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"

Joni: ''But if you wait for state comprehensives to have the same exam results and statistics and (sic) academically selective private school, you'll be waiting forever.'

I think you've argued the pro-private point better than anybody else on here Joan.'

No, that's just silly. Their results as statistics will be lower if they include those who did less well. But your kid is the only one you're worried about, right? So if your kid is the only a* in the whole year group, even, the cohort's results mean nothing as long as your own was ok?

Joan:

"to find the least well-performing school, find a house for sale in its catchment, and then get a place there. Not terribly practical for most people, really. About as impractical as finding school fees would be for anyone living there already would be, I should think".

I think that's about what we did by accident. We moved here from 200 miles away, knew nothing about schools had no need for them then. Vaguely asked if the schools were good 'oh yes' they said

Bought the house, got pregnant and then saw that we'd bought in the worst catchment area in the county. Did think it was a cheap house I must admit

Joan.
I would prefer not to have to send my child to the nearest secondary school which as I've already said is a specialist sports college with less than average results (to say the least). Wanting the best for my child doesn't mean not caring about or wanting the worst for other people's children. Don't you get that?

Brian, but it has been suggested that I should have done it deliberately or else I can have no opinion about education at all.

JOni, you have ignored or obtusely posted around every argument I have made. However, I'm sure you do want the best for your child and that is not in dispute. If your child is not capable of being in a sports college without forgetting how to speak and write, then yes, get him/her to your local independent smartish. Good luck with it. Enjoy.

I have been told on here that we shouldn't post stories about doing well having been to state comps as it's not an accurate reflection or some such, so won't. But I bloody could.

I think it's slightly disengenuous of the well educated parents on here who use state schools to imagine/predict that education would be on a more equal footing if private education was abolished.

There would probably be a more equal footing between those who currently pay and those who either choose not to or can't quite afford to but who value education and give the same input at home. For those kids, it would all even up quite a bit, I'm sure.

However, it is wholly naive to think that those kids who are currently living on very difficuly estates and attending comprehensives in difficult inner city areas are suddenly going to be receiving an equal education.

We would still have a two tier system but something tells me that fewer people would bother about that.

Well go on then Joan. Post away

are you lot still here??!

Joni I'm sure you can do well at a state comp and many do

Many more do well at independent schools. look at the stats.

If I want the load the dice in favour of my kids then by god I will

sorry if that pisses you orf

disingenuous

freshmint.

I think you are barking up the wrong tree. I'm arguing is support of parents having the right to choose private education

'in' not 'is'

gaaaah Freshmint, that's cause the independent schools don't take the ones who are going to fail! Not because they take the whole spectrum and then get 95% A-cs out of them!

Blimey, Joan, I grew up on a very impoverished council estate, went to what would now be called a 'sink school' and came up smelling of roses. Nobody thinks bright kids from supportive homes can't possibly succeed at state school.

Hmm, I'm not sure you can say that nobody thinks that, to be honest! Seems a recurrent theme!

Nobody says it can't happen. It's always the anti-private posters who spout the anecdote about knowing such and such who was privately educated and is a lazy fecker/in prison/unemployed etc.

Most bright kids from supportive homes will do well in most schools. But it would be silly for me to argue that they don't stand a better chance of doing well in a good independent school.

And I would really like you to comment on my post of 21:43 as that is genuinely what I think would happen!

Joan, I too went to a 'bog standard comp' but was able to get two degrees and a good career. I've never seen anyone suggest that this view shouldn't be aired!

But can I just say again, good schools are not solely created by supportive parents! And nor should they be! Surely they have even more of a duty to help those who don't have support and encouragement from home.

I really am going to leave this alone now. Is there not an emoticon for banging head against wall?

So how much are you paying in fees monthly then Brian?

Ok, sorry I missed it:

I think it's slightly disengenuous of the well educated parents on here who use state schools to imagine/predict that education would be on a more equal footing if private education was abolished.
^why is it? I don't see how that is disingenuous? If you weren't taking 7% out and keeping them away from the normal kids, it just would automatically be more equal. How could it not be?

There would probably be a more equal footing between those who currently pay and those who either choose not to or can't quite afford to but who value education and give the same input at home. For those kids, it would all even up quite a bit, I'm sure.

However, it is wholly naive to think that those kids who are currently living on very difficuly estates and attending comprehensives in difficult inner city areas are suddenly going to be receiving an equal education.
but this is having it both ways - for as many people who have said they lived somewhere where the local catchment was all millionaires, there are plenty who've said all that was on offer was 'sink'. And so when those ones take their kids off private, the children who REALLY can't EVER afford a choice, who live there, are stuck in a very monocultural environment, which, to boot, anyone with a bit of education or money scorns and spurns - all adding to their sense of worthlessness, surely?

We would still have a two tier system but something tells me that fewer people would bother about that.
hmm. It will always be a multi-tier world, won't it? But I still think, and always will, that a bloody good place to start would be not to remove a tiny proportion of children and educate them in a vacuum with wealthy and/or very bright kids alone

notrightnow, Litchick said we mustn't tell these stories because they are misleading, seeing as how it's a competitive dog eat dog world and there's no use pretending that private school isn't more help with that.

What do you think ?

Now my daughter's secondary school has become an independent academy I could say she goes to an independent or "indie" school ?

• Possibly impress my mother

I went to a pretty dire comp as did my brother. We both have good degrees from RG and he has an MBA. So I don't think comps fail everyone at all.

Bibbity - not sure off the top of my head. Think nursery is around £400 a month and dd's school is around £7k a year probably £8k with all the extras (uniform, after school, different clubs and stuff).

Is that ok?

off to bed now, don't slate me in my absence

Acky school?

Joan.

May I ask you a couple of personal questions? Are you in the North or South? And what sort of area do you live in?