To think people have the wrong idea about the reason parents use private schools?

[ewloan]

I have found this from threads and in real life, whenever private school comes up there’s this attitude that it’s about ‘buying results’ or ‘if your child is academic they will do well anywhere.’

Do people not realise that most people who send their kids to private school actually don’t need to be thinking about exam results as the main factor? These are people who often own businesses and have huge family wealth so their child’s exam results are not the be all and end all. The main reason people use private schools is for the entirely different experience for the child, for them to enjoy school and learning in small classes with lots of amenities and focus on their development. Why do people seem to think the main reason is to ‘buy an exam result’?

We don’t care at all

HTH

🤔

The ones complaining about VAT presumably do not have 'huge family wealth'.

Anyway if it was just for the reasons you say there wouldn't be angst regarding entrance exams etc.

My parents sent me to private school 100% because of academics and exam results. They saw I was bright and I didn’t pass the test for grammar so they sent me to a private school with a good academic reputation. I assume most other people who sent their kids to private school (well, the academic ones anyway) have this as the main reason, why else would they?

Cry me a bloody river- do we need yet another bloody thread about private schools? It’s so boring

Yes this. I'm not especially interested in why they do it. I speak as someone who went to private school from 4-18 by the way.

@madamehelga it may do that but ime that is not the reason for using the school, it’s just a passing consequence of having done so

Everyone I know who has children in private school studied the exam results carefully and openly admit they are also ensuring their children don't mix with the "wrong" types.

@Comedycook and @greenwoodentablelegs why on earth click on the thread if you’re not interested? Odd.

Because the privately educated. Re unfairly represented in the top jobs and unis. So clearly exam results matter to them a lot.

I venture to suggest that different people choose different schools for different reasons. I still think the main reason is to avoid mixing with people from disadvantaged backgrounds, but of course nobody is willing to say that's their reason.

they mostly want their children mixing with other poshos be that aspirational, snobby,
precious or what
parents comcerned about exam results tend to send children to single sex schools
which are Independent, common entrance, school interview and formal entrance exam

Then why do (incredibly long) private school threads exist on here that seem to focus on which schools have the best results, tutoring and how easy/hard it is to get in to these schools?

@Popp1ngCandy the exam results are often a direct link with the smaller classes, so kids are actually being educated properly. It’s not, ime, the reason for choosing the school

I was wondering if it was going to be a reason I had never heard before....

It wasn't

Rubbish!

Actually some people send their children to private school for the pastoral care and often because the values that the school displays are similar to theirs. I couldn't find that anywhere in my local state schools.

@Popp1ngCandy what part of my post is rubbish? Surely you can appreciate a smaller class size is likely to mean a more thorough education for a child as they have more focus?

OP you sure touched a nerve here !

@tetheredgoat I can see… and not sure how or why!

I don’t assume it’s to buy exam results; I assume it’s to buy social privilege/ segregation.

I went to a private school and it wasn’t enjoyable! lol. How many people actually enjoy being teenagers?!

It was a lot of hot housing and telling us we were special, and everyone had an eating disorder. There was a lot of dodgy behaviour in the boarding houses too. There is no way I would want that for my child. I assume those who do either a) turn a blind eye to the bad bits in favour of the social privilege b) didnt go to private school themselves and don’t know what it’s really like

My siblings and I went to private school because of the results. They wanted to increase our chances of top exam results. Only one of us is super sporty and enjoyed the extra sports that his school provided.

Many posters on here are open about the fact that their kids are taking 11+/13+ for top (academic) schools because they want the exam results and connections. There are some parents who pick a private school for smaller classes/SEN but there are lots of schools that won’t close even with the VAT increase because of their track records of top grades.

It’s quality of teaching that counts.

Its a moot point .Parents pay to get the best grades to get into the best unis and to get the best jobs .