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?

And don;t get me started on free schools........!

"
The industry average for senior schools is about 8 percent"

And how much of that is made up of 100% bursaries?

Oh Seeker I wouldn't bother, I said I didn't like them and apparently the only reason for that would be that I am a deranged megalomaniac whose only goal in life is to make sure that no-one has any choice in anything, ever.

seeker why dose it matter if they give out one free place they don't have to just as tesco don't have to give free food out to poor people.

god you can live in Cuba or china if you want to live in a communist state they will be happy to have you

'if you like it so much, why don't you go and live there......'?

You and seeker seem to want every one to have the same state education regardless of ability or need .

Just want you want here everyone on the same wage every one educated in the same way

Your whole way of thinking is very strange to me wanting to close down all private schools because you don't like them and wanting all the middle class parents to gamble with the chides education in the sink schools in some wired sense of social justice so they can raise the standards

You say your against any sort of education based on ability streaming, grammars Ect you still haven't given us your thoughts on special needs schools after all they are all about education based on ability based on needs

Smaller classes, one to one teaching state of the art facilities just like grammars

Seeker doesn't want everyone to have the same state education. Her DD goes to a grammar school. She will say that everyone should walk to their local school, yet her DD travels 15 miles to school.

But her decisions are justified, ya know.

Grammer *. Pesky iphone spell checking.

yes, maypole, I really want your children to be in my child's class so he/she can raise standards. Ahem.

Read what's written, there's a dear.

Joan you need to read whats written I an not middle class by any means and go with out often so my lo can have a tutor, so that lo has more chances in life than i ever had I it makes me sick to the heavens to know that people like you would try and steal the only chance my lo will have of getting some sort of decent education.

You have already stated that you want to close all private schools and that middle class parents have a duty to send their children to sink schools to up the standards and that you don't believe in selection by ability.

Which I think the majority of parents who have sen children and need their child to go to a special school which yes selects on the basis of ability will find pretty mad

mme, you were right the first time, it's grammar school.

I'm not against setting in schools, although I think it's over-rated.

what's with the SEN business all of a sudden?

So if all schools selected by ability, and your child, for whatever reason, missed out, would you be ok with that Maypole?

Really having children learn in their own ability group so the teacher dose not have to slow down for those falling behind or speed up for those who need to be challenged is over rated.

Wonky logic

I believe there are studies that say not setting can be beneficial. I dunno, my dd's school does (sp!) set, and it seems to work fine, as do most state schools of which I have experience. All I am saying is, I have not said that I do or don't support setting.

But do tell me: if your child wasn't in the top set, you'd be all right with that, yes?

Yes, my dd does go to a grammar scchool. That is because there are no comprehensive schools in Kent. If there were, that is where she would be.

My children travel to school because we live in the depths of the country. No school of any description in walking distance. Actually, when we began our association with our primary school, we did live in walking distance - but circumstances beyond our control (which I will go into if you wish) meant we had to move. And even if I had wanted to move the children to a closer primary school, there were no vacancies.

Any more details of my life you would like me to give/ Happy to - I have ntohing to hide!

Joan why would lo miss out if schools selected by ability he would surely lo would get in the school that met los ability

I can't see the issue if your child is not bright what sense dose it make to be taught with children who are miles ahead and if your child is very bright what sense dose it make to be taught with children who are miles behind

Mad mad mad

And it really still seems like sour grapes on your part

What are my sour grapes? I'm extremely happy with where my daughters are at school, they're doing just fine, thank you. Neither they, nor I, nor their teachers are anticipating them getting the C grades you seem to think are so disastrous.

Seeker ,in the school that i work in we have about one child per year group (yr 7 to 13) on 100% bursaries. My children are in the school,largely they are unaware who has bursaries and who doesn't,I think by 6th form most are probably aware but i have been amazed how little they care .I have never ever heard any of them mention or refer to any acrimony between haves and have nots ,I really don't think most of them care .

Most schools disclose in their statutory accounts how many 100 % bursaries and total amounts that they give.These are publicly available on the Charity Commission website,just search under the name of the school and read.They are also required to be completely transparent on their bursary policy and usually this is available from the schools website ,if not under bursaries under policies

Joan my child is not in the top set, is in the middle set actually and has achieved this with having a disability to boot.

Down to los hard work, my scrimping for private tutors and making sure my lo got in to a outstanding state

Oh, and I do make an idiot of myself locally by campaigning against grammar schools. I am gently humoured by my fellow parents - who all assume that their child will be one of the 23%.

Surprisingly, they are more willing to join my campaign if they turn out not to be!

As I have said, you have justified your decision. But no one else, in your little world, is allowed to do so unless it matches up precisely with what you have done.

There is a word for that. Something horsey, iirc.

I speak as a layperson, but I think the one of the issues with setting is that ability can be quite fluid. It's possible to excel in one part of the curriculum for a subject and find another part really difficult. For example, to be very able and articulate orally and to have brilliant original insight but to find it hard to write it in an essay. Marks and exam attainment don't always give a true picture of ability.

Movement between sets can also be hard. A pupil might 'get themselves together' as a year passes and with no space in a higher set will not be working to the best of their ability. Or equally, they could fall behind and need to be in a lower set.

Anyhow... not quite on topic, so sorry all! As you were!