If you had the money to, would you send your children to private school?

[lomp]

And why?

Yep- the private schools where I live are excellent- there’s one that’s particularly good for SEN/children with learning difficulties.

Only if we could comfortably afford it though. I went to private school on an assisted place, my mum didn’t have two pennies to rub together and boy did it show- tatty secondhand uniform, no extra curriculars or trips at all, cheap shoes and trainers that fell apart after a few weeks. Not an easy thing for a kid surrounded by wealth. I wouldn’t want that experience for my children.

I’ve taught in both private and state.
Private all the way. The behaviour is better because you have better parental backing. Better behaviour equals better learning.

It would completely depend on the quality of the state school, the quality of the private school, and which I thought would suit each of my children best.

I am not sure that I would though depends on quality of school. I have no children anyway but if it had a good reputation and had a good name for Art/Music/Sports/science or whatever my non-existent children were good at then perhaps!

Yes parents putting their kid in a private school , you’re literally telling the child the school where all the other kids go to is not good enough for you , an intrinsic entitlement that can look polite etc.. but is fundamentally pretty vulgar
an awful basis for a there’s no such thing as society

@gogostate 'you’re literally telling the child the school where all the other kids go to is not good enough for you '

You're quite right. It wasn't good enough. Ofsted agreed with me. openly said it wasn't safe, put it in special measures and wound up the trust 12 months later.

Some of us don't have the convenience of a reasonable state school offer. I feel no need to apologise for keeping my small August-born, nerdy 10yo safe. In the same situation I imagine any decent parent would try to do the same.

so decent people don’t put their kids in state schools .. and the usual but my child is more special argument …
because many put in private school it automatically unbalances the equilibrium of the state school and the private school
one is for the common , the other for the posh
creates divide , there’s no such thing as society
its interesting you mention apologising , no one else did

@GogoState It has nothing to do with posh. My job as a mum is to keep my child safe and raise him to adulthood.

I would never consider sending him somewhere that has been acknowledged as unsafe. I am simply doing my job.

I don’t understand the point about SEN support at private - the private schools round here wouldn’t touch my friends bright but autistic lad with a barge pole my other friends autistic child was unceremoniously expelled.

Just like any other parent . You have the usual arguments to justify . If you send your kid to a private school you are well off and buying , Others can’t . Sad to teach so young there’s no such thing as society for something as basic as education . Every child should have access to a decent education not just the privileged . And private schools unbalance the equilibrium for ALL children .

I did-and I didn't. Because I am philosophically and politically opposed to private education. And I think it's bad for society as a whole.

Did you send your DC to the local in Special measures State school that even teachers working there told you to avoid?
Because if not then I am not so sure you have the moral highground and if you did then I feel for any DC having their education sacrificed in the name of their Parents principles

Bar one the 4 state schools here are perfectly decent so it is a luxury purchase. Fair enough if the state offering is objectively horrific but I do resent when those paying try to demonise perfectly fine state schools to justify their choices. Pretty rude to hear when your child is actually at the school they are criticising!

@Hoppinggreen I wasn't looking for the moral high ground. I was simply stating my position.

@twistyizzy @BasketsandBunnies pulling you up on your terminology as not all comprehensive schools are 'failing'. The majority of England doesn't use the outmoded11+ or have selective schools in place and being truly comprehensive shock horror have good students, teaching and results!

Not for primary, no.
Dc got a place at an excellent school starting this Sept. Very happy.

For secondary - yes.
The high schools round here are not great & don’t have good reputations.
There is a very good one a little further out but not sure we’d get a place.

I would and have moved to a grammar school area.In pur area they easily outperform the private and even public school.Any University or employer looking at 2 identical students with identical grades, is going to look more favourably at a candidate who has a achieved the same with a fraction of the funding

Well, I'm pulling you up on your comprehension. Nowhere did I ever say that all comps were failing. When I referred to "failing comps", I was specifically referring to the comps for which we would have been in catchment, which were indeed failing. You sound very chippy.

My children are adults but looking back I'd say, yes, definitely for secondary school if the child is intelligent and wants to be there. I wouldn't for primary, the opportunities for music, orchestra, extra curricular activities at our state primary couldn't have been matched by a private school.

I'm a bit bitter though because my son got part academic scholarships at the 2 best local private schools but couldn't attend as 'D'P decided family life wasn't for him and left a couple of months before son was due to start, when it was too late to apply for a bursary for the remaining fees. I couldn't afford it alone as a newly single parent with a new baby at short notice.

Son did okay at an outstanding state school (Riddlesdown) but I feel he would have achieved better grades and benefited from the confidence and contacts gained at the private school.

Having said that, I don't feel private schools should exist, they don't in most European countries, they have much fairer systems. All children should get a good education but while they do exist, you can't blame parents for wanting the best for their children.

Most "failing" comprehensive schools are in areas of social deprivation. I'm always puzzled why so many private school parents live in areas like that. Surely, regardless of school choices, better off people would avoid areas like that?

But would your position change if your only State Option was as I described?

Lots of house building pushing us out of catchment for the "good" State school in our case.
Where will live is really nice but the new catchment for the State we might have sent the DC to ends at the top of our road now and we fall into a Secondary that I know well and know it would not have suited DD.
I know we are lucky to have been able to make that choice
It was actually cheaper, easier and less disruptive not to move as well and to use The Private school I can virtually see from the bottom of our garden.

Every day of the week.

I live in a nice part of London. Like most cities there are affluent areas right next to socially deprived areas. The majority of DC who live in my area either go to private London day schools or are at boarding schools.

Pulling you up on your lack of knowledge about the comps in my area! I didn't say ALL comps are failing because of course they aren't. There are some fantastic state secondary schools but you have to acknowledge that many aren't. You only have to look on threads about secondary schools on this forum to see that.
In our local area the state secondary schools are not good.