Private Schools- worth it?

Our school is full - always over subscribed and also will only take those who ‘hit’ the grade.

Re. better teachers at state or private. I went to state until A level, and then private for A level. My English teacher 'followed' me. That English teacher was an absolute bitch at the state school. At the private school she was suddenly kind and nice to all kids. Why? I don't know. But I did notice that ALL the teachers were suddenly terribly nice and kind to me, where they'd just let me drift at state - or were actively unpleasant (like the English teacher). I expect because they know they need to behave a certain way since the kids are now their clients, at some level. So adding that perspective to the mix too!

As others have said you can’t really compare sector by sector but rather school by school. In our village there is an outstanding primary and a prep. Very few locals choose the prep because the village school is fantastic and has facilities to rival the prep. There is however a massive difference at secondary. One year 90% of our school cohort went on to private. This creates a bit of a secondary modern feel to the states we’d be eligible for. There is no way I’m sending my daughters to the catchment school and have made decisions re work to make sure I can save and pay for fees.

@Scaredycat87 It's very easy. It's a dilemma we face even though my husband is a v.high earner and I earn a decent wage too. Not everyone wants to pay the higher mortgage/rent to live near decent schools. Or maybe people are grounded to these areas for other reasons (ours is family). Our local secondary schools are not good, which is why I find myself trawling these threads as DS gets older. Even my 'you should at least consider the local schools' friend backtracked after doing her own research on them (like I didn't consider checking them out before considering private )

May I know about priory school

We're in exactly the same situation. DS in Year 8 at an outstanding state secondary. He's very bright, but not at all engaged or motivated since the lockdowns. Many pupils messing around in class, he wants to join in. Grades affected. We're visiting an independent school with a view to him starting in September. It's the smaller class sizes, and calmer learning environment that appeals to us. No guarantee that he'll knuckle down, but we feel we have to give him the opportunity. We live in a deprived area and his friends and their families just don't have the same type of aspirations as we do. I don't want to look back and wonder if moving him would have made a difference.

@Bryonyshcmyony
What about private school parents who say that the boys their DD’s socialise with from the local school are nicer than the private school boys. Oh that was you! I suppose you are allowed to say that.

I guess most schools and work places are broadly similar - most of the teachers at my dds school are very good a minority are incredible and another minority not so great. It’s all girls in nice area so quite an easy gig for teachers as minimal discipline so they tend to stay.

Many of my friends dds private school mates are extremely streetwise 😁. You can’t categorise children or teachers by whether they attend a private school or or state school or not - it’s frankly silly and rather embarrassing.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm bloody great.

@SparkyPants did you manage to speak to your daughter OP ?
We did state primary and private secondary and wouldn’t have it any other way, unless money side of things was making it impossible.

But so do you about private schools. At the end of the day we can only talk about our own experience, teacher or parent.

One state school. The one known to you. Not all state schools. You keep saying really offensive things as if all state schools are the same! They really are not.

I've not said they are better. My experience is that my dcs have had the same excellent teachers throughout their GCSEs and a levels. There is barely any churn. Teachers in our state school didn't seem to last 5 minutes.

I don’t get the difference in teacher argument they all train at the same places and are the basically the same cohort some good some less so. My sister teaches her mates in the private sector all trained via the same route as her and aren’t all “better” by dint of going to a private school. It’s an odd argument.

[quote Hoopa]@Bryonyshcmyony
Good oversubscribed private schools have SOME excellent teachers. Like all schools, they have the full range of teacher types. Some are hanging on for retirement. Some wish they were doing something else. Some are wedded to the job. Some hate the parents with a passion and have nick names for them. Some love the job with a passion. The vast majority are doing a fairly good solid job, just like at most schools (and like most jobs across the land.) They might have access to good training, they might not. They might have a teaching qualification, they might not. You can bet your bottom dollar that parents moan about them just like they do at any school. They do, most of the time, have smaller classes, that is the closest to a universal truth you can find about private school teachers I am afraid and even that isn't always true. Take if from someone who knows!

You only have to look at Clifton College's recent atrocity, to realise that private schools (like all schools) can also have some VERY dodgy teachers. The teacher there went out with a teacher colleague of mine and also taught my brother. Absolutely lovely, charming chap. And in his spare time he wired up videos to watch the boys in his care naked in the shower.[/quote]
Why are you talking to me as though I live on Mars? I have educated 4 in the private sector with a bit of state along the way. I've had a few really good state teachers, but also some bloody awful ones. Dd2 went to our local state for 2 years and had 5 different maths teachers. I think 1 of them was good.

I know you won't believe me but I am genuinely glad there are these amazing state schools out there as no doubt I'll have plenty of grandchildren who will need to use them at some point.

@Bryonyshcmyony
Good oversubscribed private schools have SOME excellent teachers. Like all schools, they have the full range of teacher types. Some are hanging on for retirement. Some wish they were doing something else. Some are wedded to the job. Some hate the parents with a passion and have nick names for them. Some love the job with a passion. The vast majority are doing a fairly good solid job, just like at most schools (and like most jobs across the land.) They might have access to good training, they might not. They might have a teaching qualification, they might not. You can bet your bottom dollar that parents moan about them just like they do at any school. They do, most of the time, have smaller classes, that is the closest to a universal truth you can find about private school teachers I am afraid and even that isn't always true. Take if from someone who knows!

You only have to look at Clifton College's recent atrocity, to realise that private schools (like all schools) can also have some VERY dodgy teachers. The teacher there went out with a teacher colleague of mine and also taught my brother. Absolutely lovely, charming chap. And in his spare time he wired up videos to watch the boys in his care naked in the shower.

Good, oversubscribed private schools have excellent teachers. They wouldn't be successful if they didn't.

Unlike some, I can handle the fact that this doesn't mean there aren't some lovely, creative, patient teachers at state schools.

Hoopa speaks absolute sense.

Bryonyschmyony in MY opinion I'm not wrong. In YOURS I am. What's with the 100%? It adds nothing to your argument.

What's your experience? I work in an inner city school which has many high indicators of multiple deprivation. We seriously buck the trend and our kids have a brilliant education. We often say that the teachers in the relatively nearby private school would die if they we were to swap for a bit. We would have our feet up.

What's your experience?

@Bryonyshcmyony
Some state schools have brilliant outdoor space. Some don't.
Some private schools use more modern, creative approaches to teaching. Some don't.
For every aspect that is true of one school in a sector, the opposite aspect can be true of another school in the very same sector. It is why you can't compare schools based purely on whether they are paid for my the state or paid for by parents. There is SO much more to it than that! Senior leadership. Governing board. State of finances (however the school is paid, by state or by parents.) Facilities. Training programs. Reputation in the local community. Reputation in the wider community. Each element is changeable within a school - a change of headship // chair of governors can completely change a school.