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??

Thanks. I am not in the best mood today. Have had a very busy week all last week with OFSTED in doing my best for a school I believe in - working every single afternoon unpaid to ensure my children in that school get the very best deal. I get paid lss than £8/9 an hour and for 20 hours a wek. last week I did more than double that for no extra money. So don't tell me I am not as good a member of staff as another teacher or TA just beause I (oh, and my DH remember, my equal decision maker for me family) chose to send our child to a different school for lots of reasons.

JoanofArgos - your posts are offensive and aggressive. You appear ignorant of many aspects of both systems in places and unwilling to take on anyone else's viewpoint. Your posts appear very discrimating and prejudiced. They do not appear to be pleasant whatsoever. This concerns me way more than where an adult sends their child. Becuase it concerns me what causes someone's attitude to be so poor.

Hula:

"I so assume your child goes to the local comprehensive, bottom of the league failing school? no, because my local comp isn't that. So sue me. I live where I live So that you can be shining example parent who is going to ensure all children get the fair equal deal. I assume you have not moved to a good catchment area to get into a good school.no, I didn't And I assume you have not sought a grammer school if they are in your location? they aren't And I assume you have not employed any form of tutor or too many extra curricular activities to enhance your child/'s learning? no, I have never employed a tutor. I'm not sure what extra curricular activities would make my position untenable? I assume you also do not agree with any other form of "buying" your children a better education correct . because tbh, unless your children are at the worse school in your borugh an you are volunteeering and helping very very often your judgements don't really hold with me now.I don't care, any more than you care what I think about private education

The thing is, Joan. You seem to hate is because it gives an unfair advantage. But an unfair advantage over what? Do you think my children have an unfair advantage over the kids using my local state school who live in stupidly big houses and have 3 holidays a year? Whose parents pay for music tuition and ballet and make sure the visit the theatre and museums. I'm asking that as a genuine question.

Is it not fair to say that the real unfairness is what my kids and the local kids have over kids who live in more deprived areas, in poor housing whose parents have little means?

I don't think it does at all, why do you think I think that?

Extra curricular activities are not availabele to all children. Most require parets to fund them or get them there, parental involvement. Lot ofchildren can't access them. Later on these activities can make a massive difference in terms of children getting on, etc.

Lucky you that you manage to be in a good catchment area just by luck.

And with that I am moving on from the thread. I have work to do for the children I don't value or give a damn about and think I am above apparently.

At least the parents of the children I work with raise above ignorant prejudices and actually appreciate the very good deal they get every day.

JoanofArgos,

Lets be honest, you are jelous. You are jelous that some people have more money than you. You want to be rich without doing the work or enterprise or brains required. Don't we all.

I am passionate about state education and I believe my son is getting the best education possible in our area. I worry desperately about secondary where unfairness really starts to kick in. However state schools in wealthy areas have an unfair advantage over the sink secondaries.

I would like the return of selective education so that bright poor children could escapte sink comps.

I don't care what education choices his teachers make for their families. All I care is that my son is well taught.

"Trust me; a sign of a good school - the teacher's own children attend!"

Blimey - after nearly 6yrs experience of a child in DS2's infant school I must surely be wrong then. Many teachers their have young children, not a single child of theirs has attended the school.

Oh actually no - I am right it is a very good school. But the price of a good school with a small intake (only 2 x 30 classes) is that if you live out of catchment you haven't got a cat in hells chance of getting in. Several of the teachers (that have young children) commute for an hour to get to work). I have no idea how many of their children are private or state educated (though remembering just befre Christmas when primary school applications were due in at least 4 of them are using state.........but not the one they teach at as they live to far away to even consider it)

I do know that 2 of the TA's (one at the infants and one at the juniors up the road) sent their children through the schools........but then they live a stones throw from the schools so made perfect sense.

TBH I couldn't give a flying monkey's where they send their child to school and why.

