What do private schools do that state schools don't?

[Mommymoments]

For me the local private does
Weekly swimming
Learning an orchestra instrument (extra cost)
Debating
Language (Spanish, French, German & afterschool Latin, Mandarin & Russian)
Yoga
Hockey & Lacrosse
Lots of sporting & drama opportunities
Excellent field trips out of school
Ski trip from Y7 onwards..

Would love all that for my dc's but can't afford it. But would love to hear about all the nice extras your dc's get at their private.

If you'd taught in a private school you would know for a fact that not all the kids are entitled or arrogant. So not sure where you've got that from.

State has the potential to be the best if only this Tory government funded education properly but as most of their kids go to public/private schools they don't care. (Yes, I know Abbott sent her kid to private and probably there are a few Labour MPs who do.)

Mine are in state, they can do all from your list apart from the swimming, they had six weeks back in y4 or something.

They do lacrosse, and that is in the minority, but a PE teacher there many many years ago (taught me, I went to the same school) played lacrosse for England and wanted to bring it in and it stayed. Fixtures where and still are a nightmare.

I actually love the attitude. One of dd's friends goes to a private & has such a can do attitude. Literally nothing phases her!

I've taught in both private and state schools. The smaller class sizes makes the most impact IMO. In the private schools I taught in the children were encouraged to present and talk about their work to the rest of the class from year 2. They had opportunities to do so very regularly. It's a brilliant skill to have from a young age.

@Plirtle I have only worked in one private school so can only base it on my own experience and things I have seen with my eyes.

It's not an environment I would want for my children. It does not offer balance.

What do private schools do differently?
Select.

Public speaking from a young age LAMDA and meeting adults regularly in formal settings to gain confidencw.

Rishi's daughters went to Glendower & the eldest now attends Wycombe Abbey he & the rest of the govt don't give a stuff about state schools. Says enough that about the system that they send there's to private.

Opened this thread just out of curiosity and was absolutely amazed by @WimpoleHat ’s realistic assessment!

That’s like saying you know everything about state schools because you’ve worked in one though. Our local secondary is really, really awful. I know there are some excellent ones though, so I don’t judge them all my the standards of the one I ‘know’. Same with private schools. Some are good, some are bad.

Having met an unfortunately large number of private school children through my job, they seem to teach the children that they're superior to others, backed up by many of the parents.

I was out with some friends recetlyl, and one one them has had her children privately educated. The DC have had an extremely privilieged upbringing, and the girls have become very brattish and self entitled. The boy is fine as far as I can tell.

To be fair they have had a decent education and have done well, but the school has a bonkers approach to science GCSEs. They do single sciences, not double or triple, so pupils can just do one science. It meant that the boy couldn't do A level biology at the local outstanding 6th form college as he hadn't done chemistry since year 9.

having just moved DD2 from state to private (primary) (and DD1 went state throughout) I think I can say the following:

Sport

1. lots more exercise (gone from 90 mins to 6 hours a week)
2. Team sport throughout (not just reserved for one term a year in the last three years at primary)
3. Swimming throughout primary and throughout the year (not just a term each in years 3/4/5) This means we have been able to drop all the extra-curricular sport we were doing, except her favourite sport (which she wants to do as much of as possible). She is also much happier, focussed and sleeping better as a result of all the exercise!

Academic

1. smaller classes - this gives bright kids a chance to ask more questions, struggling kids more time with the teacher and TA to catch up
2. Specialist subject teachers from Year4 up, meaning better quality teaching for kids who want greater depth (e.g. science being taught by a science specialist who can answer DD's insane questions on astro-physics, French taught by a fluent speaker)
3. better facilities so kids can do actual experiments/making stuff etc,
4. extra lessons available for kids who want to enrich their learning (e.g. science club, maths clubs)
5. Setting for maths and English
6. Extra coaching available (included in the price) for 11plus. NOT COMPULSORY

Our school has no academic hot-housing - all the extra academic activities are optional, and they still follow the national curriculum in Maths and English (so much to the chagrin of the pushy parents, they're not being pushed ahead)

Extra-Curricular

1. better facilities (lots more outside space, astro pitches, swimming onsite)
2. after school clubs for any activity (music/chess/sport/reading/art) you want
3. music (lots of different instruments can be learnt during school hours) plus choirs, orchestras etc
4. Drama and other performance arts - plays put on by every year group, not just the nativity in KS1 / play in Year 5/6 that the state primary did.

