'State schools are creating amoral children'

Sorry Dotheboys not Do The Boys auto correct is extraordinary.

But why doesn't it Mart? If you are really happy with the education your DC's school provide whether it be Billericay Comprehensive, Do The Boys Hall or Eton isn't that what matters? I'm happy with DS1's current 6 th form college he loves it and is thriving. That's what I want.

"What about short terms and long holidays??"
I'm not sure what point your trying to make pippi (it Sunday and I've had a busy week at work so apologies).
My DS's school does the literally the minimum school hours a child of this age is allowed to do. We have very long holidays, apart from this coming half term where he only gets half a week, slightly longer than all of our friends DC's at other boarding schools frankly I love it, it's one of the best things about it.
"The teacher:pupil ration is a pretty good indicator of the spend"
I'm pretty sure I've read somewhere the teacher pupil ration at DS2's is 1:7 I've no idea how that compares with others be they state or independent.

"What it all comes down to are we as individual parents happy with what our DC's are getting?"

No, it doesn't. Well, it only does if you believe "there is no such thing as society".

As summer (waves are you glad it's a Y Sunday we are) states £35+ (the very top end of current boarding fees) is paying for meals, buildings infra structure, cleaners, nurses, matrons, accommodation for staff, GP's laundry services! ect etc I would like to see their utility or food bills 700 teenage boys must eat you literally out of house and home. Not every penny of it is channeled into actual education however broad. I understand running all of this isn't cheap.

What it all comes down to are we as individual parents happy with what our DC's are getting? DS1 now at a very well regarded 6th form college. Is very happy, I genuinely don't think he be happier if we did pay out £35+k a year. I accept he'd have more opportunities (which I suspect he wouldn't take full advantage of) and maybe slightly smaller classes but he's really blossomed since moving there, he likes it, the teacher for the first time in his school life like and him can actually see beyond his dyslexia to the person he is and appreciate him. He not going to emerge with three A*'s but I doubt he would emerge from anywhere with this.
In contrast I also genuinely believe that DS2 would be miserable, he personally likes and indeed thrives on the eclectic education offered by his boarding school, the intellectual stimulation and the way of life, we are unlikely many lucky to be in a position to choose what work for our individual children.

The staff:pupil ratio is a good indicator of the spend summerends as that's were most of the money goes.

State schools cannot provide everything that private schools can, what about short terms and long holidays??

Martorana the veracity of your point is somewhat camouflaged by overvaluation of what the real difference in income per child between day state primary and an average day private primary, taking into account the state contribution etc. It would be interesting to know the real figures.

No she doesn't. She said she looked at every state school in a 10 mile radius and not a single one could provide the music, sport and huge range of opportunities that a private school could.

Well, no shit Sherlock.

Thanks HG.

Marorana, and your point is??

You can't just go knocking on the door of your local state school and offer them 35K in the hope of then getting access to what's best for your DC.

Mart your bored or saying it and I'm a little bored of reading it, but many like Sovery genuinely do believe that "state schools can provide everything that private schools can". I accept that when it comes to some private schools there maybe little difference but as you and I know when it comes to the top schools the difference in provision is enormous.
But perhaps it doesn't matter providing you feel your schools whether you pay or not is doing what you want it to do, that your DC is thriving and achieving it only becomes an issue when this is not happening. But this issue also happens to parents who can't or are unable to pay those whose children are at what they believe are poor performing state school that they don't like because they couldn't get a place at what they believe is a better state school. MN seems to be full of threads this year about parents appealing because they are unhappy with the sate school they've been offered.

Oh, I o get bored saying this, but-

"I know by reading on mumsnet that there are state primary schools that offer lots of competitive sports, music, small class sizes, languages and a huge variety of oppotunities but sadly having visited all the schools in a 10 mile radius I couldn't find any"

Of course you couldn't find state schools that offered all of that. That's what you're paying for!!!!!!!!!

Nobody (are you listening, HG) says that state schools can provide everything that private schools can. Give them an extra 35k a year per child, though, and watch what happens!

sppedwell I've 1 in both although they both went to boarding prep. DS1 (state) is "moderately dyslexic" his needs have been poorly met in both sectors, reports show he quite bright (top 5%) but under performs across the board but is not dyslexic enough for a specialist school. This significantly limited his choice at 13+ when he left prep. frankly I struggled to see the big difference between our "high achieving outstanding comp", we rural in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK, and the sort of independent school that would accept him and relieve me of £15k -35k a year, in many cases the comp had better results, the nearest possibly half decent school that would consider him was 50 miles away and over 1 1/2 hours away by train and car. For him we also felt he was better at home.
DS2 is at big name super selective boarding school, he's exceedingly bright and also exceedingly motivated, but mildly dyslexic. We are tired of paying fees and considered the "high achieving outstanding comp for him" after an assessment by the Senco she privately advised us not to send him to the school as he would be the "only one" with this ability and bored stiff, this had been our experience when he spent a brief period in a state primary many years ago. We have a super selective grammar in the next county who offered him a place at 13+ but again it was nearly 50 miles away and it involved me driving 10 miles to a local small town to get the bus and be free to pick him up at 4.45 I work and I thought it was a hideous exam factory. We are seeking for him a broad education that we believe boarding is best able to provide.

Thanks for responding.

I have 1 soon to be 2 in private and 2 in state. I removed my dd1 from her state primary as she was unhappy, unchallenged and hated going in every day. She is now happy. But having seen the differences I want my other children to move in ks2 as well.

I know by reading on mumsnet that there are state primary schools that offer lots of competitive sports, music, small class sizes, languages and a huge variety of oppotunities but sadly having visited all the schools in a 10 mile radius I couldn't find any.

Of course if a child does not want to learn or take advantage of the opportunities then they will not get the benefit. There are one or two children at dd's school that don't and maybe they just need a different environment...

Those who've had one child in private school and another child in state, was this because you sent subsequent children private as you weren't happy with the first child's experience of state? Or because one got a scholarship the other didn't? Or different children needed different schools according to their needs etc?

What utter baloney.

Our average,state,anybody can go to community church primary school offers above and beyond what my dc's friends get at their convent private school.

Results are better too.

What has a 1960s mc childhood have to to with private schooling?

I had a 1970s lower mc childhood where we never went abroad had picnics rode our bikes round the council estate and ate fish and chips

So what?

Right...and immediately with the 'inner London comp'. Sorry to bristle but that's my kids' school you're talking about

No I should be sorry, you're right, it was lazy shorthand.

I meant, badly put, that there are schools in other countries I know where the parents would kill to have the resources, teachers, facilities, that even our most challenged schools take for granted.

We tend to be very UK-centric in these discussions.

That was all, sorry for offending.

I was educated privately. My kids haven't been. Can't afford to and don't want to. So far I haven't really seen much difference in outcome. Db and I were both intelligent but he was unmotivated and I was hardworking. School was largely wasted on db. I did well academically. Ditto my eldest two kids. Ds1 did badly academically like his uncle and dd is flying. Db sorted himself out its-school, I see signs that ds1 will too.

Life was v different. Like Delph, we were a mixture of wealth and poverty. We had a large house, lots of valuable antiques and family silver, private ed, but no money to spare for luxuries. We grew or made everything we possibly could. Holidays were rarely abroad and my mum always drove a knackered old car. She struggled to make ends meet.

They could have transformed their lives by giving up private schooling. I found out recently that mum would have been happy to do that but it was unthinkable to my dad.

It was a great life for children!

I was pre 70s. My parents had a bit more money by then.

And alcohol was for special occasions and we never ate out- we wouldn't even have had a coffee out- we had picnics.