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"

[grin}

oops.

whether state school kids actually make better employees....have more diverse thinking and better work ethic....or is everyone equal come the end of Uni?

Kids who are used to doing as they are told make the best employee's so yes state school no doubt does produce better serfs.

Hate the expression uni. And wouldn't ever shorten independent to indie, I call it a private school. I do feel I have to justify sending my son to one. But the local catchment school turned away 47, with an intake of 90. I couldn't send him to the failing school we were offered.

I personally went to a public school (you passed an exam to get in) and through assisted places had a mix of children from different backgrounds. Since they were removed it survives through bursuries etc.

Sorry not much point to my post but wanted to add my experience. We all do the best we can for our children and I as my mother did for me go to work so I can send mine to a school that I have a financial input into. I feel able to take control when I'm concerned because he's not on the conveyer belt.

Verbally I use University....erm it's a word/abbreviation not an expression!

Freshmint: 'I bet you did Norman, and that's great. But you wouldn't be doing it now. Honestly. Most of that has been chopped to the ground.'

Well that's just a stupid lie.

Posie, I have a feeling you are right.

Uni is a ghastly word and sums up what has gone wrong with education over the last decade or so. When they were 'universities' only about 20% went to them. They did not leave in debt and they went into jobs. Poor students could trust that they were making a good investment in their future. I wince when I hear my children use the word uni.

Loads of us would never use the word indie or uni. I don't even say kids (they are baby goats). Language is one of the things which distinguishes people and indeed however right or wrong can be very material in obtaining jobs after university. To an extent you would be better spending some money on children's accents and keeping them fit and a healthy weight and on their clothes as on foreign holidays. Polished shoes in interviews and all that other stuff

I say "uni" all the time. I think it came from Neighbours/Home & Away. They were always "going away to uni".

I shall endeavour to refrain from its use from now on

Come on many people abbreviate the written word, since MNing and tweeting where characters have to be limited, I find kids and Uni to be pretty useful. I had resisted for some time and never use text spk!!

Yes, I think uni is an Australianism - I remember hearing it for the first time when I moved to Sydney in 1995, so was rather surprised when I moved back here a few years ago and found everyone was saying it.

Don't know about Indy/ie, except that it's used as an abbreviation for independent in other contexts, so it's not that surprising it gets used in a school context too.

Yes, I don't remember anyone using "uni" until the days of watching "Neighbours" in the late 80s - "Mike and his uni friends."

Well when I see Ruth Kelley and Diane Abbott and Tony Blair doing what's not only best for their children but also best for society at large, then I'll do the same with mine thanks. In the meantime, I'll just do what's best for mine and let other parents do the best they can, whatever that may be, for theirs.

Interestly, the London Oratory, which is just about as fancy-pants and elitist an establishment as it's possible to be for a state school, was 4.6 miles away from Downing Street. When the Blairs got their map out to look for a nice catholic school with the right kind of ethos, they couldn't resist looking West. They could have looked 4.6 miles east - which would have put them firmly in the Tower Hamlets/Whitechapel/Shoreditch area of London, with all its lovely suddly multi-culturalism they loved so much and worked so hard to foster - or they could have nipped over Waterloo bridge and settled for the heart of Lambeth, Camberwell, or Walworth; places just teeming 'social diversity.'But they didn't did they. At least Kelley and Abbott had the brass neck to just pay and be damned. Typically, Tony Blair managed to get what was best for him, whilst looking like he was being a martyr.

cuddly - not suddly!

This debate about Uni/University is a perennial! I call it Uni and went in the 70s.
What do you youngsters call the University holidays?

I was sent to an indie school because I was lazy. Pure and simples. Co-incidentally thats why I use the words indie and uni and any other shortening going too, sheer laziness...

My parents knew I wouldn't do anything productive with myself unless there was a teacher available in a small class to give me one on one and also loads of pushing to get involved, and the state schools in the area, although good, coudln't offer that level of support.

Shameful on my part, but true. They were absolutly right, as, left to my own devices at Uni I buggered up, but not as badly as I might have if I hadn't already come in with a good education from my school. As a result I ahve been ok, but I know for sure that left to my own devices at my local state I wouldn't even have got as far as uni...

I think for some children it is the right thing and as a parent, thats the choice you make.

My brother did go to indie too, but only because my parents wanted to be fair, they freely admit that he was probably self motivated enough to do well at state school too, and I agree, he is on his way to a first at uni, works 24/7 and never complains...

Oh, and I don't mind, my parents were right, on both counts and we all get on very well .

I know this is controversial, but it is true, so thought I would put it out there...

But FN, you're clearly not a labour voter, so why on earth would you take Kelly, Abbott and Blair as your moral compass?

Are you saying if they'd sent their children to state, or nearer, schools you would have thrown up your hands and done the same?

Kelly and Abbott are colossal idiots and hypocrites, the pair of them. I don't especially applaud Blair's decision, but deplore it marginally less.

But don't pretend that's why you like private schools, eh?

1717...It's only choice for those that can afford it!

I agree, and that's a good point. I was lucky.

As an aside, my parents worked really hard too to get us there. They did NOT come from privileged backgrounds, dads a north londoner and son of an irish immigrant and mums an immigrant from (I hate the phrase but) the "third world"... So for them it was a real struggle to afford it at times.

If you can afford it though I think many more people would go with it, not because of the teaching quality necessarily, but for all the "extras".

I would imagine most objectors can't afford it.

Maybe, yes, but that wasn't what I was implying and sorry if it came out that way.

I strongly believe (circustances depending) that it is about the child. If you do have the money then in many cases it may not be worth it. My brother being a case in point, I think my parents would rather have spent the money they did on his school on holidays, activites and "extras" if he had been an only, and it probably would have suited him better...

Tony Blair, Diane Abbot and Ruth Kelly were in power 13 years. Why would it be wrong to look at what they are doing as some sort of comparison? Ruth Kelly was Education Secretary so why is the decision she made not to state educate her child not relevant to us, whatever our political allegiances?

Ruth kelly and Diane Abbot, in particular, are twats. So I don't much care what their decision was based on, and I disapprove of it, obviously.
Schools improved massively over those thirteen years.... depressingly they'll be back to square one after Govey's had a bash though.