Did you go private at age 11 - if so, what were your thoughts and motivation ?

Ha pastoral, by saying that these chemistry degree taking five-year-olds are in a 'minority in state education', are you saying they're in a sizeable majority in private schools? I must have gone to a very rubbish private school, as there were none at mine...
Have lovely vision of a reception class full of children with lab googles on and mixing bubbling potions in test tubes.

Truly gifted children (with Chemistry books at 5 yrs old) seem to be a minority in the state education because:
1- They disguise themselves to avoid bullying or they are so bored they end up giving up trying.
2- Their parents will do anything to get them a good education if they can: they go private, grammar school, home education or leave the country.

You're absolutely right Elaine, but when you're the only twat/person doing this in isolation (and as aside, you can afford an alternative relatively easily), it's can be hard in practice. Especially in opposition to their father ie my husband. Not that his word goes, but if I've any doubts and he doesn't then it's easy to see which way we go.
Not defending what I may do in the future, as in Diane Abbott's words, I think it's pretty indefensible.

I'm not convinced that state schools are good at getting the best out of the really top end. By this I mean those whose IQ puts them in 1 of 500 or 1 of 1000. I once met a home ed group all the children (boys) were in this catagory; voluntarily reading degree level chemistry books at 5 yrs etc most had dropped out of state ed. some had been advised by their head teachers to take them away and home ed. them.I accept these are in a small minority but I just dont see how the state sector can cater for these type of children

I'm not prepared to say what type of school my children attend(ed), but we have friends throughout the country and experience, some second-hand, of quite a range of schools. That experience suggests that "top" schools are those that manage to attract intelligent pupils and parents able to support that education. The league tables will give you information on how good the school is at achieving that but doesn't help with what the school will achieve for your child(ren).

In general private schools send more pupils to Oxbridge, if that is what you want for your child. They are also much better if you might want your child educated abroad. There are state schools that are excellent at supporting their brightest pupils but it's harder to identify them because the excellent results for the brightest are diluted in league tables.

When we looked for schools we looked for a high standard of discipline and behaviour. We looked at the numbers leaving at 6th form level for other schools and the numbers going on to leading universities in comparison to their intake. We also looked at the atmosphere of the school and the way pupils and teachers interacted. We talked to parents whenever we could, especially if their child(ren) had just left the school and to the children.

Some children thrive in any environment, if your own child is one of them private schooling can be a waste.

My worry about my local comprehensive is that it doesn't get that top end in proportionate numbers because of twats people like me putting our children elsewhere and creating a vicious cycle.

Exactly - give them the twats people like you, and they will get 'top end' out of them. Don't, and they can't.

My evidence of primary school is that they are brilliant at catering for top end (and bottom and middle, I don't know how they do it since I can't even cater for my three children). My worry about my local comprehensive is that it doesn't get that top end in proportionate numbers because of twats people like me putting our children elsewhere and creating a vicious cycle. A truly comprehensive school will be just as good at dealing with top end as any private or grammar.
As an aside how annoying are those Sunday Times 'Best schools' tables? They're not best, just best results. Wonder how people would react if there were 'best hospital tables' in which all the top hospitals were allowed to select only the healthiest patients and then crow about how much better they were at keeping people alive than those hospitals that took everyone.

Same here, RiversideMum. Top end definitely catered for.

What evidence is there that comprehensives don't cater for the top end? My children are at a large comp. By GCSE year every subject is setted and at the top end they do triple science and additional maths. Plenty of support for Oxbridge candidates too.

Haven't and couldn't- but a friend did and it is not that unusual.

If your political principles aren't very strong, I would make it about individual schools and whether you think this particular school would support your individual ds to do the best he can. And factor in what you could do educationally with the spare money.

Not everybody I know who has done this has got better results out of their dcs than their friends who left dcs in the state sector, but that is not a sign that the private school was wasted: you don't know how well that dc would have done if left in the state sector.

I would say both my friend and I are happy with our choices: dd is having a good educational experience that suits her in the state sector and my friend's ds is having a good educational experience in the private sector, and because our financial circumstances are different we both have a little spare money for books and travelling and trips to the theatre.

We sent DS1 private last year. To be honest it wasn't planned as such. I would have been happy for him to go to the local high school (just received outstanding Ofsted) but we had got to a point that we could afford it and DH's older children had attended this school, so we went to look around.

DS1 loved it. He's a bright boy but a bit lazy and was never really pushed at primary school, plus always a bit of an outsider in friendship groups. I was still a bit worried about him going on to secondary without any friends but he is a friendly, happy boy and has made loads of new friends. The fresh start was good for him.

polly we can only deal with life as it is, not how we would wish it to be.

I'm reading this with interest as it's always been my assumption we'll do this. And yet I'm finding the whole experience of state primary to be so rewarding for both my children and us (and as a corollary seeing how damaging socially and environmentally that all our neighbours go private), that I'm beginning to doubt whether I should.
I agree with Still18 that going private is a form of very expensive insurance against future regret. If our local secondaries were truly comprehensive, then I'd send my children without hesitation. Unfortunately they're not in that anyone with the money goes private and anyone with nous wangles their way into a selective school (musical ability, faith, one of the super selective old grammars). As a consequence the local comprehensives are more like old secondary moderns.
I hate myself for considering privates and feel ashamed of my gutlessness and hypocrisy. I don't know whether the fact that we've gone to state primary makes us better or worse.

