To think private education probably isn't worth it?

[Rumplestrumpet]

Not about the VAT issue... Nor the ethics of private schooling, but rather the return on investment.

Private education is so expensive I wonder is it actually "worth it"? Most private schools near us are £25-30k a year, meaning £150k-£200k for secondary education. Will it improve their earning potential that much?

Would it make more sense to pay for some tutoring/extra curriculars and put that money into a buy to let for them to have when their older? For that money they'd have a flat paying for itself for them to take over when they are older enough, rather than trying their chances on the property market.

Interested in anyone whose parents forked out and think now maybe it wasn't the best investment...

People use the whole 'oh I went to a state school and still ended up in the same position as a privately educated person' as a reason to somehow justify private school not being all that important. It's not a simple financial decision.

People should be under no illusion - private education doesn't guarantee anything. Most parents don't send their kids to private schools because they think it will somehow guarantee their kids a £200k job. Many do it because it provides better facilities and a more rounded environment for the kids. As with all things you have to take the opportunities presented to you and whilst private may provide more opportunities there is no guarantee they'll be taken. I will also throw in that it probably does give you a feel that you're better than everyone else.

@NeedToChangeName Then you are very fortunate. Privileged even !

I think it depends on how you qualify what is or isn’t a good investment. From a purely financial perspective, I think you are right that private education does not magically produce a high achiever or a high earner. However, there are lots of reasons parents might see private education as a good investment in a child’s wellbeing which are not centered around future achievement or earning potential. Some parents have children with special educational needs who will really benefit from the extra support provided in a private school. Some parents might go private to get their children out of a peer group that is proving bad for their mental or emotional health (maybe they are being bullied, or maybe their friends are a terrible influence). Some children live catchments with really poor schools, and their parents opt for indie as it is cheaper than moving house. None of those parents are aiming to groom high achievers as such, they are just trying to mitigate factors that are negatively affecting their children’s education.

Depends what you mean by worth it. My daughter was bullied to the point of suicide in state school, she is happy and thriving since we moved her to private. I don't give a shit what she earns I just want her happy so totally worth it.

My sons went to state and were happy and thriving there, again I just want them happy so private wouldn't have been worth it for them.

One size doesn't fit all children.

@Meadowfinch oh yes, I realise we are extremely fortunate. And I'm not suggesting that all state schools offer this experience. And I'm not really anti private school. Each to their own

I'm just sick and tired of some private school parents suggesting that ALL state schools are holding cells for young feral delinquents, with untrained staff, huge classes etc !

Everyone's fighting and vaping all the time apparently

I think state school gives a 'more rounded environment'

Yes, it’s worth it.

There are parents can afford the schools fees, tutors, activities and multiple properties. It's not an either or situation.
I work in state education and sent my own kids to private school. The difference is undoubtedly very stark.
I would dearly love all state schools to offer everyone a high standard of education but it ain't happening yet.
My children are absolutely not spoilt, very grateful for all they have and eldest 2 work as doctors in the NHS. I feel private school benefitted them-but they are definitely paying it forward and I'm sure if you needed them, you'd be grateful for their brains, caring natures and great education.

Yes it's the social network you're buying now the a grandson

You are assuming the value is measured in grades alone.

Depends on the child, depends on the school. For us, after seeing all the options and knowing our child, the school that made sense happened to be a private. Our younger child would probably be just as happy in a state school.

I do like how diverse the school they go to is. The state schools are very monocultural in my catchment area, for whatever reason, but the private school is very diverse and both my children have friendship groups that are almost entirely international/1st generation.

For many people sending their kids to private schools, the fees are a drop in the ocean.

Absolutely worth it for them, as the money is negligible.

If parents have to scrimp and save to pay the fees, it's a whole different ballgame.

I'm a state school teacher. The change in the school that I teach in over even the last couple of years but particularly since covid, and since the cost of living crisis and teacher shortage crisis really started to kick in, is huge.

And I know from talking to colleagues around the country that my school isn't the outlier.

