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?

olifin - I think a lot of fee paying parents would agree with you. I simply want my DS to go to school and be able to LEARN.

He is clever, and would get into a grammar school (based on this years 11+ assessments at his Prep).

But there are no Grammar's in my County - so I made a choice to pay for his education, in order to get what I feel he deserves (which is also what I feel every child deserves, but I can't pay for them all)

seeker you asked what I want and don't want for my children's education.

• I want lots of outdoor space.
• I want daily sport (lots of competitive and some other choices)
• I want small classes
• I want specialist subject teachers from year four.
• I want languages including Latin introduced early.
• I want single sex post eleven

-I want rigorous setting from year four

• I want homework
• I want exams
• I want a proper partnership with the school including an email address for every teacher and assurance that any questions or problems will be dealt with immediately.
• I want serious zero tolerence on discipline
• I want choirs and orchestras and ensembles from year three.
• I want public speaking to be of importance from a young age.
• I want a uniform - strict and smart.

-I don't want a slavish adherence to the NC

• I don't want SATs
• I don't want the school to have to follow whatever the latest guideline is from on high, but for teachers to be able to use their expertise and experience and to be left to get on. In essence I want them to be independent of the state.

This is just for starters. And I know from MN that many of my requirements would be anathama to many...but that's okay surely because I don't want to force my requirements on anyone. Likewise I don't want to be told that my requirements are not acceptable.

Olifin yes my lo is at an outstanding school BUT I top up the education with a private tutor and when If I can ever afford full time private school lo will be in their before the ink can dry on the check.

wordfactory - daily sport - some competitive!

We could be twins. No lollipops all round for taking part?

Actually, thinking back it was carrot sticks!

Lollipops are evil!

WellI know it's not popular on these boards and I know there was a move to remove competition at primary level in state schools (reversed in recent times I think) but I'm a fan.

And not the winning. I think the taking part in competitive spotrs, paticularly team sports is invaluable. DC learn they are part of somehting greater, that you support one another. They have to behave impeccably when they travel to another school (or be dropped next week).

If they lose they learn that greatest of lessons - that it doesn't matter. You pick yourself up and smile. You fight on another day.

Wow, wordfactory - had you considered time travel?!

Actually, one of the reasons we chose our primary school (satisfactory with a few good elements before I get accused of having a leafy suburb outstanding - we drive past one of those to get to our school) is that is has 6 acres. And they are used daily by everybody.

That makes sense diabolo

Sadly, the absence of Grammar schools means streaming by wealth rather than ability. That's not right, to my mind.

Wow word you'd be hard pressed to find that list from any private school, a young offender unit maybe

Something else that always puzzles me - people on threads like this are very keen on the return of grammar schools - forgetting that this also means the return of secondary moderns. They all seem very vertain that thei child will be one of the 23%.........!

You don't imagine for a moment that a MNetters DC would be below average, average or slightly above average ,or even just moderately above average, do you seeker!

Seeker so you think the standard of general state education has improved since they shut down Grammars?

I got rid of a man with a petition to 'save our gramar schools' very quickly once. I said 'you mean save our secondary moderns' and he disappeared quick-I never got chance to say anything further!

Nothing wrong with grammar in northern irland they have many grammar schools and the children who don't get in go to church schools and every one get a good education

They don't have this issue in ni you either go to grammar school or church school they have very few private schools in ni

I think it has improved for the majority Fab and surely we are thinking of the education of all our DCs, not the chosen few?

Or is the miraculous loss of 23% of high achievers being blamed on the private sector hoovering them up again?

See technically there should be a percentage who can't afford private that are now in mainstream state bumping up the average, but it seems the lack of teaching that is able to go on has dulled that.

Exotic with more illiteracy now than ever, you honestly think that?

The reason why your not keen or secondary morden is because you know the state cannot provide the good education your saying everyone should have in the communist world

My child cannot have a good education so one one should wonkey logic

I am glad you only require a big field for your child but I an many are looking fir much more

In my area the comprehensives are sending DCs to top universities every year, including Oxbridge-all the real high flyers are in the local paper-lots of them. There are good comprehensives and bad comprehensives, good private schools and bad private schools and if there were bad grammar schools it would be a national disgrace after they have cherry picked the best!
People will persist in thinking that all comprehensives are 'bog standard'.

Fab-there is no illiteracy in the top sets! The bottom sets are doing better than they were in sink secondary moderns and they had a way up.

No one thinks all states are bad just their not enough good ones to go round

Sorry-they have a way up now.

maypole1, I genuinely have no idea what you are talking about. Secondary modern schools shut down opportunities and aspirations for 77% of the nations children.

exotic I'm glad that you are so fortunate in your area as you say. Majority of the Country does not seem to resemble your area, unfortunately.

seeker and ishani - wordfactory doesn't need time travel or a young offender's insititute!?!? She just describe many independent schools, including where I work, to a tee!

Bar the single sex part we seriously tick every box:
lots of outdoor space - we have 3 lawns, a paddock, woods, a golf course, sports fields, astro turfs, tennis courts and a hard area.
daily sport - Yes, daily after lessons with matches on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons against lots of other schools
specialist subject teachers from year four - French from Y3, Latin from Y5.
languages including Latin introduced early - see above.
single sex post eleven - we're co-ed but only go to 13 so many go single sex from there
rigorous setting from year four - maths and english from Y4, others from Y5
homework - most do it in school but yes, twice a week for Y3 and every weeknight bar Wednesdays for everyone else.
exams - yes, twice a year in most academic subjects from Y5 (once a year for Y4)
a proper partnership with the school including an email address for every teacher and assurance that any questions or problems will be dealt with immediately - as far as is humanly possible, yes.
serious zero tolerence on discipline - we work on understanding, counselling and assertive discipline but yes, trouble is dealt with promptly
choirs and orchestras and ensembles from year three - 5 choirs, an orchestra and 4 ensembles open to Y3 up.
public speaking to be of importance from a young age - house competition in debating as well as reciting and debates held in English, History and Drama classes.
a uniform - strict and smart- definitely. Blazers, Ties and even shorts for the littleys.

We also definitely don't stick to the national curriculum, don't do SATS and have as much indpendence as the ISI allows us to.

This is a 21st century prep school that is totally unremarkable and mirrored by prep schools all over.

It might not be to every (or many) parent's tastes but it's out there.