If someone offered to pay for private schooling, would you take up the offer?

[janiesmith10]

If someone offered to pay for private schooling - primary and secondary - would you take up the offer? Freely paid for. No strings attached.

For me it would depend on the specific schools involved. If I had been asked if I wanted to move my children from our local state school to our nearest private school the answer would have been a resounding no, not even if this donor was paying me a salary on top of paying the fees. However if someone had offered to pay for me to go more or less anywhere on the planet in place of the secondary school I attended I would have ripped their arm off.
People are keen to generalise - state is X, private is Y - but you really can't. There are good, bad and indifferent schools in both sectors and even if you have experience of both it will still only be of a tiny proportion of schools in the country. You can compare the schools you have experience of, fair enough, but you can't extrapolate from that to judge the whole of either sector.

It is very easy to say you would never use an independent school when your state options are good. Having had the misfortune to go to an awful state secondary (officially in the worst 10 in the country and subsequently closed down by the local council a few years after I left in the late-90s) I would move heaven and earth to avoid my children being in the same position.

Our local state secondary options now are not great and through luck (or bad luck when you take into account the fact that someone died to allow us to be in this position) having the money to be able to consider private as an option for our kids (still 2 and 5 years away from going to secondary) you can bet we are seriously looking at it.

Of the people on here with bucket loads of money that find private schools morally repugnant and would never countenance using them, I would love to know how many of your own children attend a bottom of the barrel state school with absolutely appalling results, or does your money buy you the privilege of living in a leafy suburb with access to the best state schools?
I doubt anyone is going to admit to it on here but in my observations, those that shout the loudest of the horrors of private school are in precisely this position.

I wouldn't have for my own kids. We lived ín an area with very good schools, and as we lived in a very small town, they had the same friends and acquaintances from playgroup to sixth form. And basically I don't agree with a good education being dependent on relative wealth.

But if anyone dropped money from the heavens for my grandchildren's education, I'm afraid my principles would come to naught. The schools aren't good where they live, it's not a great area, and I suspect that one of the DGCs is ND and will find school difficult.

Yes, I'm a hypocrite.

What’s a rounded education? Mine, at private, study 2 languages, do drama, art, learn and play instruments in bands and the orchestra, played rugby nationally, represented the school in the swim team, went on overseas trips and their friends are from every corner of the world. My son’s group of friends include Europeans, Indians, an Egyptian, someone from Uzbekistan and someone from China. Their GF’s from school are Japanese and Italian.

Mine at a comp that's been in and out of special measures also study two languages, drama and art, Learn and play instruments in bands, the orchestra and in festivals including some overseas, played football for the school, swim for the school, represented the school in various STEM competitions, record audio books for blind people, represented the school as part of the eco club. They too have friends from all over the world.
They also have friends who's parents don't give two hoots about education, and they are in classes with some who are interested and engaged and others who are disruptive and don't want to be there, they have friends who are financially secure, friends who live in bed and breakfast accommodation.

No. We could afford private education but DC’s will go to state school.

Yes, in the blink of an eye!

No

Yes, and did. 3 kids, youngest is just entering GCSE years. It was a close family member who had no kids of their own and the money. I am eternally grateful, state schools near us are poor sadly.

Yes, absolutely! The schools around us are in a terrible state so we home educate but I wish we were able to send dc to a private school.

It depends which private school, there’s a small one near us that only has around six kids per class, which I don’t think would be good for my kids. What if you didn’t get on with the other kids, it would leave you much room for making friends. If you’re talking about one of the top schools in the country that would (almost) guarantee a successful career and amazing opportunities that they wouldn’t get elsewhere then yes, I probably would.

I wouldn't even if I believed in private education unless it was a grandparent and there were absolutely rock solid guarantees in place that the payment would continue even if the person died, remarried, needed care...whatever other unexpected events. And that there were no strings attached. Which is hard to guarantee over 15 years. Oh, and what about any subsequent children? Or other grandchildren as yet unborn?

I'd have rather traded it for money to pay the bills or get them out of the mouldy council flat I could barely afford on my wages/was dangerously inaccessible for me.

Even the theoretical 20% VAT would have transformed their lives.

No

Yes

No. I don't think we'd fit in.

😂

Jesus fucking Christ