AIBU to discuss A level success without private school spending?

[Absorbthecost]

Parents/carers who have not spent a penny on Educating their children and they have just received great A level results.

The sacrifices made all the struggle,

I’m interested to discuss families where the child has succeeded without need for private school

https://www.gbnews.com/money/private-school-fees-soar-vat

https://www.ft.com/content/091b214d-231b-414a-8f3e-9ef9fc021926?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Those who did pay,

presumably to secure great results at A level

The same kids off to Uni, placements easier to secure as less international competition. Uni the playing field evens.

And now time to pay for Uni,

https://inews.co.uk/news/education/university-tuition-fees-11000-2030-4705197?srsltid=AfmBOorss52PSHD6xJzisWMdeNxcXDen3IrCGS49nnGH1ZyDnmvTOh_k

A child who did outstanding (without spending a penny) the same result as a family who spent £250k + The above article is a low estimation for a selective U.K. day/ boarding.

The kids holding the same result off to the same Uni, How are families feeling!?…. Did you save to help towards the Uni Fees/accomodation.

“They’re all broke”. Don’t be ridiculous.

You are beginning to sound rather irrational. Of course they’re not all broke. Plenty outside London have healthy reserves, are spending on new facilities, still have a healthy waiting list and are still attracting international students.

If your school is “broke”, with pupils leaving in droves, doesn’t offer much in the way of extra curriculars and has uninterested staff, quite frankly you have chosen a sub standard school.

I’m not tied to UK.

preference would be to get a spot at the state my sons friends are at. Let’s see.

93% of children are state educated, that's the norm! Plenty of them get good A level grades and go to university, so I don't think most people are thinking they've won the lottery, they're just living a normal life.

You've clearly got an ideological point that you think you're making, totally disregarding the many people pointing out that the decision to go to independent school is made for many different reasons, family by family. I've never met anyone who sent their kids to private school for who they'd be 'mingling' with. In my experience, unless you're going to Eton or somewhere like that, the kids at private schools come from fairly normal, everyday families who've chosen to spend on education rather than cars, holidays, whatever else. Many of the kids at private school that I know have SEN (dyslexia, AdHD) and are there so that they don't 'fall through the cracks' of underfunded, understaffed SEN in mainstream schooling. But you crack on.

The problems at UK universities are nothing to do with the UK private education system. That’s a whole other thread about why international students, and increasingly home students, are shunning the UK university system.

I’m happy to talk about my children’s success at A level without the “need” for private school. What would you like to know?

And if you don’t get that spot, you have the chance to look at other decent private schools.

Basically let them deal with the bullies and antisocial behaviour. My sister said the same thing and my niece is no longer attending school due to bullying that wasn't dealt with in state secondary. Her fending for herself in a hostile environment made her an anxious wreck with anorexia on top of it.

State can work if the school is "good enough" and they deal with bullying.

Why didnt you apply to a state secondary in the right admission round so they could start the September of year 7 though?

Why does it have to be outstanding not just a normal school most people go to.

Or is your beef that parents can pay either via housing to be at an outstanding school or via fees for a private school but one pays vat one doesnt one has an asset at the end one doesn't?

Some private schools are very academically selective so they generally get good results. The academic ones also tend to be very international send a percentage of their pupils to universities abroad. Most private schools are not particularly academically selective so they tend to get a range of results. Around 60% of private schools are special schools and will tailor the curriculum and qualifications to the needs of the children they have in their school. They get good results for those children.

Lots of parents who send their children to state school also pay for tutoring, particularly in London. Some state schools are academically selective as they are grammar schools so they generally get good results. Some state schools are very over subscribed so they tend to be the first choice school for academic children who have applied. They tend to get relatively good results. Some state schools are in affluent areas with parents who are very into education and have been to university themselves. They also tend to get relatively good results.

State sixth forms can be academically selective and can turn down applicants who do not have high enough GCSE grades. A lot of state schools now have an 'Oxbridge' class to support children who want to go to top universities. Some state sixth forms are also very specialist. They tend to get relatively good results.

Bear in mind around 95% of pupils go to state school and well over half of the pupils who go to private school are attending special schools. That means the vast majority of students who go to university are state educated. A lot of state schools do a very good job at getting their pupils into the next stage of education or training that is right for them.

None of the bright middle class children who I have taught in good state schools would claim they had made it to top universities against the odds.

The teachers are not better at private schools. The best teachers are leading classes of thirty children of varying abilities, from different backgrounds and differing levels of support including children who are neuro diverse and/or SEND who have not been able to get a diagnosis or EHCP.
It is straightforward teaching a small class of 10-15 children of similar abilities with highly supportive families and no language barriers or SEND groups with specialist support for all levels of children.

