In what respect is Private better than state education?

You know what, I only wish I'd had all the problems that come with private education, there was an actual fire in our school during the year aboves GCSE's. A pupil set the building on fire with children and staff inside it.
Oh to have been forced to learn [rollseyes]

TheOriginal I have no issue with you objecting to private schools at all from an ideological standpoint. Your opinion on educational provision in this country is as valid as mine.

I struggle with those posters who make massive generalisations about parents in either sector and for example my motives for choosing private school for my children. Most parents are trying to do the best they can for their children within the framework of options open to them. Its reasonable to question the structure of that framework of options but some posters extrapolate that into questioning and judging individuals; that is what I have a problem with.

There's even a code for it: I want my children to go to a school where the parents care about their children's education.

In many state schools, (and mine) if you were bright and showed it you got your head kicked in. This usually comes from children who have terrible backgrounds. At my school there were many families with problems with substance abuse, mental health problems, neglect and terrible poverty. Children from those backgrounds are understandably not very well adjusted and often quite angry. They take it out on other children they perceive as 'weaker'.

Yes, you can get those problems in families with a better socio-economic status but they are more common in those stuck at the bottom of the heap. Yes, you can also get problems of bullying and other miseries at independent schools but they are perceived as being less.

It's all so desperately sad and is the elephant in the room when it comes to the education system in this country.

My DD's independent school suits her because it makes being clever cool, instead of isolating, as her state primary did.

heswall- you have no idea what prompted that person to post as she did. How dare you judge her like that.

heswall, that's really not fair
you don't know what makes the poster judge the results were 'so not worth it'
there's more to life than exam results you know

No, thoriginalsteamingnit

It was to thisisnotmylife. Who said 'i stand by what I said'.

TP - yep, all maddening! No argument on that from me.

Well anyway, I'm about to log off and eat, so I'll reply as though it was.

Despite what I may have said in the heat or frustration of the moment on MN, I know there are many different reasons for choosing independent - although of course none of them are of any use if you're neither relatively wealthy or have bright children. I don't think everyone there is a big old aristocrat or anything like that.

I object, politically, to private education, and although I know some people who've chosen it and still like or respect them, I don't respect that particular decision they've made.

Original
What about state funding of religious schools that are free to teach their own views on history, science and the ethical treatment of women and non believers?

Or the fact that state funding of selective schools in London (particularly the superselectives) contributes massively to the carbon footprint of the city in school run fuel?

The Charity status bugs me too - but I was surprised to read in the census that I linked to that 35% of places now have some sort of bursary funding which has to be said is pretty good

It was shit. My high exam marks were so not worth it all.

Nothing pisses me off more than this.
Your parents gave you the opportunites I could have only dreamt of, had. You achieved because of those opportunities and now dare to complain it was so not worth it. What a spoilt madam

pagwatch was that to me? What's the sweeping stereotype that I'm standing by, if it was?

Hmm, interesting: equally but in different ways I suppose. The state funding of selective schools is obviously problematic, but where that is the state provision provided, I can't really blame parents for using it.

Fee paying is, at least, not funded through my taxes (if we don't think about charitable status etc).

That's fine. But you are standing by a sweeping stereotype so I will stand by my 'crock of shit' response.

Elaine/Original
Which bugs you more - fee paying or state funded selective?

Hullo, I'm ElaineReese, I just got tired of the name - wouldn't want anyone to think I was hiding though

I think it's tolerably clear that I'm not keen on private education, and I've said why a fair few times. It would be nice if being ideologically opposed to it didn't get translated as being poor, or having a chip on my shoulder, or being jealous, or stupid, but it's par for the course with something so contentious I suppose.

God will enjoy striking me down with a thunderbolt if I win the lottery and send my kids private - I disagree with it in the same way I disagree with many things - and agree with many others, obviously - but sometimes it seems that that isn't allowed to stand as a viewpoint, however wrong some people may think it is, without it being attributed to stupidity or jealousy.

I've just been trying to find a breakdown by LEA on the percentage that go private and found this instead .....
www.isc.co.uk/Publications_ISCCensus.htm
very interesting actually
and may help people to judge WHERE their school fits in to the whole scene

LOL Talkinpeace2 - a couple of years ago I witnessed some parental fisticuffs at gates of a local v posh establishment and police were called to break it up

Which kept us all entertained for some time

I have nothing against poor kids - I was one.

I still stand by what I said.

I went to one of the top ten private schools in the country and did very well academically - because I was terrified not to. I was in the top 3 in every subject in my year, every single year.

It was shit. My high exam marks were so not worth it all.

hmmm, that is pretty high!
it interests me because when DH gets a booking we have to use information on the interweb thingy to try to work out what sort of school it will be and Ofsted often gives little clue! He's been to some REALLY rough schools in the most unexpected towns and some gems in others.

I dont know percentages (not giving away where I live!) but in the primary schools in my town, which is commuter belt, I'd say abour 20-25% go private each year for secondary. Obviously there are more who are in the private system from 4yrs and stay there.

That's probably not a statistic for the county/LEA as a whole though

Grunge
What do you class as "very high"? The highest I'm aware of (from checking stats for DH as he journeys around the country) is Ealing with over 40%. Here in Hampshire its nearer 3% (because a lot of the kids at the boarding schools come from outside the county)

Well, I live in an area with very good comps but a very high proportion of parents still send their dc's to private schools.

So this suggests it's not necessarily the quality of state education that's the issue - there are other factors at play that include tradition (parents went private so send their kids private)/they can afford it/idea that if you pay for it then it must be better/superiority (sorry this does apply in some cases)/facilities/smaller classes - all sorts of reasons; some nice some not so nice.

My dc's go to good state schools which I know are looked down on by some. But you see, I just don't 'get' why some of my acquaintances rave about the private schools they've chose. Sport? well, my kids aren't sporty. Drama facilities? Um, they do drama at a local arts theatre. Loads of homework? No, I don't think that's a good idea. And so on ...

Horses for courses

happy
Slightly aside question
various friends whose kids board near to their homes (for the away working husband reason) joke that they spend as much time driving to the school to watch sports and arts fixtures as they would doing the school run. How you get round that one with one foot in each system?

My fee paying school never told any of the parents that we were all bunking classes - they just kept taking the cash up till half of us failed our A levels.