to suggest that every single parent with a child at private school apply for a state school place asap?

[sarjd]

let's see how that works.

comprehensives will adapt to stream/set effectively because that is what most parents want

I think some people have no idea how comprehensive schools function!?

Do you mean labour or Labour? If the latter, what on earth does such a thing have to do with the Labour Party? Have you any evidence for this?

Not fully. The ones near us only use sets for English and Maths until y9. Everything else is mixed ability.

No schools near us use streaming

Great idea. If they do, we can just close all of the private schools for good and have done with them.

This ^

Making laws to go after a specific group of people rather than looking at the principles is often is a slippery slope with unintended consequences.

Education is a public good, therefore the highest earners should pay more out of general taxation. Rather than private school users having a special exemption carved out of VAT to penalise them.

Anyone taking home £12,500 a year will struggle to cope. Therefore the tax free allowance should be raised. Rather than carving out a special exemption for pensioners.

etc.

Taxes should be simple and universal. People should be free to earn and spend money as they like.

I don’t think anybody would do the latter.. everyone on here seems to forget that moving your child out of a school where they are settled and potentially about to take exams is disruptive and extremely stressful for that child. It doesn’t matter if that’s state to another state or private to state. The children are the ones who suffer here.

@MagnoliaStory - is this a well known prep that feeds top private schools?
Some preps are merging including with senior schools.

I am wondering if places like Eton will “merge” with some of their feeders. What do you think?

All of the comprehensive schools near is set by subject from Year 7. Setting is much better than streaming imo.

Nobody is going to be closing private schools for good. The Skinners livery company have both state comps, grammars, a top public school and a private prep under their wing now.

That is the model.

Raising children includes essential costs such as food, clothes and shelter. Basics that parents must provide. Private education is a choice and a luxury. They are absolutely not comparable.

I made no comment on the amount of children people choose to have.

What is embarrassing is some of the wealthiest people in the country feeling they are so hard done by when there are many families that struggle to provide food. The lack of awareness of their own privilege is breathtaking.

Our catchment state school doesn’t even offer GCSE music, RE or German. I’m not entirely sure what a musical child is supposed to do. Just give it up?

I thought RE teaching was compulsory?

Could you not move? Many state schools have excellent music and language departments.

“Our catchment state school doesn’t even offer GCSE music, RE or German. I’m not entirely sure what a musical child is supposed to do. Just give it up?”

State schools usually scrap stuff due to lack of demand and not being able to justify the costs for a small group of children. So if a lot of private school parents join and want this, and music teachers move across, it will be provided (hopefully). Otherwise in any event, if music teachers are made redundant you should hopefully be able to access it online.
We did all of our ABRSM G5 music theory in primary via local classes.
The most sought after comps in London, for example, offer music aptitude tests. And there are tons of Saturday music schools too. I appreciate the position is different in the regions, but if there is demand, there will be online alternatives and there are camps available at the top level during the holidays (and funding for that).

I think you will find people who have had more than two children are often made to feel shame when they can't manage their finances. Look at the child benefit policy in this country.

The problem is people paying for education - whether you like it or not, is a luxury as you don't have to pay, state education is available for all. We all know people pay for education as they think it gives their child advantages - this is why the vast majority will be not concerned by this policy and parents of children at private school will just have to deal with it - like families on benefits who were penalised for having more than two children when the child benefit changes came into effect.

IveI'just looked at DDs school (comprehensive) options subjects. (They chose 3 on top of the compulsory ones). It doesnt include Music, German or RE (RE is included in Culture, but not a GCSE subject). There is 22 other options on there though... including French and Spanish, Drama and Dance, and vocational subjects as well as traditional ones.

Are you meaning to tell me that, upon saving many thousands having unenrolled your child from private schools that you couldn't put that money towards music tuition or you couldn't seek out a youth orchestra? It's all a bit apathetic.

Different schools offer different options and some ex private school parents may be able to appeal based on specific options like languages and music. Better get your head around the system. Privileged children tend to always be fine as their parents can work the system out!

No GSCE music isn’t good no matter how far you go with the spite vibe

I’m not unenrolling my children. They’ll be staying exactly where they are. The point is that some state schools offer things like music, German and Latin. Many don’t. Is it fair that some parents can access that provision for free whilst others have to pay for it by using tutors? There is huge disparity within the state sector and yet most people seem to overlook that.

This is the point. If I was applying to move to the state sector (I’m not), I would not be sitting back and accepting a school which doesn’t offer subjects which my children have proven ability in. I’d be appealing to those schools that do.

"I’m logging off now, and leaving Mumsnet.

At the end of the day, although it pisses me off, we can afford the 20% by utilising some tax avoidance schemes. So we will be paying less tax for your little scummy brats in their little scummy state schools.

And when this policy fails spectacularly and your shitty state schools are even more crowded, taught by even crappier teachers I shall laugh!! In fact, it will probably not even go ahead as all those privately educated and wealthy lawyers will challenge it. I will return at that point just to laugh also!

Good luck to you plebs!! ! You’ll need it!!"

Ok Boris. Seeya

I'd love to see all private schools banned, not that it would ever happen. It would improve the state sector immeasurably if politicians had to use it.

@EasternStandard It's not ideal. I'm not sure how usual it is. All the local schools have music lessons here. It's not a remark made out of spite, actually. It's just a matter of pragmatism.

There are ways that parents enrich their school children's education if the have the means but which don't extend to private schools.

I understand this is a frustrating situation, that it's unfair to be targeted by the government in waiting. But painting it like you are now helpless to support your child because you have been jettisoned out of an educational elite of 5% is a bit dramatic.

‘ "Likewise It is embarrassing to watch people who are not well off have children that they cannot afford. Having a child is 100% a discretionary spend."

fuck me @Drfosters if we peasants didn’t have children who would fix your car, build your extension, teach your children??

@Summerfreezemakesmedrinkwine but isn’t this part of the point showing how this policy doesn’t work. Parents who have taken their child out of private school will pay for extra music lessons, activities etc which are still out of reach of many state school pupils. These pupils are not getting any benefit from this policy.

Many state schools are having to drop a number of subjects because they can’t recruit teachers in those subjects, and even if they could they can’t afford them. They will need a large number of additional pupils to be able to afford additional teachers. And many schools are showing deficit budgets, running on skeleton staff etc any additional funding they get from additional pupils will be used to decrease this deficit, spend on the basics, not bring in music teachers etc. The amount they get per pupil is not enough to run a school any more