State sixth forms can be academically selective and can turn down applicants who do not have high enough GCSE grades.

I think this is wrong - state sixth forms should be required to provide courses for pupils at all academic levels, not just those who are fortunate enough to be academically able.

Personally I pay for private school to avoid what I read on so many threads about state school (and what we experienced when the DC went): large class sizes, pupils disturbing the classroom with no consequences, violent pupils that can’t be expelled, insufficient SN support, lack of communication from teachers/school, not enough physical activity, bored gifted students, etc etc

I'm sorry you're getting a raw deal. Two of private schools local to me (I don't know anyone at the third, so haven't looked at their results) have reported excellent A Level results, with 95% of their students getting their 1st choice uni.
I suppose not all private schools are equal though, as these two are quite selective.

I beg to differ. For 5 years we had teachers who could barely spell and would get really simple concepts mixed up. Despite being perfectly nice, several were not even qualified. The classes were so big that most of their time went into managing behaviour. EHCP makes very little difference. the SENCO worked part-time and we barely met her in the first two years, despite massive struggles as she was so overworked.

At our current school, teachers are happy, better paid and have more TAs to support them. And they seem to actually know stuff.

OP, neither your arguments nor your writing are clear. It’s taken ages for you to get your point across. You oversimplify and repeat the same sound bites over and over again (scam, daycare, etc) as if you think they’re clever.

This is the level of understanding and critical thinking I’d expect from a 12 year old messing about in the school holidays. I just cannot believe this is real.

This. There is an estimate that 25% of private school children have some kind of SEN issue.

Thanks OP for judging neurodivergence and all the challenges that come with it.

We had no choice but to go private.

A friend’s DD is a school refuser and severely depressed. She won’t leave her bedroom now. She is diagnosed autistic and ADHD, same as my DD. her state school let her down. She needed so much more support.

I can imagine my DD might be in the same boat had she gone to the same school.

You started this thread on a flawed premise: that everyone at the starting block of school life is the same.

WE ARE NOT.

I very much wish I’d not had to pay for the mental and physical safety of my children. But it is what it is. We tried state, it broke both kids. Severe bullying and mental health issues. Isolated, cut off, no support.

This is expected for the £250 k sacrifice per child.

Do they want applause?

To identify a student who has come through state with families zero financial sacrifice

now that’s inspiring.

Private schools won’t admit it. They keep putting up a front. Families are struggling all (many!) haggling fees, sacrificing, going without money taken from the quality of provision to fund hardship awards.

Lets not pretend this is not happening.

Im paying in full. I can see the benefit for those on huge bursary or discounts. Understand for those paying full sticker price realising the tiered fee structure and now haggling payments it is NOT VALUE FOR MONEY.

Yes, and where they spend 6.5 hours/day 5 days per week for most weeks of the year also really matters.

As for grades… the idea that my kids will just work in life in a full time job would be amazing. Only 22% of autistic adults work full time.

So you can take your nasty trumpet and blow it in your own little echo chamber where you pat your back on a job done well, having no awareness, zero awareness of other people’s lives and challenges. Literally F OFF.

It’s people like you at school that used to bully my kids. You’re so sure of yourself and your own world view. Zero tolerance, zero self awareness, simply interested in self promotion and ego stroking.

We’re talking about value for money

The best path to UK education, higher education. University admission.

DC1 went to neareat state primary and comprehensive (outer London). Got 4 x Astar at A-Level and then a 1st from Imperial. I did pay for one tutor for a perhaps about 3 or 4 sessions on one particular area of A-Level maths but that was all. DC1 did not that much enjoy the primary but was very happy at secondary. They had good friends and got involved in lots of clubs and sports teams. It was a very nice experience for them because they were head and shoulders better than everyone else at school. They did have imposter syndrome at Imperial though because eveyone there is amazing. There are very many foreign students there and apparently they had all done maths to a higher level than A-Level so DC1 often felt on the back foot. But nonetheless, still achieved outstandingly well but had to work EXTREMELY hard. The only real break was the summer holidays.

If you don’t think it is value for money then put your kids elsewhere that you think is.

Anyone on bursaries, discounts

perspective is swayed great value for money

Anyone paying sticker price full fees to subsidise the above now starting to reject tiered fee structures, question and haggle.

All the confusion and financial deficits causing cut backs to the very provision we signed up for. Degree may differ but this is reality in the current independent school climate.

If you’re a full fee payer,

”IF”

Its absolutely not value for money.