Best investment for your child's education that have been well worth spending cash on

[bestinvestmentforchild]

My parents live abroad and have recently offered to pay for my DC to go to private school (one DC is y11 and the other y9)
DC don't want to go - we have really great state offerings nearby - both thriving academically - they have friendship groups etc
I am main breadwinner but was out of work for a bit - it's been a very tough time financially since covid and aren't able to splurge ourselves on life experiences for the DC e.g. big holidays etc

Don't want to turn parents down flat. Just wondering what other things that you've spent money on that were a good investment that we could suggest might work as a compromise - tutor/summer school type thing.
I do realise this is a how long is a piece of string kind of thread but thought it may be interesting.

Music lessons - singing, instruments, theory. Plus funding for related things like choral courses. It’s not just the skills, but learning to focus, practice, work in a team, make mistakes and correct them and move on.

Yes I would agree: extracurricular stuff plus targeted tutoring when needed.

Music lessons. Unless they are really against the idea it has huge benefits. Travel. If they are Scouts, for example, make sure they go on all possible trips. Sports they don't do at school. Theatre and gallery trips. Concerts. Nice restaurants. Cultural capital.

A maths tutor for 2 years - well worth the money.

Also came on to say music lessons! Also other t curricular - Lamda classes, other public speaking, debating, model UN, school trips. Theatre, galleries, attending speaker events.
Basically anything to help them support their interests.

In general, just nurture the interests they have. More specifically I'd say music lessons, sports and travel.

Interesting. I didn't know Model UN was an option if your school didn't offer it.
I am looking for tutors - have done some music but did have to give up for a bit - they may like to rejoin

A Maths tutor has been amazing for my DD, it's only 30 mins a week (more in the holidays) but it's given her so much more confidence and skill.

Music and ballet lessons, choirs musical theatre They enjoyed it anyway and it was a bonus that exam grades went towards university entry. Duke of Edinburgh award scheme for the volunteering experience. Family travel, chance to use the languages they studied experiencing different cultures. Driving lessons as soon as they were old enough has helped too.

Tutoring but then lots move for 6th form and your y11 should consider it

Then only thing I’d say it is worth your y9 moving for y10 and upwards? Lots of this stuff mentioned would be available in school.

My dc have also got most out of their music lessons, DofE, model UN and skiing trips have also been hits. They may do sailing soon.
There are lots of expensive extra curricular activities that dc enjoy.

Of any sen then inde therapists and reports if ehcp is in question or already obtained.

Flying lessons, tutor, private speech therapy, music lessons, there are slso courses run over the Summer at universities in different areas so for y11 dc should help to show super curricular if applying for uni and/ or give them a taster to help them make decisions around course and uni. Also some of the year out options/ experiences or for the Summer before uni can be quite costly eg volunteering abroad. Any equipment needed or books etc for interests.

Loads of typos above, sorry.

It depends so much on their aptitudes and abilities, doesn't it? Mine wasn't musical, had had lessons and got to the stage of being able to play a bit for fun but no further interest at that stage. She didn't need a maths tutor, in retrospect she might have benefitted from some English and/or German but tbh she wouldn't have been keen and did sufficiently well anyway.

So, other interests ... do they have/ might they like various hobbies or sports? Watersports were immensely valuable for developing tenacity as well as physical ability. Computing and electronics kit supported hobbies and eventual academic pathway. Courses like smallpeice if that's their sort of thing.

And of course the other thing if money from grandparents is specifically intended for education but isn't needed for schools because they're in good state schools is to invest it appropriately and pay uni tuition fees/living costs so they're not saddled with student debt.

Kip McGrath for maths
Music extras at school
School trips
Sports clubs
Encouraging a love of film (cinema) and drama (can be £££)
Buying books and having copious bookshelves in the house (all costs money)

As a mother of an adult son and daughter, both now in successful professional jobs and steady, happy relationships, I’d say:let them try a range of things and take it from there. I had been a musical child, played instruments, sang and loved classical music etc but neither of them took to this. But they were (are) both excellent swimmers and runners, more like their dad. They love skiing, hiking etc which we took them on since young and they now do with their friends. One is very practical and the other more dreamy so their own hobbies reflect this.
Best of all: they have good social skills from exposure to many different experiences and growing up in a very open and social environment. And this has helped them both in their careers and life in general so far - even though one of them was a very shy teen and will be an introvert for life, now grown into a quietly confident adult.

So I would say worry less about the skills on top and more about developing what comes from within.

11+ tutoring for all 3 DDs which got them in to local grammar school.

LAMDA gave my dd the confidence and ability to stand up in front of groups and talk- invaluable for a very reserved child- not in the least into drama/ performing.

Would it be worth putting it to one side to support them through uni? I know for me it was like paying nursery fees again! & that’s with them taking loans etc!

Private tutoring for any subjects where they seem to be falling behind, particularly Maths and English.

Driving lessons as soon as they're 17.

University costs.

Any tech they need, i.e. better ipad, newer laptop, home printer, new phone. A desk for them to work on at home.

Whatever books, revision guides, etc., you think would help them revise.

Whatever extra curricula activities they're interested in, i.e. musical instruments, tent for camping, lego/robotics/tools if they're interested in engineering, age-applicable science kits.

100% music lessons. They aren't cheap.

Also sport support. Ds was into athletics for years which is probably one of the cheapest sports to do, but it was still a stretch to pay club fees, club kit, trainers, spikes, EA membership fees, competition fees, travel to meets. I'll be honest, when he had a developmental injury I also paid for private physio, though with hindsight I would have gone via the NHS first and got the private physio after he'd seen the consultant.

I also got a tutor twice for ds. Once when he had trouble stepping up a level in maths, and for a few sessions when he needed to take a particular subject exam for his degree (the TMUA).

I would talk it through with your parents. Clearly private school fees aren't needed in your case. But they could invest the equivalent of a year's fees for each child for the future, and give you the equivalent of a term's fees each in cash to put in an interest-earning easy access account. That term's fees would pay for all the costs I've described above and lots more - school trips, new experiences like theatre, dance, travel.

Most of the suggestions above are a bit late for a y11 and a y9 pupil! I would probably ask for driving lessons for the y11, and maybe any tutoring you need for the y9 GCSEs.

move your yr11 for a levels and your yr9 for GCSEs. It’s a no brainer.

Why on earth would the OP move them if they're happy in great state schools already?