to ask if you use state or private education

[manicinsomniac]

Sorry, I know it's a little rude and personal but I only ask because I think that only 7-8% of the children in the UK are privately educated yet on mumsnet it seems to be massively higher than that which I find interesting.

So, if I'm not being too unreasonable to ask, do/did/will you use private or state education for your child/ren?

I know its mad its wokey logic

Her argument is that private schools are good state schools are not so lets close the private schools down so every one can have a equally bad education

I do feel like its sour grapes on her part

Oh yes, knitted let's make our Country like communist China. Hoorah! Take away choice please, we don't need or want it. Everyone must be the same. Now.

And why does it always have to be 'middle class' parents pulling state schools up? I fear any 'lower class' parents reading these posts about how state schools only have a chance if 'middle class' parents deign to send their kids there, might be somewhat offended? Are they completely incapable of having the same parenting skills knitted?

Grrr! MOST...get it, MOST people simply cannot afford private schooling. End of.

Telling us how shit it is, how lazy we are and what dreadful parents we are isn't going to change that.

ive already stated before about where things should end as you say. the health and education of our under 18s should be the same and equal to all. a fathers paralysis is very unfair to even try and compare, it has nothing to do with this at all.

maypole are you saying that your holiday is better than anothers just because they go to costa del sol??

you see its this thinking that seeps into every aspect of society and just goes on supporting and pushing through inequality in this cournty and making it seem as though its ok.

...state ed I mean of course...

when have i said that? dont try and turn that on me. im refering to things offered at private school small classes, choice of subjects and activities, the reputation of said school ect... if you are looking for someone to talk about making assumptions like that i suggest you look to maypole and her comments about chavs local schools and chav holidys in spain!

Its gets to sad in some state schools were the students actually know more than the teachers.

My nephew was correcting mistakes the teacher was making
My sister had this issue were her son was being used effectively as a teaching assistant and after many meeting and her bring in the la the head admitted the school could no longer meet her sons needs he was basically to bright and they couldn't do anything with him

In a private school now doing really well the level he is at in year 8 in new school they still wouldn't be at even in year 10 at the state school

The point I was making knittedbreast was about unfairness. Where do YOU draw the line?

In the old days there were lots of bad private schools (like the one Roald Dahl went to) Everyone could afford it if they were middle income.
Private schools are much better now, because hardly anyone can afford it so they have to try harder to do the job well.
Discuss.

I for one am relieved that most of my friends can't afford it. Then our children will all get equally bad results
No. Some will be doctors, some will be accountants, some will be builders, some will be writers, some will be layabouts. As it was in private school when I went.

That's lovely Maypole IF you have the money.

Knitted you've been blaming 'middle class' parents for the failure of the state schools all through! My question is why are you ignoring the other class majority in those schools? Are they not worthy of your opinions? Or are they just not of any ability to do anything at all about their children's education? You don't seem to have any problems with them and their parenting whatsoever.

but thats the thing we arent all the same, our family back ground parental involvement etc and thats the reason that children should benefit from equal ed for all.

its not sour grapes on my part at all, i wouldnt send my children had i the money anyway!

its a no brainer really

clit. That's a very good point but the question is, just because you cannot afford it why should you deny those who can and want to pay for it?

Sorry to sound harsh but if there was a thread about buying a car or going on holiday would you post on there saying that the OP shouldn't buy the car/go on holiday because you can't afford it?

I really don't understand why education is more fundemental to a child's life than housing or food...
yet I don't hear people calling for equal provision of housing or money for food.

Why? Becasue we all know that the state cannot provide every family with a detached house with garden.

In the same way that we all know that the state cannot provide classes of twelve etc..and anyway, even if the state could provide that I didn't want a school fetttered by the NC. If you do want the NC, why d your views trump mine?

erm ive not blamed the middle class. my comments have been about the existance of private schools in the first place? and the differing options available to private ad state schools. ive said its wrong that one lot of children have access to resources only existing because their parents aare paying for it.

Betsy, ive already answered that on the other page. lots of things are unfair, things we cant change. people who are born disabled being one of them but education is something that as a society we do have power over. so why not offer the same education to all.

It's all desperately unfair

I wouldn't say "middleclass" or "working class". Just the parents that value education. It doesn't have to be a socio-economic group.
I shouldn't have used the the word "middleclass" in an earlier post. It wasn't really about the houses people lived in or the money they earned, just what their expectation and ambition for their children's education was. They want their children to get a good job, to be motivated, to have high standards. I don't think this is just the preserve of a socio-economic group called the Middle Class who read Ian McEwan and wear Boden. They just want their children to do well, and part of that is encouraging them to do well at school, to want to learn things. That is the group of people I mean.

wordfactory thats why we should offer the same to all kids. we cant promise you that when you are born you will have a wonderful happy wealthy family in a big house nice area to give you all you could need but we can promise that you will not be disadvantaged when it comes to your education. once youve done your schooling its up too you

It is unfair

Personally I think the answer is to make the LEAs and politicians face up to the fact that we as parents will not accept anything but the best for our children. If you have a private school in your area that gets great results point to it and say 'that's what I want MY child's school to be like.' I also think private schools should offer scholarships to 50 % of their intake. That would creat a bit of social mobility and that's worth fighting for.

'Its a well known fact that the sink schools enter their students in the softer subjects are much quicker to label badly behaved students with special needs with some schools having as high as 70% of students with sn'

maypole I would seriously dispute this. It costs money, time and a great deal of faff to get a child statemented. It is usually the parents who are having to fight very hard to get one, not so much the school. And once the child has got their statement, what then? Not enough funding for the resources and extra support that child needs.

word The NC is the National Curriculum. I'm not saying it's perfect but it's what the fast majority of schools teach, as decided by our government in the democracy we live in. I think it's fair that if you don't want the NC, you pay for the alternative.

Wanting smaller class sizes and adequate support for children with SN is not an unusual viewpoint. We all want that, surely?

But the state does offer a free education and one which many MNers attest is perfectly good in parts. Often great.

The problem lies IMHO in the patchiness of state provision not in the existence of private school.

There is also the issue that however good the free education on offer is, for some children other issues (parents, environment, illness etc) will affect how able or not they can access that education.

Beast, I think your (our) focus should be on making State schools better. Not on making Private schools just as bad (or abolishing them).

If State schools had as good results as Private Schools, nobody would be bothered about Private schools existing. Would they? Then you'd just be a fool to pay for something you could get free, of the same quality.

Sadly, the quality is not the same. So State schools should improve.

PS: I do object to those who keep on making references to "chavs". Unnecessary snobbery that doesn't make you look good or clever.

olifin indeed I'm happy to pay for the things I want that the majority don't.

But if private schools were not allowed as is being suggested then I would have to use state and have to have the NC imposed on me. Why is that okay?

Would I be allowed to home educate then? Or is that banned too in the brave new world?

Sorry knitted you seemed to be following on from what swan had said and I forgot who had posted about the classes and thought you were one and the same for a sec . I think it all has a lot to do with family. If every child starts of the same then it has to be family that helps mould them into the children we see at all schools every day. You can honestly only blame the parents in some cases. The kids don't stand a chance. How is making everyone the same going to help that? Take away the best and leave the mediocre in the hope that someone will work their butt off for no reward, just the milk of human kindness, to drag everyone up? Oh but they have to all be able to learn equally of course, as otherwise we'll be getting some of them getting better jobs than others and then...oh hold on....