I think it depends on circumstances. For our family,there would be no point in sending our children to private school even if we could afford it. They are thriving in state schools. For different children, different schools or different parents, the situation might be different. But for well-educated parents with a good state school option and children who are ok in a crowd and not extremely sporty, then I can't see an advantage.

If anyone does care about the vat issue, read more about it and sign here :

https://www.change.org/p/stop-labour-from-adding-20-vat-to-private-school-fees-and-forcing-kids-to-change-schools/u/32672954?cs_tk=An7Iy1Sp4okMBb7UcWYAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvE7huEk9vVrX8Yg0wNRkMX8%3D&utm_campaign=d2ae502bce934219954a5d593e74cfe7&utm_content=initial_v0_7_1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs

We're about to start on this journey with DS as we think he'll do better with his dyslexia. So many people have said wouldn't you rather give him a house deposit. I honestly don't understand the comparison. Giving him a house deposit in 15 years time won't solve the issues he's having now as a 10 year old. For us we're not looking at it on a 'financial return' basis.

Agree with this. If you can easily and comfortably afford it, then crack on. If you have to scrimp and save and sacrifice (no Sky TV?!) then no.

(Although perhaps Rishi's parents would say it was absolutely worth it?!)

(Although perhaps Rishi's parents would say it was absolutely worth it?!)"

😂

I’m not looking for a ‘return on my investment’ 🙄 I just want DC to have an enjoyable time at school, somewhere where they get the chance to try out lots of things. Mine are both very sporty, so we chose a school that’s very sports orientated. Neither have any clue what they want to do work wise and I’m not at all bothered by the job they end up with, as long as it’s something that makes them happy.

It's not the education that makes it worth it, it's the connections and social circles it provides that you are paying for imo.

You need to give more details.

If the private school is for children with SEN so small classes and gentle in pace then probably well worth it.

If it’s a non-selective in an area with great state schools then probably not.

It depends what you want from your child’s school. If you want them to get top exam grades and move onto top unis then there’s plenty of private schools that will increase the odds of that happening. If you want your child to do more sport, art, theatre etc there will be private schools that can cater to this too.

Money doesn’t bring guarantees but it can improve your child’s odds and may be a much easier journey than going state because they aren’t constrained by things like budget issues. I was privately educated and never saw a child flip out in class. My kids went to comprehensives and saw that kind of incident regularly. Private schools can expel where as state schools have no where to send children with behavioural issues so state school kids have to suck up behaviour like that.

Most private school parents see education as much more than a financial return on investment. Do I think that my children being happy to go into school every morning, not be disrupted by poor behaviour, be inspired by happy teachers, find their strengths in subjects they might not have had exposure to elsewhere, have endless sports and other extra curricular activities where they can discover their true passions is worth it? Yes, every single penny.

If you have those opportunities in your local state schools, all well and good. However, our choice of private schools are poles apart from the state alternative.

With regards to the possibility of gifting them a large sum of money for university/a house deposit etc instead, the following proverb is apt: give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime

No. Absolutely not so. I was simply looking for somewhere safe. That's all.

When Ofsted, the govt inspector, announces publicly that the school your child has been offered, isn't safe, that the younger pupils are at serious risk, the 'social network' wasn't even on my radar.

All I cared about was finding somewhere where my ds would be happy. I didn't even worry about grades. I just wanted him to be safe.

It's never occurred to me to measure the value of private education in terms of financial output.

We sent our children private as we wanted them to go somewhere where they were happy and engaged every day, that was well funded, where there was a full staff of teachers, where they were safe, where there was a good range of extra curricular activities at a high level including multiple sports fixtures, music and drama, where they could choose which language they studied at GCSE (including more than one if they so wished or indeed none if they so wished), where classes were small enough that teachers knew and understood them personally, where teachers had enough time and capacity to do their job well. Whilst, of course, some state schools do manage to offer that, sadly the only state school we would have been offered (massive shortage of schools in our area - nearest school is the only one that we'd have got into) wasn't able to offer any of those things.

We chose the school we thought would best meet our children's needs and which would give them the happiest and most fulfilled school years. Future earnings didn't come into it.

Do people really consider future earnings as the most important measure of success?