To think that ALL state schools don't just produce teenage pregnancies, but valuable members of society?

[webbygeek91]

To think that ALL state schools don't just produce teenage pregnancies, but valuable members of society?

Funny seeing some threads, as I remember going to my godmothers DS picnic & nursery sports day, and this seemed to be the view of one parent.

It was in Hampshire though...

I just laughed.

So people can't move house?

I have noticed that on Mumsnet you see more posts from fee paying parents attacking state schools that they have no personal connection to. You do see some anti private school opinions from state school supporters but no where near as many. Considering only 7% of children are educated at fee paying schools, some of their parents come across as incredibly rude and aggressive to parents who use state schools.

Well every area/county/city has "cheaper" parts, surely that wouldn't involve uprooting too much?

Hmm interesting Sue.
Part of me wonders whether that is because, buried deep in their subconscious, some of these fee paying parents are a teeny bit jealous that many state school kids can achieve excellent results for free, just through being bright, sparky and hard working alone(and often in the face of great adversity), whereas the children of some fee payers have rather more fragile intellectual capabilities and just couldn't cope with the social mix of a state school AND do well at the same time: instead they have to be in little enclaves of their own kind, in smaller classes and with better facilities in order to do well...

Wook- You make out that free education isn't available to everyone, including fee-paying parents.

Doesn't it occur to you that the majority of fee-paying parents had weighed up the pros and cons and gone ahead with a private school?

There are some parents who have never set foot in a state school and have never considered it as an option for their child. At my daughters state school there are quite a few families with one or more child in state education and another in private. Some children in private education have moved to that sector because they could not cope with larger class sizes in state schools. All schools and children are different, it's just this assumption that all private schools are better than all state schools that I find hard to stomach.

I'm astonished so many people (in life, not necessarily this thread) seem ready to write off state educated young people as likely to confirm to some Grange Hill stereotype. The state sector is incredibly varied-there are rural or small town comps that could give any grammar school or small independent a run for its money, some excellent selective schools that are outstanding and sink schools that are truly disgraceful, plus all sorts in between.

The myths and stereotyping on both sides is very depressing. I experienced this at first hand, since I went to my (very good) local state school while my mother taught at the local independent also very good, in other ways). What each side said about the other depressed us enormously. It seems to be the acceptable modern face of class prejudice.

There is a very blinkered view of state schools = sink schools.

Up north and out in the country where I live, we have the choice of three Ofsted grade 1 comprehensives and, if the DCs are bright, the two single sex state grammar schools in the next county's county town (which are among the most academic schools in the land, private or state).

My DH went to boarding school and remains suspicious of the state schools - not because he doesn't think they get good results but because he doesn't think they do sport "properly" (esp for boys) - at his school they did sport for hours every afternoon and he can't fathom boys only having 90 mins of PE scheduled each week . We used to live in a city and the boys at the comprehensive (grade 1 OFSTED too) used to do rounders on the park joint with the girls during PE, which he thought was a travesty and sympomatic of the feminisation of education in the state sector. He isn't a misogynist but I do think there is something of a point here.

He better get used to it though cos he doesn't earn vast amounts as an NHS professional and, unless the DCs are very bright indeed and can win scholarships, it's the state schools they are going to!

YABVVVVVU

Lady of course it has occured to me, didn't you read what I said? Those parents have considered the free education on offer and worked out that their children aren't clever, or socially skilled, enough to thrive in a normal state school

unlike the many fab kids that catastrophist describes

And/or they have decided that it's perfectly fair and not remotely morally shabby to buy their child a leg up in life

Either way, they would be wasting their money round here since the local state school is wonderful, with a good mix of kids and fabulous, highly inventive and supportive teaching:)

sue52 I really don't think you can say that those who make derogatory remarks about state school outweigh those who make derogatory comments about private schools.

On this thread there is one poster, who most suspect to eba troll saying daft things about state schools, yet there are many horrible postes about private schooled children that no one has seen fit to challenge...including the very nasty assertion that private schooled ten year olds are put on the pill.

It's all very well to hold principled views but when posters don't bat an eyelid at some quite extreme nastiness about children, they need to ask themselves what point those principles.

As I said 93% of children are privately educated. So yes Wordfactory, it would seem some of those 7% who choose to reject the state sector are quite dismissive of it and the children it seeks to educate.

Well more fool them.

That does not excuse some of the vile things posters choose to say about children simply because they are privately schooled.

But if you and others wish to excuse that, then that's obviously your perogative...

It would be fair to say that children from more advantaged families, if they fall pregnant, would be more likely to terminate. But of course there are always exceptions. I wouldn't say that wealth buys morals. I think that is a somewhat ridiculous generalisation.

State schools vary as much as the next private school. In the region I live there are sink state schools, rife with knives and violence, there are state schools which do better than private schools and have similar facilities, but it costs a fortune to be in catchment; there are grammar schools and there are non selective academic and non selective non academic private schools - so it is very hard to generalise both on the quality of education and the morals overall.

I suspect that young women who have an unplanned pregnancy, but have other plans for their life are far more likely to terminate, than those that don't, regardless of where they were schooled.

Over half of all girls leaving care are pregnant.

Wook- it isn't just cost. Many families who decide to use the free education system, for whatever reasons, usually pay more in housing to be near an excellent school...those in an independent school are excluded as it isn't decided on catchment areas.

I talked to my mother about this today, as I choose to privately educated my son (he's in a private nursery part time which runs onto a prep school) due to the levels of education. My mother said;

"Oh you weren't privately educated because of the outstanding reputations, you were privately educated to prevent you from mixing with social classes that may have had a negative effect on you during your teenage years".

I didnt realise state school got you pregnant!
I got a similar commentabout music channels few years back to which I replied , yeah, 'I've lost count of the times I've been knocked up by MTV base

many people from my school get pregnant but more didnt so its seems a sweeping comment rather than an informed one

LadyOfTheManor I am shocked by your mother's ridiculous opinion, however , judging by your comments, she has got what she paid for (if she wanted an offensive snob).

Sue, I assure you she's probably not bothered about what you think

She got what she paid for. 5 well turned out children who didn't have teenage pregnancies!

ladyOfTheManor My first double .

A fair few of the girls in my state school (born 1973 to put in context) got pregant, and some of us instead waited and some of us got degrees and otehrs went on to do other excellent things.

Why do people want to put humans into stupid homogenous groups absed on such random crap as the nature of fudning their school received? People just are not like that.

Mind, I was too ugly to get a shag at all at 16.

Oh for gods sake.

There are great schools of all types and shit schools of many varieties.

Both sorts seem to have produced snotty, snide wankers who always wish to sneer at anyone who chooses differently from them. Private or state.

Now if schools could start teaching ' mind your own business, live with your choices and stop being so fucking petty' that would be just dandy.