... to think it slightly odd that so many of my school mum friends are hung up about secondary schools already, when their kids are only 5!

[sandyballs]

It seems to be the sole topic of conversation lately - how good/bad the local comp is, how extra tuition will be needed for the local grammar etc etc.

The kids are 5/6 years old! Let them be kids!

I'm sure our parents never had all this school angst!

God it's so GRINDINGLY DULL isn't it?
I agree

dull dull dull dull dull

If you want to put the cat amongst the pigeons, you could point out that with falling school rolls, there could well be catchment area changes in the next 5 years anyway!

lolololol....I never gave secondary school much thought until it became our personal issue...i.e.my es is gonan start secondary school after summerhols...didn't see much point in worrying about it beforehand...

My son's 4 and I'm already worried. Primary schools in our area are fantastic but secondary schools are rubbish except the grammars. I'm just hoping the next six years will be enought time for the comps to improve before we really have to start worrying because I don't want my sons to waste their childhoods being coached for the grammar school exams.

In a sense too late at state school at 5. They should be have already competed for places in the academic private prep schools that best prepare them for the best private secondaries in many a parent's book but it depends what your aims for children are. If they talked at the school gates less and worked longer hours they'd be able to afford to buy private school places!

are you for real Xenia?

xenia i lol as i'm sure that's a joke ?

mad

I'm sure my little boys will learn as much at his fantastic state school as he would at a private prep school. Private isn't always best.

Xenia, you crack me up .

I'm very happy with my decision to work part-time and send my DDs to the local state primary. I think this is of more benefit to them than me working all the hours god sends to send them private, and never seeing me .

Each to their own eh.

No!

HarryJake - why bother worrying now about senior schools if your DS's are so young?? Schools can change a LOT in a very short space of time - that DREADFUL school round the corner could suddenly find itself with a fabulous head who brings it out of the doldrums, and the wonderful one could find it goes downhill.........

I must admit - thoughts regarding dd's secondary education have crossed my mind (she's in Reception). It's not a major pre-occupation though...and I generally talk about the weather at the school gates (that's how interesting I am, lol!)

However - it does need some forward planning. She won't be going to the feeder comp - over my dead body. So she will either have to pass 11+ or do a common entrance exam for private school.

My children are at private school but I cannot understand women who say they hate working full time and would love to give it up but they can't because they wouldn't be aboe to afford school fees. A happy mother who is around is surely worth more than any 'academic' prep school.

I am much happier working whether it were to fund a mortgage, food and school fees or not. However I agree - happy parents make happy families, although if you're on the poverty line then that's a bit different.

A lot of parents have a rought idea what they'd like for their children, same kind of education they have, kind of univesrity they'd like them to go to, career path, what is your family's norm etc and you have to work backwards to how you get them to that point. Obviously if it will be joining their father's painting business then the schools don't count so much.

zenia you are showing a severe lack of class
"Obviously if it will be joining their father's painting business then the schools don't count so much. "
so to run a business you don't need an education.

Hmm, might be giving her too much benefit of the doubt, but perhaps Xenia means if you are joining the family business, you don't need to worry about having "name" schools on your CV as you might do for other jobs (ie, the law!)

My DS is almost 1 and I am already thinking about schools, but that's because we want him to go to catholic school and we need to decide what part of the country to move to...

oh, i have decided where my ds1 (3.5yrs old) is going a s secondary school already... having spoken to my hairdresser and Marsy about it- there are two clear choices!
so will have to get the tuition started now!!

littleEasterlapin me thinks you are just too nice

Maybe I'm not one to throw one like "snob" around

Personally I don't give a damn about 'career paths'. To me education is all about stimulating, inspiring and expanding young minds in order to maximise their potential, be that academic or otherwise.

That's why my children will be as they are and other people's are as they are. It's just choices we make. Probably most of us want our children to be similar to us in a sense. Everyone in our family went to university often Oxbridge and to fit in with that the children probably will too. If one had a burning desire to leave school at 16 obviously if it's a sensible plan one might concur but it's not what I would set out to plan for them. I want them to have the education and opportunities I had.

Well DH and I both have degress from Oxford and mine's a first. I certainly hope that my children won't feel the need to follow us there in order to 'fit in'!. We have no interest in projecting our ambitions on to our children.

This thread title made me laugh - dh anounced earlier today that he had chosen which school dd is going to when she is 13.

She's 11 months old FGS!!!

Yes, but if everyone in the family is well educated usually it's easier to fit in if the children are too obviously barring a few eccentricities and the occasional one being born a bit thick. If you want them to be like X you do ABC which results in that. For example I don't like them to swear and I never swear at home so they don't often swear. I don't tend to resolve arguments by thumping someone so they don't do that. I don't smoke and none of the teenagers do. I speak in a certain way and they do too. So we are all there making our children what we think is good for them and choosing an apporpriate school and education is just part of that process.