Before you send your kids to public school ...

[pontypridd]

Think about what sort of person you are shaping for this world.

Under this leadership of lies the youth of today will learn that to survive they must shun the truth.

Public speaking and leadership skills are toxic if they lead to the likes of Rees Mogg, Johnson, Cummings and Gove etc

Power needs to removed from these poisonous public school places.

Xenia,

Thanks. All very confusing to outsiders. But probably easy enough for those who know how to navigate it. Very interesting just the same.

Maintained schools are funded from public money, but not at the same level across the country. So (generalising shamelessly for simplicity) poorer and rural counties spend less per capita on education. London, which has both very wealthy and very deprived areas, spends massively on equalising the spend that goes into school funding-- in order to be seen to be fair. Poorer counties/education authorities like those close to me (SE Cornwall and West Devon for clarity) spend 20-25% less per capita than Tower Hamlets on education. But SE Cornwall and W Devon don't struggle to recruit teachers because it's a pleasant area to live in, bring up your family and property prices are not prohibitive, although steep compared to parts of northern England. Any teaching job advertised in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset is going to get a ton of responses, unless its maths or physics. In Toxteth,Manchester, a lot fewer CVs will arrive.

I went to a public boarding school.
Having had that experience I made sure my kids went to the local State school.
'nuff said !

@greyswallow

Sorry rufus, read too quickly and missed the tone of your post .

That’s absolutely fine, thank you for saying that...

Ds1 would have gone to the same private school...if we hadnt had child 2 and 3 and run out of money 😀

@yolio

Why are private schools called "public schools" in UK please?

It sounds the opposite of what I would expect them to be.

The distinction is with those who had a private tutor to educate them.

DC has special needs and I owe apology for anyone for choosing a private education for him. The state system was useless in handling the situation, which was quite damaging, so we are finished with them for good.

DH and I work bloody hard for our money and if I want to spend it on my DCs education I will! I am happy with our small, pretty, special, nurturing, high achieving school and I am sorry that not everyone can afford it. In the same way I can't afford a pretty house and luxury goods as I spend all my money on my kids education. I pay my taxes (a lot) so states school can keep going.

Sorry I'm a bit fed up with this pathetic argument of State vs Private.

Make sure you send this post to Labour MPs and the Guardian - most of them went to or have sent their kids to private schools!

You're an idiot. Please go away.

@SebastianTheCrab Make sure you send this post to Labour MPs and the Guardian - most of them went to or have sent their kids to private schools!

14% of Labour MPs went to private school. That's more than the general population (7%), but a very long way from 'most'.

Roc is right. Eg our Queen never went to school which was the tradition for many families of that kind. It was very unusual that her son went to a school at all. His is on the HMC list for Scotland and is a public school - Gordonstoun.

Have you worked in one? Had any experience of attending one? Having taught at one, I think the idea that they are poisonous to anyone who attends is utterly ridiculous. I taught many, many lovely boys who were polite, humble and understood how lucky they were, for starters.

From my limited experience of one child. who has experienced both systems of education. my considered opinion is you get what the system thinks you deserve in the maintained sector, which is f*ck all if your child is dyslexic, even seriously so, and that the private schools work very hard to help you help your child compensate. The maintained sector provides inadequate provision, so by paying my taxes for an education I am not using, and then paying again to educate my child in a manner suited to the child's needs, I am not depriving anyone of anything. I am choosing to pay twice, out of after tax income, to get what I want. I do appreciate that you cannot make the same decision if you earn NMW. But I can't alter that.

Private school seems to have turned my dd into an embryo socialist. (We live in the tiniest of terraced houses). And she is thriving there, far more than her state school experience.