To think there must be tons of private school

[Enuffs]

parents on MN by % given all the threads about how ‘unfair’ it will be if they don’t get to keep the dodgy tax breaks private schools get now?

6% of kids in the U.K. go to private school. But there are SO many threats about the VAT changes to private schools…

YABU - MN is probably 6% private school parents, they’re just bloody noisy

YANBU - seems like at least a quarter of the posters on MN send their kids to private schools!

over-represented or are just really noisy and demanding of attention, the way the privileged often are.
besides being rude you're sounding judgmental.
sadly many state schools appear to be failing at providing some serious basics ie functional toilet facilities, teachers and support staff.
you can't blame people for being interested either simply online or in real life about alternative provisions.
mn seems to have many parents with children who have diagnosed and undiagnosed SEN and this group of children are not getting the education they should be.
some independent schools cater to these needs. should specialty schools for this group of children be included in the vat cash grab?

I imagine MN has a lot of advertisers based on its relatively wealthy, well educated demographic.

For starters, you need time to post, especially in the day. There seem to be a lot of wealthy ‘SAHM’ of much older children. You just can’t do that any more without a high earning partner.

Those frothing threads are funny in that the average income, lifestyles etc of your average private school parent are well known and documented, but most on those threads seem to be making ‘huge sacrifices’, have profound SEN or be fighting for the country in the armed forces. Now that would be a strange demographic for a parenting site…….

I mean this is just nastiness for the sake of it

People ask questions just hide the thread if it’s not for you

YABU, but I don't think they are that noisy. No noisier than many other groups of similar size on MN. I'm not a private school parent btw.

I'm based in Edinburgh. We don't have 6th forms, but 1:4 kids go to independent schools here.
DD is in her second last year of primary school and lots of her year group are going private after the summer.

"just queried whether or not they are over-represented or are just really noisy and demanding of attention, the way the privileged often are."

Demanding of attention?? Er, YOU started the thread OP 😂

Are you the one who starts all the petty threads about independent schools?

I didn’t say it did or didn’t ‘matter’ but just queried whether or not they are over-represented or are just really noisy and demanding of attention, the way the privileged often are.

Good to see your true feelings come out at last. It must’ve been tough holding onto them!

If somebody starts a thread about private schools, those with experience will tend to post on it, like any issue. Do you think they should not post and ignore the thread instead? From what I can see, many people with experience in the state sector post on those threads equally, so I’m not sure what you mean.

I think the mistake people make is assuming that all private school families are one homogenous group. There are actually many different kind of parents, with very different reasons for sending their kids to private schools. And private school very immensely, from the Etons to the tiny ones in a Victorian house in a suburb. And of course there are SEN private schools.

However many people just see ‘private school’ and it instantly conjures up a lazy stereotype of Boris Johnson and I don’t think everybody can be bothered to look any deeper. The group is more heterogeneous than people might think.

Of course it’s a privilege that’s inaccessible to many. But it is not just because parents don’t want Tarquin to mix with the plebs.

I think MN is very London/white middle class/private school centric.

… that the idea that a business having to pay VAT on services it provides having any sway on my vote seems ludicrous.

It’s a shame people can’t be informed before they start forming opinions and starting whole threads about something they clearly know very little about. Private schools already pay VAT like other businesses. What Labour would like to do is require parents to pay VAT on fees. It’s like asking parents with kids attending a state school to pay VAT on wraparound care or after school sports clubs.

What a nasty and bitter post.

It’s great when a male hangs out on mn like this just to
insult women, what a hobby

I thought the same! Every day there's a thread about private schools! Find it bizarre as no one in real life talks about it that much.

It’s funny when people say things like this. The latest ISC census revealed that 60% of children at independent schools in London identify as an ethnic minority (although this is more like 40% in the UK overall).

It’s my impression that a very high percentage have DC with special needs, ASD diagnoses etc.

Interesting, I’ve always felt the opposite and always noticed very negative attitudes towards DC with disabilities and special needs.

I’ve always assumed a lot of posters on here= middle-class, privileged, NT kids and no experience of disabilities/SN etc

It’s interesting to see what others think.

Oh don’t they like threading it into every sentence too so we all know about it!

I agree with the original poster. I have noticed a lot of people saying their child has complex needs, ASD, ADHD.

Apparently half the parents of private school kids did not attend private school, and 1 in 5 of all UK sixth formers are in independent schools.

Also mumsnet is quite MC.

12-15% (more in private) have SEN and they probably gravitate here for support like private school parents

It has been increasing over time as the diagnosis scope has widened.

Yes, I think the same whenever I see a VAT on private schools thread. Only 6% of kids in private school and 100% of their parents must be on MN!

The most annoying ones are those who claim they have got their kids in private schools because of sacrifices they have made. Doubtless there are things they've had to give up to pay the fees but they don't seem to get that the vast majority of people would never even be able to consider school fees even if they gave up everything.

Only about 7% of DC go to private school in the UK

Sorry I'm tired so should read OP properly

I think it's because MN is ' wordy' the social media platform is for people who like to read and write, it is a general sweeping statement but this form of media appeals more to the middle classes. ( a small percent of whom go to public school but it feels more as the audience is more middle class)

Why is it annoying that parents tell their stories, and describe their choices? Do you want a country in which higher earners have to be silent? Or would it be a better forum/country/world if they didn't exist?

Life's hard. It's hard being a single mum, it's hard being disabled, and it's hard paying school fees after tax out of a higher, but unspectacular, income, say in the 60th to 90th deciles where you'll find the "marginal" private school families you're talking about. The difference is the latter situation is a choice, and you'll find that people making that choice is terrific for state education and for the public finances.

I'm an economist for what it's worth. The relevant comparison isn't between Person A and Person B, but for Person A, the comparison between two different choices: (1) loads of work, loads of tax, few luxuries and private school? or (2) still-decent income, much less tax, nice holidays, buy a catchment area place and then some tutoring. That choice doesn't belittle the realities (joys and struggles) of anyone else's life; but choice (1) does a shedload more for the public finances and for state schools.