X-Factor
This for me is the key thing. The school encourages independence but also encourages kids to be kids (so on the recent snow day, the kids were encouraged to bring in outdoor clothes so they could play in the snow, whereas the state primary wouldn't let them outside at all; they're allowed to climb trees, they take in outdoor shoes so they can play in the mud etc).

The teachers treat the children with respect, and expect the same back. The teachers make eye-contact, shake the childrens' hands, but expect the children to do the same. They are encouraged to hold doors open, great people personally, tuck their shirts in, polish their shoes etc. It's not strict - it's just the culture. DD2 has gone from being shy and retiring, to full of confidence - happy to talk to adults directly and politely instead of hiding behind my back, mumbling and looking down.

The only down side is the stupidly long holidays and the eye-watering costs, but 100% worth it in every way.

Superiority is not a desirable trait though. I think you meant that but wasn't sure.

I don't think you can generalise to be honest. All schools are different and different children will benefit from different things in any case.

We chose to send dd through the state system despite having been able to afford to send her private. Having reviewed the options, there just wasn't anything that led us to feel that the investment in private was worth it. I have absolutely zero regrets as she has positively thrived in the state sector and I don't feel that she has missed out on anything. For a different child - perhaps one less academic, less confident and less self- motivated than dd - it might have been a different story.

Quite. I know there are some excellent state schools out there where brainy, quiet kids aren't bullied for being geeky, but none of them are close to us. Doesn't mean I think all state schools are miserable damage limitation exercises.

DD's state primary had a brilliant strings orchestra. Good enough to play at the Music for Youth festival several times and good enough to play at the Albert Hall. The music teacher won Classic FM's primary school music teacher of the year and achieved an MBE for her services to music.

I think there is going to be increasing backlash against private school /unbalanced privilege......... The world is changing and there may be unofficial anti private school quotas in workplaces, or blind interviewing techniques.

The cons:
Privately educated students will have to deal with anti privilege backlash.

Connections may simply be other MC families struggling financially.

Difficulty navigating mixed class workplaces.

A greater proportion of students following their artistic dreams rather than a practical approach to life...... Ending up impoverished and bitter in later years.

Sense of entitlement and expectation that adult life will seamlessly replicate a wealthy upbringing, without a focus on the work ethic required to be self sufficient.

A lot of what you’ve listed is available at state school for an extra cost.

I think the main thing you are paying for in private schools is the smaller classes.

Having gone to private school myself and so did my own children none of us, or their friends, have got further or better jobs due to 'Connections'. Undoubtedly it's happened somewhere but not in my experience. Employers are really rigorous with recruitment these days and it no longer is based on 'who you know'. There may be an exception for a family business however.

In addition to all the differences mentioned above my DD's school held, in the sixth form, a 'networking afternoon' where basically parents volunteered to mingle with students chatting with them about aspirations - designed to build confidence which I thought was a good idea. I also volunteered to do practice job interviews with them - (the students who already worked were so much better at being interviewed which is why my DC all had jobs before they went off ti university). I'd be interested to know if this sort of thing happened at state school.

For my children, their private school has found and nurtured a talent that would never have been found at a state school - it's opened up doors that i didn't even know existed. They are always doing concerts (both big ones and little school ones), which has totally built their confidence. We get 6 reports a year so can totally track their progress, access to the teacher's email so communication is easier, lots of sports, lots of enrichment programs, lots of emphasise on charity work, environment, recycling, super hot on bullying, encouraging empathy etc.

'Being cool' isn't really a thing - all the children want to do well - both academically but also in sport - they are desperate to win the tournaments and are so enthusiastic.

I also really like that the classes are separate - ie maths, English etc with a specific teacher for each lesson.

My children are really happy there. It's bloody expensive, but we justify it in that we are giving them their inheritance early.

I don't begrudge a penny as i can see how well developed they are becoming and what i see at the local state fills me with horror.

I come from lower MC and didn't experience anything like this at my school and i really wish i had.

Funnily enough this is exactly the issue we’re having with our quiet, academic, studious DD1 at her state primary. One of the reasons we’re going private for secondary.

This is the most absurd post I have ever read on here about private school and that's saying something.

Mine had all that (including Latin) at a state school.

I can't stereotype either way but all I know is that DC is Year 4 and absolutely begging for a smaller class and nusic lessons. They struggle with noise (its a very boisterous class with a fair bit of violence 😳!!)

This is only achievable by paying for private school (16 in a class) which is £1000 a month. The other state primaries are all full and we're on waiting lists that never budge.

I'm absolutely beside myself with guilt.