to think Mr Gove and his wife

[taratamara]

.. should send their child to a normal as in not ultra-hard-to-get-into-i.e-selective-but -free state school before they start preaching to other people about how terrible private schools are

[meditrina]

Gyllg57: Asking information about admissions footprints is a pretty frequent thing at CAF time, and the expert posters in Education share the information they have. I'll look forward to seeing you join in at the next round. I don't think you need to worry about MNetters being silly enough to put undue weight on any one source of advice, but as finding wider London catchments is so rare now (and so sought after) then anything you can say (by PM to enquirers if you prefer) would be so helpful.

IME those who travel are those who have moved since admissions, or those who cannot be offered any place at all in the main rounds and the next nearest school is out of borough. I would be interested to know which London schools have had greater distance admitted over a borough away (10+ miles?). Even the super selectives rarely go out that far.

fairylightsintheloft good points.

[goshhhhhh]

So....I really don't like Gove....& he is entitled to send his. child to the best school he can get her into. It sousounds like my daughter's school & she is travels toget to it. Apart from the fact it is a great school, it is more truly comprehensive in terms of society then any of our very local schools & is one of the reasons we chose it.
Although I think he is an arse, I would probably think he is more of an arse if he chose to make a point rather than what is best for his child. He can't win really, can he?

[hackmum]

I despise Gove, but I don't blame him for sending his kids to the school he thinks is best for them. Of course, he will try to make political capital out of it, and, worse, use his wife to do it for him, but I suppose that's what politicians are like.

[Dinosaursareextinct]

Gove went to private school himself, and seems to be very very keen on them in his policy decisions.

[tethersend]

Parents evening is going to be quite tense

[Retropear]

Soooo don't envy the teachers.

[Beavie]

This is interesting.

I live in somerset and the word on the street in my town is that gove bought a house here in order to get his child into the excellent state school that we have here. It's a state boarding school but they do give 25 day pupils a year a place, but they have to live within 2km of the school.

Apparently, gove's house was just out of the catchment zone and they wouldn't give his dd a place. That last update I heard literally within the last fortnight.

[squoosh]

Interesting Beavie!

[FreckledLeopard]

I like Gove and what he's trying to do. I would have no qualms if he had sent his child to a private school.

I'm afraid I can't get het up about parents doing their best for their children. Sharp-elbowed middle-classes I do not have a problem with. I will play whatever system I can to get my child into the best school I can and fail to see why a politician should do anything less, simply because he's a politician.

[AgaPanthers]

Because, FreckledLeopard, the politicians are in CHARGE of the system.

The parents are completely powerless over it.

Gove is not.

[FreckledLeopard]

But I suppose I don't accept that what Mr Gove does with his own family is relevant to his job. The two can be separated. Like no-one bats an eyelid in France when the President has an affair or a love-child. What they do in their own time with their own families should not be judged.

[squoosh]

A bit different when you're the Minister fro Education. Of course, people are going to analyse the educational choices you make for your children.

[Wannabestepfordwife]

Tbh if I was in a position where I could easily afford private school and the local good secondary was oversubscribed I would send my dd private- I would hate feeling like a took a really good education away from another child but that's just me.

Having said that I do quite like Gove and Vine.

[AgaPanthers]

Yes there aren't really any good social reasons for Govette to go to the super-posh state school where the DDs are all learning Latin and such like. Some people say MC parents should support state schools rather than brain draining to private, but that only really applies when your local state school is not already massively oversupplied with the brightest due to its discriminatory selection policies. In this case all that is happening is she is keeping out another, probably less privileged, girl.

[Dinosaursareextinct]

Where he sends his daughter to school IS related to his job. If he wants to have an affair, then that's not - no problem. Gove doesn't speak out against private schools, so could go private without hypocrisy.

[taratamara]

I totally agree with you agapanthers
also, if they make that choice, why the need to accompany it with slagging off private schools, as if taking up that place also makes them superior

[lambbone]

Ooh Beavie is that Sexey's?

[Beavie]

Yes lambbone