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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Which school would you choose?

12 replies

user1461609321 · 02/02/2022 08:12

Morning all

As the outcome of the school admissions looms, I have a choice to make between a local independent with great reputation and facilities, diverse etc

And a top catholic boys secondary school which is 3 train stops away but in less diverse area but very strict in terms of discipline which I hope will help me in the teenage years to enforce boundaries as school does not allow mobile phones, random haircuts and insists on daily prayers and weekly mass as a school

The independent being local will mean we can help more with school runs but I am worried about committing to the fees for 5-7 years

There is a sibling who will be in yr5 in September so want a school both can attend ideally

Both schools are outstanding with great reputations

So what would you choose?

OP posts:

TeenPlusCat · 02/02/2022 08:15

The independent being local will mean we can help more with school runs but I am worried about committing to the fees for 5-7 years

The state school then.

There is a sibling who will be in yr5 in September so want a school both can attend ideally

Definitely the state school then!

Porcupineintherough · 02/02/2022 08:20

If you are not really, really sure that you can afford 2x fees for 7 years then choose the Catholic school.

If you can, and you are happy to pay, then think about which school fits your sons personalities and interests the best. Dont forget you are choosing for 2 children.

I guess something else to think about would be how important your faith is for you (assume you are Catholic) and how big a feature of life you want it to be for your sons.

Cocomarine · 02/02/2022 08:21

I’d choose the education topic and repost 😉

Pegasussnail · 02/02/2022 08:22

Id go for the strict Catholic school and use spare cash for tuition if needed for A Levels etc when the time comes

BrambleRoses · 02/02/2022 08:25

Personally I don’t like the sound of the catholic school but that might just be me.

But in general I think as much as we read and take in the OFSTED reports a good question to ask if if the school is outstanding for your son or daughter.

mycatisannoying · 02/02/2022 08:28

Unless you can comfortably afford the fees, forget private school. There will always be add-ons, such as trips or books.
Yes, that's right, we had to pay for every textbook on top for our three.

caulkheaded · 02/02/2022 08:29

Having worked in an outstanding Catholic school with very strict rules I wouldn’t send my son there!

Where does he want to do- where are friends going? Do either offer subjects he is more interested in or extra curricular he wants to do?

Original poster

user1461609321 · 02/02/2022 08:30

The independent does subsidise fees following a financial assessment though at this stage we are unsure of the exact amount we would need to pay, we just have a ballpark figure

OP posts:

Original poster

user1461609321 · 02/02/2022 08:31

@caulkheaded

Having worked in an outstanding Catholic school with very strict rules I wouldn’t send my son there!

Where does he want to do- where are friends going? Do either offer subjects he is more interested in or extra curricular he wants to do?

Both schools offer numerous clubs, he is into reading, maths, coding and science

OP posts:

Porcupineintherough · 02/02/2022 08:34

And if the independent decides in a couple of years to cut subsidies, or ratchet up its prices, what then? Can you cover the fees and can you cover them twice?

SeasonFinale · 02/02/2022 08:44

@mycatisannoying

Unless you can comfortably afford the fees, forget private school. There will always be add-ons, such as trips or books. Yes, that's right, we had to pay for every textbook on top for our three.

You do realise though that this is very unusual and school specific. We had no add ons or additional payments other than uniform. However I do agree that anyone considering a private education should be asking whether there are any added items that enquire payment over and above fees.

If you are already worrying about fees indies may not be the route for you.

yikesanotherbooboo · 02/02/2022 13:24

My instinct would be to go for a state school if there is any question re struggling for fees. Two of my DC went to independent schools and we didn't have loads of add ons and although the initial uniform outlay was a lot for one of them the other school was similar to the state senior my other child went to.
Having said the above I wouldn't choose a very strict school just at the point when you are wanting your DC to learn to make sensible choices and, yes, make some mistakes to learn from.

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