to think that it is possible on here to get a bit alarmed...

[Catnao]

...that so many people seem to think that state education, at least at secondary stages, is a crazy idea?

My son will be going to a state comprehensive in September. He is not particularly bright; neither does he particularly struggle.

I was not remotely concerned about this state of affairs til I quite recently began using mumsnet....

you take what you want from mumsnet.....dont worry about everyone else

most people have no choice but to use state education... so I wouldnt worry about it..

Good point ILoveTIFFANY! When I am avoiding any form of work, be it house - or school relaxing in the evenings and the partner is watching football, I maybe read too much...

Thinking about it - I should also maybe be alarmed that he is not in the top sets for everything and prefers wii is unmotivated to read novels for pleasure... I ABU, I apologise!

Fwiw, we could afford to send dd private if we really thought it was important. We don't.

I went through the state system and it did me no harm at all. There are loads of fantastic state schools out there, and lots of people who mutter about the state sector have probably never even been near a comprehensive.

You have to judge each school by its own merits, not by the price tag.

TBH, my DD is still yet to go to primary, so maybe I look more at things aimed at her age, but apart from the odd peculiar person who seems to think that saying "children should be children!" over and over again somehow excuses them from doing some spellings once a week, everyone seems very supportive of the education system.

Everyone I've spoken to has been very keen on schools doing the right thing - even when their opinions of what the right thing is vary greatly. Everyone wants to improve the system somehow - make it fairer, make it kinder, make it more challenging. Whatever they're flavour, they're still drinking the koolaid.

I would imagine that only really quite nutty people would want to abolish secondary schools altogether.

So worry not.

I can assure you it is in no danger whatsoever of actually happening. You are unlikely to have to send your 14-y-o DS into the wilderness to learn the ways of men. The local comp will be there for a few years yet.

Tee hee - my son would LOVE to be sent into the wilderness to learnt the ways of men, (unless it was dark and the wilderness was more than 100yds from home, in which case I would have to accompany him...).

I have read to many private school specific threads - f*ck knows why, as my son will not be going within 25 miles of them...

I WAS privately educated myself, at secondary level - never did me any harm good!

learn, not learnt - that expensive education didn't help my typing, did it?

too many, even....