We moved DS1 to a private school at 11 and will do the same with DS2, though a different school as he's different - less academic, more sporty. We were very much in two minds because our local school, which was in special measures when we moved to this area, had suddenly got an amazing new head and was coming on leaps and bounds (and still is - lots of the boys' friends go/will go there and most of the parents are pretty happy). So why on earth, as you say, pay £15K per child to do this? I think if most parents are honest, it's to make sure that you "did all that you could" to make sure their kids got their exam results, had a fulfilling time during their secondary school years and ended up reasonably confident, well-rounded adults - so that we hopefully won't look back and think "oh if only we'd sent them privately". However of course there's no guarantee that this will happen at a private school, or wouldn't happen at a comprehensive - even as I write it, I can see there's no real logic!

In the end, just go with your gut feeling about your local school versus the private school - don't get too seduced by all the talk and the facilities at either, but just think about whether your DD would fit in there and enjoy it.

Also, unless your local school is truly dire, it's probably not worth sacrificing everything in the name of "a good education" - I honestly wouldn't be doing it if it meant we could never go on holiday or afford to live a nice life: children are happiest when they have a similar amount to their friends and live similar lives. If money's going to be very tight if you do the private option, I'd honestly go with a good local state school and fill in with some extra curricular clubs and tutoring where necessary.

My daughter is in local comp. We wanted to pay private but were worried if taking her away from her friends would actually do more harm than good. She is now in yr 8 and I have to say, I am not thrilled with the education she is receiving. She is a higher than average child (but only just over average) and I think she is coasting, not being pushed and could definitely do better.

We are now thinking of taking her out after Christmas and sending her to private (well known and well regrded). She has said this will make her sad but she understands :(

We feel awful but have to be cruel to be kind and all that. What do you all think? Also, the kids she is mixing with on a daily baisis are shocking to say the least. Went to see the end of year play last year and the language out of one girl's mouth was appauling, never heard a grown man say half the things she was saying..................disgusted and scared for my DD.

BTW I started private school at age 11. I got a scholarship. I had been dreading the local comp cos of all the horror stories I had heard but I think I would have got on ok.
I did very well academically and loved my all girls school but I don't think it did a lot for confidence in the outside world. That must be pretty unusual for private schools which usually seem to do the opposite.
My parents' motivation was to avoid my sister & I going to the horrible local comp cos of all the horror stories they had heard!! We weren't that well off and they didn't spend money much on anything else! Food from the allottment, second hand uniform, no extra trips, didn't go abroad till I paid for myself at 18, etc but I think they (and my sister & I ) would do it all again.

My DS is that spinger spaniel mentioned above!!! No grammars near us, 3 ok comps, visited independent school at age 7 to rule it out & we all loved it! He got a part fees scholarship for starting year 7 so for me that justifies the rest of the expense.
It's long days, lots of prep, hard work but equally lots of fun. He's already performed with the Concert Band and played in a B team rugby fixture, had a dispute with another boy resolved fairly & amicably by the school as well as starting Latin, 3 sciences, German (from a choice of 3 languages), etc, etc Obvioulsy the big draw is the free coffee lounge for parents waiting to pick kids up (never mind the coffee but the cakes are amazing!!!!)

Went private twice at 7. My children were never going to get into the highly selective school and the alternatives were not good. They are both thriving although year 7 was very much a year of transition with them catching up. DS3 is now in year 8 and he appears to have closed the gap. They both love the facilities and the sports. I also have ds2 in year 12 who I moved in year 9 because he had been written off by the state sector. Prior to his move I was told he would not achieve any GCSE's. This summer he achieved 8 A*-C. I should add this is a non selective private school

We sent dd private for secondary school for several reasons, mainly that our local school was so crap the head celebrated when one child went to university the previous year. The other schools are so over subscribed we would have needed a miracle to get her in to one of them.

She is reasonably bright but lazy and laid back. She got lost in the state primary system as she is so quiet and shy. The teachers were so busy with the distruptive, demanding and the pushy that there are times when I think they barely noticed she was there. My only regret is the same as tallulah and I wish we had gone private sooner, however we just couldn't afford it. We have been lucky to get a bursary that covers some of the fees but they don't do bursaries for private primary round here.

I went to private secondary so knew roughly what to expect. We are still very happy with the decision we made, because the school suits dd.

DD1 passed her 11+ (not scraped either but really high marks in all papers) but the primary HT did her damndest to stop her from going to grammar school. We didn't know at the time but the thing that carries the most weight with the LA is the HTs recommendation, not the exam results.

DD was really easily led and we were worried sick about what would happen at the high school, given that she was of grammar ability. We were v v lucky that the outgoing Govt created 100s more Assisted Places, and we were in the right place at the right time. DD got into a good private school on the strength of her 11+ results and an interview.

Because we were on a really low income at the time (both working) we had really low fees.

DD blossomed overnight, and went from stroppy, sulky and awkward into a happy, focused girl. She remained easily led but this time was fighting to "beat" the highest scoring boy in the class. She got fabulous GCSE results but best of all she made loads of friends who have been there for her over the years, and who she is still in touch with even after separate universities and different directions in life.

(My only regret is that I didn't take her out of her primary school earlier :( )

Jajas, I know! Can't maintain the head in the sand approach for too long. OhDear - the non-selective schools are meant to be good here, relatively speaking, but there's obv less of an academic slant. I think, on balance, we would consider private because, for us, we wouldn't be happy with the non-grammar alternative.