I'm a private school secretary- ask me anything

[Allice]

I work in a private school that goes from 2.5 to 6th form in the South West.
Ask me anything

That isn't the catchiest title...ok what's your touch typing speed

Has your view on private schooling changed since working in the sector? If so in what ways?

Do you see any particularly entitled behaviour from parents/children? If so, examples?

Do you get good end-of-year presents?

Do you worry about job security when the revolution comes and your employer is shut down?

I have to say there isn't really anything I want to know!

Ooh I’m in the south west! Are you aware of the massive drug culture in the private schools round here?

I would be really interested in know how your school responds to any special/additional needs. Is it inclusive or selective? Does your school 'manage out' SEN art all?

Where did you put the key for the stationery cupboard?

did you just get the job for discount for your own kids?

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

Is your school full in every year group and do you tell parents the truth about that?

Are the scholarship kids sneered at by staff?

Also... do you/would you send your children to your school?

when we are told there is no preferences allowed in which teacher our children get/what friends they are placed into a class with, is that actually true, or do you secretly plan these things out behind the scenes?

Languid lobster
No idea, I do more reassuring than typing but I'm pretty good.

Coriander Snell
Yes, my views on the private sector have changed, I don't believe that private is best, certainly not my school but for certain pupils it really suits them where state school wouldn't
Masses of entitled behaviour from the parents, not really the kids. We're not a super rich kid school, lots of people scrimp to send their kids
The gifts are pretty good, nothing really extravagant though, bottle of wine, box of chocolates type gifts. I hand write thank you cards for all.

Northern lurker
Not massively worried about job security, I'd be sad if my school closed though

Susej
Have heard about drugs! Don't think we have an issue really but one or 2 year 11's have smelt a bit suspect and I think we had a laughing gas problem a couple of years ago

Lucy101101
My school is non selective and we have all kinds of kids with SEN and more that should have diagnosis's but the parents choose not too. We have a few who are lovely but a bit unusual and for the most part some very tolerant kids.

Bing
There is no key for the stationary cupboard but there is a key code on the storage cupboard door, I know it!

Missbrick
My kids went to the school before I worked there, they don't go there any more, I had a 20% discount for a while

Vladimir's
I wanted to be an ice cream lady

Worriedmum
My school isn't full in every year, it is in about 3, we don't hide it from prospective parents as we really want them to send their kids here!

User14
Most of the staff wouldn't know the scholarship kids really, although some wear a badge, we have bursary's and all sorts but staff not really aware or bothered to find out as far as I'm aware

Lucy
I did send my kids to the school, I don't now. It just didn't suit my younger son and working there you see too much, he's very happy somewhere else but might come back in year 9. There have been some very positive changes recently
My other son got in a selective school or might well have stayed

Is it taken on face value that prospective parents can afford the fees or do admissions snoop - zoopla for house prices, social media etc to get a better understanding of the parents financial situation ??

Alexd
This is where entitled parents come in. Say we have 4 year 3 teachers, after they are announced we get quite a few communications asking for a different teacher or to be with other kids, we accommodate if possible. The kids give a list of friends they'd like to be with, sometimes the parents contact us and tell us they don't want the, with certain kids and again we try. The previous years teachers do look a friendship groups and dynamics.
We'd never move a teacher on student on parent insistence, we'd move the child with the issue

Which parents do you hate the most? Any particular behaviours that run you the wrong way?

God, who cares? Really?

Regression
I work closely with the bursar and we don't stalk anything, if the child is transferring from another private we will ask if they have outstanding fees.
We sometimes have a look if someone is moving just to be nosy!
We give a lot of house advise as we have a fair few moving to the area, we really enjoy that

Thanks for answering

Thank you!!

Race car
I hate the really rude ones, the ones who feel that they're paying and their child need not attend so often and the question why they're not doing better, because they have 70% attendance. The ones who when they're told that their child has misbehaved or done something horrible say that their child wouldn't do that or say it's not their fault, they were provoked etcetera.
There are others!

Jorah
Was expecting mild interest at best, no one should care

What do private schools (or the ones you know) think about parents who are no longer together and who aren't in total agreement about the kids' schooling? Do they try and discourage these families?

Is there any wiggle room when it comes to fees? I've heard parents at schools outside of the M25/Oxford/Cambridge areas are in a strong bargaining position.

We as a school will do our best to accommodate the parent that approaches us and placate the one that's not keen I guess, it's a difficult position and in it we only tend to see the keen parent not the other. I can't remember a situation where the parents views have differed so much, there tends to be a lot of indifference