State school teachers sending their own children to private schools

[abitwobbly]

AIBU to think we are not immoral or anti state and that we have just chosen the right school for our child??

myredcardigan sorry a little off thread but did you say you were an AST?? Did you give up your role? I expect that the role will go with all the changes/cuts etc.....shame as I love it.

It is possible to be an excellent teacher, and to support wholeheartedly the notion of state education, but also disagree with the way state education has been implemented by successive governments.

As has been said, maybe these teachers hate SATS, or the NC, or the policy of inclusion being applied to children for whom it is not suitable, or inability to expel pupils, or league tables, or any centralised initiative that makes their job harder.

I don't think that the solution for all the teachers who disagree with governmental policies on education, and therefore choose to send their children to private schools, is for them to leave the profession to avoid looking hypocritical.

There'd be some pretty empty staff rooms out there.

If I work in a library, am I never allowed to buy a book?

You are suggesting that teaching is tied up with political ideology. No, for some it's just a job with no bearing on what they do in their private life or how they choose to spend their money.

Exactly-teaching is a job. Teachers have private lives and they have choice.

Abitwobbly, yes, I was an AST and yes, I sort of gave it up when I had my second child. I loved it too and it made me really proud as it came about after my first ofsted. However, after having two little ones, I wanted to work p/t and I didn't want all the constraints and admin that went with it.

I don't know if it varies from authority to authority but for me, part of the remit was to visit two other schools each term and also arrange for at least one other teacher to come and see me teach. I had to fill out lots of paperwork each time.

The extra bit of money was nice and if I'm honest, I also enjoyed the kudos. Not in an arrogant way but it was a great feeling to go in and sometimes be able to say to a colleague, 'why don't you try this?' etc.

By the time I had 2 kids, I just wanted a break from all the paper work-not just the AST stuff but the assess co-ord stuff and the maths co-ord stuff. So I took a 2day week job share on main scale, had a third baby and have never gone back to it. My understanding is that I'd now need to be reassessed if I wanted to take it up again.

Thing is though, I'd go into schools and visit teachers who were apparently at risk of failing. Some were indeed struggling but others were trying to teach classes of 35 or 36 junior kids, many with additional needs and with no TA support. Their practice was actually fine but they were just struggling under the weight of the circumstances in which they were trying to teach. Ofsted didn't seem to distinguish between a Y5 teacher under those conditions and one with a class of 28 MC kids and f/t TA support. So in some cases, I almost felt embarrassed to be there supposedly imparting advice to a very capable teacher. I became a bit sceptical of it at times.

I haven't seen anything about the funding for it stopping. As is typical, you'll probably still be expected to do the bit and bobs but without the extra money.

I read this thread with interest, as we have recently been in a position to have to decide whether to send our son to an independent school for secondary in September.

We can't afford it, but my dad works there, has done for 36 (yes really!) years, and we would get the 2/3 (yes 2/3!) fee remission.

It's a very good school. My son is very sporty indeed, and also knows some of the kids who would be in his cohort as he attends the boarding activity weeks there in some holidays.

BUT. My partner (state educated, better degree than me) is fairly anti private education. We both teach in state schools. But crucially for us, the decision to send him to a state school next year had three major arguments in its favour.

My son has ADHD for which he is medicated, and I know that the new school will be VERY good at supporting him where he needs it (I work at the feeder primary, so know the SEN staff there; also I know parents of children already at the school who have nothing but positive feed back).

Secondly, we have moved house three times since our son started reception, always to different areas, so always necessitating a new school. He is very happy and settled with his very lovely peer group for the first time having spent more than two years in a school for first time.

Thirdly, although my son is very bright as we have recently realised (since medication, but have always suspected! ), he has gaps in his knowledge where he "missed" a lot of school due to his condition and is only now really catching up. We would have had to coach him in to my dad's highly selective school, and would be worried about him struggling from the start. Oh - and I forgot, fourthly - he would have to weekly board.

My son has attended the schools I have worked at since Reception, and when I worked in socially deprived inner city schools, hand on heart, do I think he received as good an education as he has at my current village middle class primary? Probably not. And not because my colleagues were any less good at their jobs. And would we have made a different decision re: secondary had we still been in those deprived catchments? Again, I think MAYBE not.

Cor - that was long - sorry!

So you decided not to send him for good reasons. That's fine. Our son went to his father's chools (we paid 15% of the fees) but then we were both committed to private schools and I only ever went to private schools so it was a pretty easy decision (that one has now graduated). You just have to decide what is right for you at the time.

People do beat themselevs up a bit too much. Mothers Against Guilt would be a great thing to promote. I often think those of us who are just content with what we do, "satisficers", they call us - feel we have done a good enough job rather than being perfectionist, who can make a choice and live with it and don't worry about having done the wrong thing lead happier lives.

I would have thought that despite teachers being generally well educated and intelligent, it's no guarantee their children will be bright, so some have to send their kids to private schools (everybody knows that private schools are for those not thought to be as bright )

Not quite. Virtually all the best schools for A levels are in the private sector. But there are certainly very good private schools for less bright children too.

(everybody knows that private schools are for those not thought to be as bright )

Can you imagine the outcry if that statement was reversed. As for all teachers being intelligent, one I know from my old school got into university with two EE's hardly impressive, but actually he is an excellent PE teacher.

Xenia, I'm glad that it's "fine" that we are sending our son to be educated in the bear pit state sector, but surely the vast majority of people have good reasons for sending their children to the schools they do?

And there WAS a wink after RitaLynn's post...

I work in a comp and cannot think of a single teacher who sends their children to a grammar and it would be seen as an odd thing to do and would certainly raise eyebrows amongst parents and staff. My children are at the school in which I work , as are the children of a number of other staff. Hypocrite is a stong word but I would certainly feel uncomfortable sending my children to an independent school or even a grammar school while working in a comprehensive. I also cannot think of any teachers who even have their children at one of the grammars to be honest.

Sorry overuse of "and".

YABVU teachers can send their children to whichever school they wish.

Most areas of the country do not have grammar schools so it's either state comprehensive (religious or otherwise) or for the 6% who pay private.

50% of people would pay if they could afford to and about 6% do. So most parents aren't sending children where they want them to go. Although there is always the other solution of women developing businesses and careers to enable them to have a spare £10k after tax of income per child to pay fees or as many people do movnig to areas with grammar schools or leafy posh comps rather than rough comps.

i know lots teachers who privately educate their dc

At my DCs comprehensive quite a few teachers have DCs at a grammar school or independent school. No on bats an eye, it isn't hypocritical. I am not jealous, I am happy with my choice. Some teachers have their DCs in the same comprehensive. They have the same choice as any other parent.Some are working to pay school fees -and why not?

It is a job-their private life is nothing to do with anyone else. Some peole have expensive holidays, houses, cars etc -some pay school fees (the lucky do both!)
Teachers are doing the job because they enjoy it. They are not making a statement about their views on education.