were smart about it) and could instead holiday in the Maldives...
Don't follow the crowd otherwise you meet the same obstacles. You've got to carve your own way

Classism.

Tongue in cheek, it may be, but we all do try to give the best to our kids. As much as possible.

Private schools come in all kinds of shapes and have varying results.

Teaching at Jags could be a way, of course.
You can also move (sell? buy in better catchment?) Or rent out your place and rent in a better catchment for primary. Prep your kid for grammar, if she turns out academic - which is likely, of course.
There are also scholarships at secondaries.

Good luck.

Why are private schools so popular in the UK

Normal school for my family. 4 of us in medicine and 1 other siblings is a pilot.

It's still a lot different to the 80s & 90s...

@ThatNimblePeer Private schools are about social connections and getting to know wealthy parents with high flying jobs who will then offer your darling baby girl an internship/first job in whatever field she likes when she is looking for one. I’m afraid info you can get off the internet (?) isn’t going to cut it.

Yes sorry, you are right, I forgot about the nepotism/cronyism culture. Studying hard doesn't really achieve anything, it's all about having the right contacts and connections. I've seen people who are thick as shit getting the right jobs just because of their friendship circles, or their attractive appearance.

To be honest op, unless your discipline in academia is stem, getting out now to teach in an independent is probably not a bad idea. They tend to offer about 66.66% remission on fees. If your discipline is humanities related in a post 92, your redundancy package might cover the first year's fees if you hang on much longer that is.

I didn't take it as a boast at all. Just facts. 🤷‍♀️

I’m sure she’ll muck in just fine at the nearest comp, flight path or no.

You appear to have assumed I'm a big believer in private schools and that my comment was about children developing important social connections. Perhaps you confused me with another poster?

My point was about the fact that there's a whole lot of crap on the internet, misinformation is at an all time high and children won't learn the analytical or critical thinking skills they need without some instruction.

Education is a discipline in more ways than one.

‘Exactly I want to be whisked away! And if possible I want to sit in first while the nanny sits in economy with the kids.’ 😂😂😂

Agree education is about much more than getting multiple A* and As it’s about learning to socialise with everyone not just rich posh kids

Move to a better area , use a normal school ! List of is did just that so our kids have the best growing up .

Education is about much more than simply having access to information. And in general the internet is not a great source, especially for the uneducated.

JAGS isn’t very nice, Alleyns would be better… ^misses point of post^

How come everyone is being so nice?!