to hate it when people talk about "indie" schools

[gobehindabushfgs]

in an attempt to make it sound cool, edgy and alternative? it isn't. it's private education. it's a right-wing, ultimately selfish decision.

"indie"

Actually from a meeting with our DC's headteacher yesterday (to discuss our inability to pay fees for DD from next term) it transpires that there are quite a few parents at our children's school who are on a very limited income (he said that there quite a few single mums on £18000/year or less) and that governor's awards are quite rightly targeted at them. Hardly the minted dowagers mothers of Lord Snooty. He also told us that he thought our son was exactly the kind of child who would be badly bullied in a mainstream school which we had never stated to anyone at his schools but was exactly the reason we skipped into the independent sector 10 years ago.

I'm not sure how much clearer I can be that 50k a year is more than £25k a year?

They can it's true - I had an inkling but didn't realise the extent of the snobbery at age 16/18 - or I certainly wouldn't have chosen an ex poly, though I don't regret it from where I am now it certainly made things more difficult for me in some respects.

It's wrong to say some types of course are always inferior though - it depends on the course and the institution. Some of it is just snobbery and if people never challenge that it will always be that way.

It was somewhat tongue in cheek but remembered a thread years ago where you and Hula were discussing which areas of the city you lived in. I didn't say you lived in a big house but most parents living in anorthern city (I was there too) can move to a much grottier area with a much smaller mortgage.

And you are part of a double income professional family as you ahve stated on these threads before.

It wasn't meant to be offensive and I'm sorry if it came across that way. Genuinely. I was kind of using you as an example when Joan was saying only the wealthy have 40k+ coming in.

Joan, not if you are both earning average wage or are you saying the average household only has one person able to work?

well that's very positive of your headteacher, isn't it? Unbelievable!

"(Holidays and the pub, FFS. How much would that save you per year?"

Not 17k of school fees - double/triple that for more children - that's for sure!

UQD, just to add, my impression of your city is that a huge amount of it is very green.

Joan, why can't you accept that if average salary is 26k then it is reasonable to assume that there are lots of families on 50k?

I'm saying a household in which the income is the average income, yes.

I certainly don't think only the wealthy have £40k coming in - £40k is pretty modest, if you have a family and a mortgage!

There are lots, yes. But then you are not saying an average salary can pay school fees, you are saying that two average salaries can (just - and I'm not sure about it really tbh) pay school fees.

I've heard that UQD is pretty partial to a rum and coke. It all adds up you know.

So when I was talking about those parent who earn 50-60k and therefore need to make sacrifices why were you answering as if they were not average earners, they were well above?

'He also told us that he thought our son was exactly the kind of child who would be badly bullied in a mainstream school"

And of course there is no chance at all of being bullies in a private school!

What an insensitive bastard of a HT - I hope you've complained.

And home educators!!!!

Now those selfish bastards, not supporting their local schools by their shiney fabulousness.

Nazis the lot of em.

Parents who earn £50-60k are earning above the average.

We're between that and even if we sacrificed the P reg Corolla, we couldn't send even one child to private school, for sure!

Yeah, I'm just remembering the last thread there was on here about a child who'd been badly bullied and nothing had been resolved in 2 years and his self-esteem was in tatters..... what kind of school was that again?

Well I'm sure you could if your mortgage was was only a couple of 100 pounds a month.

At one time before my kids were school age, we had a combined income of 90k. We couldn't have afforded any fees at that point as the mortgage was just over 2.5k pm.

It's all relative and salary is just one part of the equation.

And yay, we have a Nazi reference!

I thought it would never come

It takes another particular brand of ignorance to refuse to accept that using private education is a political act.

Actually, I think most home educators are white supremasists. Klu Klux Klan hats, burinung crosses at science club and all that.

It's why they won't let their children attend the local state schools isn't it?

joan is HE a political act then?