I was sent to private school, not because my parents were loaded (it was a aided places school and my parents paid very very little), not because they had no faith in the local state system (although the school I would have gone to otherwise was very crap), but because they (and I) were faced with an option of "go private or quit my music"

But Joan, all your arguments agains Hula above are true for us. Yet I can see that not all parents have or feel they have, a proper choice of a good state school - particularly secondary - including teachers. Why should they have to send their child to the local sink school just because they "shouldn't" pay for private school because they work in the state sector?

Reallytired, don't make ignorant assumptions. I expect you're jelus that I can spell, aren't you?

I have to pick up my own child now, I think maybe I should argue what I actually do think about private/state elsewhere because I'm a bit tired of being told what I think.

Hula why do you think I'm in a 'good catchment area'? Is that the only way anyone would be happy with the local school?

Ds1 won't be going to dh's school when he moves up to secondary - not because dh has no faith in his school, but because it's an hour away. He'll go to what he/we judge to be the best place for him at the time.

How tf do you pay for private education on a teacher's salary anyway?

JoanofArgos. That's a lot of people to despise.

"I'm not sure what extra curricular activities would make my position untenable"

Well - I can give you an example. I play the organ, have done since I was 10yrs old. As senior school approached it became untenable for me to continue my music without going private.

Why?

1. We travelled a 60 mile round trip to my organ teacher once a week
2. The church I had access to practice at was a 20 mile round trip (along narrow country roads - so pretty slow)
3. None of the state school offered the organ as an option for music lessons
4. The time taken up with travel to/from my music extra curricular activities left me with virtually no time for homework from my middle school.

Going private meant I was able to have my lessons at school, even practie as school, and because I got into the school on merit of my musical ability they accepted and understood that music was a big aspect of my life and life was much MUCH easier for me.

Mind you, I've taught in both state and private schools. The biggest difference was I didn't have to be qualified to teach in the latter (and I wasn't at the time) and I did have to be qualified to work in the former.

Always bearing in mind that anecdote does not equal data, and I worked in state schools longer than private, the worst examples of teaching and student support I have ever seen was in the very expensive, very highly rated private school. I wouldn;t send a child I cared about there ifyou paid me millions

COCK - I presume that either their partner/DH/DW has a well paid job..........or the child has a bursary or scholarship.

JoanofArgos - I know you are not in a failing school as you said so yourself. So, I know that you have not chosen to send your children to a poor (in terms of OFSTED at least school) - therefore the school must be at least satisfactory, if not good or outstanding.

COCKadoodledooo - many don't ime. Those teachers who do have children in private schools often have a partner whpo works outside of the system - although from what I gather their views don't count to people like JoanofArgos. Or they have other people, such as parents or perhaps inheritence, paying the fees. Or they may have bursaries or scholarships.

Slug - what about parents who HomeEd - are they qualified?

You don't have to be qualified to work as a teacher or tutor in state schools either in certain circumstances.

And everything LeQ said is why I have a problem with private schools.

Joan - do you also have a problem with private healthcare or maybe people who live in bigger houses or drive expensive cars?

Life is not fair, some people have money and some people don't. Deal with it.

Joan, but what about what I was saying about advantage existing anyway? I can say, hand on heart, without any bullshit that the kids round here who go state are in no way disadvantaged.

I'll ask again; Do you not think affluent, professional, interested parents with high disposible income are a far bigger advantage than school?

That's not to say less affluent parents are less interested but disposible income, huge gardens, oodles of after school extras and lots of trips and holidays do give a far bigger advantage IMVHO.

So you wait for someone to come along and vindicate how you feel? Where you waiting for Xenia too?

That's like me saying I know plenty of state using parents and some are scum. It means jack shit and as we're a broad church, it means nothing.

Yes, I know.
I'm trying to compose in my head the various things I want to say, if you're truly interested then I'll try, but I'm in and out at the moment.

But when you keep asking me about what I think is an advantage you're still assuming I think private education is an advantage, and I don't, necessarily.