In what respect is Private better than state education?

Idratherbemuckingout I couldn't agree more there are lots of bursaries out there but in this day and age of economic down turn more and more parents are chasing them so inevitably not all will get them. Also 7 yrs ago bursaries were virtually unheard of now so many know and more apply and again more will be disappointed.

Sorry seeker we did have an interesting conversation on it yesterday and I too thoroughly enjoyed it and of course I also love writing controversial views (I'm sure you've already worked that one out). But I do get fed up of people criticising those of us who choose to board our children and I also get fed up when some people stereotype me as much as I get really cross when others steryotypre the "great unwashed and the "rough/poor kids" I also do accept that it may not have been you I haven't actually looked, x

ThisIsNotMyLife - My DH is an immigrant from North Africa, most of his friends are immigrants from North Africa - most of them live in social housing and receive benefits .

Should I ban my privately educated children from mixing with them and their children?

Oh hang on DH was poor and foreign when I met him, should I put barbed wire down the middle of the room so the boys can't get near him in case they catch forrin off him!

Actually, lots of the top indies have really good scholarships and bursaries up to 100% to help bright and able children from families who would not afford it otherwise. So a private education is NOT out of reach of the less well off at all. You just need to know where to look and how to go about it.

I think the biggest difference between state and private is the parental input. Most private school parents want results because they?re paying for their child?s education.

"I'm even going to comment what ever I say those deluded soles in state ed.will continue to tell me that whatever my DS receives at his top boarding school their DC's receive at their state comp. And when all else fails will resort to criticising me for boarding my DS."

I'm a bit disappointed to read this, happy gardener - I thought we had had a vey interesting conversation on the subject yesterday or the day before which didn't read like that to me at all- I thought it was friendly and civilised. What a shame you feel the need to characterize it in this way.

Thisisnotmylife
That is such a crock of shit

"ThisIsNotMyLife" in what way is it window dressing? And what is actually wrong with mixing with poor rough kids? They don't have life threatening infectious diseases as far as I'm aware.

In answer to the OP: Not having to mix with rough/poor kids.

Everything else is window dressing.

yellowtip your comment re middle class families being able to afford indie but choosing grammar I too just don't buy into that line.
TalkingPeace2 but two children at £15000 PA = £30 000 and three....

Talkin I don't see how you know that level of detail about the finances of parents at a type of school your kids don't attend.

It's far too sweeping a generalisation, made worse by MN. The reality is somewhere between your view and that of your parents. Of course since grammars are intended to be inclusive, the middle classes have every right and reason to take the test and attend.

It depends entirely on the individual school.

'private' is not better than 'state'.

A private school may be better for a particular child or family than a state school. A state school may be better thsn a private school for a particular child/family.

My dds school is worth every penny for the 8 hours plus in house sport each week alone. Other parents wouldn't care or need that. Horses for courses and all that

yellowtip
my kids are at a comp. just a very good one.
happy
the OPs comment included day schools - and just to pick a school that has had threads about it lately www.stdunstans.org.uk/fees £15,000 a year is well within the budget of many London families

Whose comment happy? Mine or hers?

Day schools don't cost anything like £33K pa of course.

I still can't quite get my head around one child at the £33K school and one at a comp but you clearly have very good reasons! (just curious).

To make it even more comprehensible thats £3000 a month with extras. Thats more than the vast majority of the population earn!

blushingcrow if your talking about a relatively small number of top indies of course its better.
Yellowtip couldn't agree more with the comment a "middle class enclaves of parents who probably could afford private but choose not to." At £33 000+ PA (for one child) that has to come out of you salary after you've paid tax, mortgage food utilities etc and everything else. I don't think there are many "middle class families" who can afford it but don't. Only the seriously wealthy/those on bloody good incomes can. In fact I think I've read somewhere that only 1% of the population earn more than £100 000 PA and thats still not enough to afford those fees if you've got a mortgage etc so your definitely not talking about your average middle class family especially as they're likely to have at least two children! Hence the rise in foreign children.

"Development of reasonable social competence even in the very shy"

That may happen in some private schools, but definitely not all, and it also happens in plenty of state schools (some have routine extra classes for children who need extra help in this area). I went to private schools for ten years and it didn't do anything for my social competence. If anything that particular environment reinforced my shy bookish habits and limited my social contacts so much to a particular type of person that I developed much less social competence than I might have done elsewhere. It's going to depend a lot on the child, but I wouldn't personally send a shy child to a private school with the expectation that it would improve their social competence, even if I might still send them there for other reasons. I don't think you can generalise about state v. private in this area.

Talkin are your children at a particular grammar then?

Love the idea that I could afford private but choose not too. And you know this about the parents exactly how?

Is it better then?

TBH happy I'm a LOT more chilled about your choice than I am about any form of state funded selective education (either by academic or religious criteria)

which brings us back to the OPs point about cramming for grammars etc

my parents generation just do not GET that grammars are no longer the meritocratic engine they were in the 1950's
there are now so few that they are middle class enclaves of parents who probably could afford private but choose not to.

And don't get me started on religious schools that are allowed to teach distorted versions of history, ethics and science, funded out of my taxes

The UKs boarding schools are actually a rather good earner for the country as lots of overseas pupils (from countries that have been dumb enough to restrict private schools) come here and have the effect of remitting money to the UK.

No its not available to all but if I chose not to send my DS it will still not make it available to all or even some. If you close every indie in the UK state schools will not become like my DS's school you know that as well as I do.
TalkinPeace2 as you probably know the school does offer generous bursaries.

cross post -
yup - brain mush on the big building in the next town along :-)
Buttercross then?

happy
I did not say it was unfair. I just pointed out that it is by no means available to all. Like Lambourghinis.
The unfair bit is that politicians run state schools down and then wonder why they are not all as good as the ones round here.
Please remember that I went to selective girls indie schools till I was 18 and my nephew is at the same school as your DS.

Its not an Abbey its a cathedral and as far as I'm aware on Saturday afternoon he's very involved in his favourite sport!

"Private is only available to those with a spare £25,000 per child per year before tax."
It therefore excludes more than 80% of the population"*
Yawn!I think I've read this before. Come on seeker where are you ElaineReese here's another opportunity to bang on about how unfair indie ed. is!