To have no sympathy for a family that overstretch themselves to pay school fees?

[mrsruffallo]

Why not just go to state school?
here

Lavender - as long as you're not making going to lose your house and then moan about it I think its up to you.

Personally I wouldn't want to stretch myself that much because I'd worry about never been able to afford other stuff that kids want/enjoy - holidays, trips out, ipod, clothes, etc. If money is that tight how enjoyable will life be?

Could you not move closer to a better state school?

Viva - yes of course moving closer to a better state school seems the best option although the premium on house prices for the number of bedrooms in available properties makes me think on first glance and without having done exact numbers that the extra asking price is not that far off several years worth of school fees!

Because i have a personal situation I feel indignant about what I see to be the hypocritical nature of some people's views (i.e my own mothers views). It is as if people know that private schools are very likely to give better quality education but that there is a moral obligation on people not to send their children to private school. In my case that moral obligation is issued by someone who herself went to private school and (as I remember it) looked down on us as children although she professes that during her school days "some of her best friends were from the neighbouring state school"

I don't know. I am sure I wont be able to afford it anyway so what does it matter but I don't know why people (my mother for example) object to other people's aspirations.

I wouldn't let moral obligations or other peoples views come into it and say that with a dd at state school. At the end of the day you have to do what you feel is best for your kids. If we lived in an area with awful state schools I'd probably bend over backwards for dd to go to private.

The articles all say she was a boarder in the UK but her Facebook page says she went to a rather grotty sounding state school in the US. Is she American?

The sad thing is, so many parents just write off state schools and think they are really getting their money's worth in private schools.

I know for a fact hat a very high percentage aren't.

Well, 7% or so of parents do. Wouldn't say that was "so many"!

perri there are over 2,500 independent schools in the uk educating around 610,000 children. How can you possibly know which families are getting value for money and which are not?

How can you possibly know what those families want for their money?

What a silly thing to claim to know.

This is the same woman that can't survive without a live in housekeeper
www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2012483/I-survive-live-housekeeper.html

Can't really remember much mrsruffallo too much time in the SU bar but have her filed in mind as 'odd'. She used to go out with a friend of mine - can't remember who dumped who but he is now happily partnershipped to a lovely man.

She's English (I think) and if she did go to a posh boarding school she must have got shit A level results (as we all did there!)

Sorry to disapoint!

Perriwinkle - many different types of people use private schools for many different reasons. And what one person considers good value for money may be different to what another person considers. Not everyone who uses private schools simply does so because they have written off all state schools.

OK i apologise for linking the FB page, however it was discussed from many posts back, its not difficult to type a name in the search field, so i shant claim responsibility

also - i agree with mru she invites criticism and has been getting it for years on the DM website.

All I can say is OMG.

Its all I can say.

And I reckon she has nosied around here. Must have.

Well I think she's brilliant She's a great example to us all in fact and we should all read her writing more closely. After all where else will be get such great lessons in how NOT to manage our money.

OMG.....what a tragedy.....poor poor 'Mater@ what is one to do with such a small council house on an 'estate' in Haslemere......as for Keith lets all club together and buy him a terrace that he can share with Sophie....'Knobtastic'

Well I hope that the private Sibareducation the kids are getting is more productive than the one Shona Sibary got!

Oops went a bit wrong there. "I hope that the private education the kids are getting...."

I just thought you had coined a new term, AllPastYears.

"Sibereducation - a completely pointless waste of money"

Is Keith really in his early forties? That poor, poor man.

right now, i'm feeling most sorry for me - i could have been doing work, but noo, i had to get sucked into this vortex.

i'm off now - cleaning the cat litter out is looking attractive compared to more of her.

OK I've looked at some of the other articles and decided that those of you saying she's a DM plant paid to spout nonsensical lies to up their ratings are right, no-one could possibly be this ridiculous!

I like the fact that because the article says "and why did they have to paint the front door that horrible colour?" they are photographed in such a way that completely blocks said door-colour from view. I wonder what colour it is?

"Not unless she did a Liz Jones and like, they did it twice, once with a condom, and she quickly shoved the condom in the freezer and then used the contents for the next three kids?"

I'm really concerned now in case the elder kids ever went to the freezer for a Mini Milk.

fuzz i also wanted to know what colour the door is!

Ridiculous woman. It's spending like hers that has contributed to house prices getting out of control.

Sadly, the mere fact that their children are at "private school" is enough to convince some people that it's worth all the money. And the fact that their precious DCs are kept away from all those unruly, uncooth "chavs" who they believe populate state schools is enough for them to write state schools off in the first place.

It's called snobbery.

As the old saying goes, fools and their money are easily parted.

Snobbery works both ways, fools they maybe but well intentioned if they value their children's education. Would it be acceptable to have bought a sports car with their cash, would that be sneered at too ?

If they bought it with cash, No.