to compare mate's DDs private school reports with my DDs state one?

[NigellaTheOriginal]

and to snigger because they are virtually identical. . DD may go to a crap school, may be below average and not working to her potential but at least i'm not forking out 10 grand a year for it.

[mummyloveslucy]

My Daughter is going to a private school, she has a severe speech disorder and may have other difficulties in terms of reading and wrighting. We don't know yet, but remain hopefull. We want our daughter to grow up to be respectful and compassionate with good manners. We want her to have high morral standards and reach her full potential,(whatever that may be).
I would be pretty upset if someone was to compare my daughters report with theirs and have a smug laugh at the fact that we are working hard to give our daughter the best possible start, while your daughter is doing fine in her state school.
Good luck to your daughter. Not everyone is in it for the high grades though.

[mummyloveslucy]

What's this all about foofi ? (you don't have to answer, I'm just beingnosey curious).

[MilaMae]

I certainly didn't say private=bad teaching, state=good.

I was simply pointing out that sending your child to a private school isn't going to guarantee you a better education than that which he'd receive in the state sector.

The small classes thing isn't the be all and end all of a good education.

There are fab state and private schools and also dire state and private schools.

[Hulababy]

Ooops - should say private schools are OFSTEDed

[Hulababy]

MIlaMae - the teachers at DD's school are very experienced, well qualified and dedicated teachers - just as much so as the good teachers I knew from state school.

It is ridiculous to think that state = good teachers; private - bad teachers.

State schools are OFSTEDed and also have other inspections from independent school inspectors - teaching is one area they look at and assess against. Bad teachers don't get away with it in private schools, any more than they would do in state schools. All would be picked up and highlighted by some inspectors or the monitoring that schools have nternally.

[myredcardigan]

Yes, I would say average junior class is about 29 and most state school teachers have at least some TA help.

[MilaMae]

Ooops!!!!!

I've certainly seen my fair share of crap teachers in the state sector too. I just don't think paying a fortune guarantees your child a good education. Small class sizes are not everything.

[noonki]

Mt step son is a state school with 21 kids in the class (mainstream)

so not all have 35 ... though that is pretty rare and we thought he was joking with us for the first week!

[noonki]

Mt step son is a state school with 21 kids in the class (mainstream)

so not all have 35 ... though that is pretty rare and we thought he was joking with us for the first week!

[myredcardigan]

Before you get on your high horse I'm a leading maths teacher in a state primary.

I regularly teach such large classe without any classroom support but it would be ridiculous of me to say it's as easy as when I have taught 18. There just isn't enough hours in the day to give 35 kids the same quality you can give 18. It's not somuch the maths/literacy aspect its all the project work and pastoral care.

I think you find bad teachers in the state system just as much. I've certainly met a fair few.

[MilaMae]

I don't think it is a far cry redcardigan it is perfectly possible to get good results in a very mixed ability class of 35 primary aged children. I've done it and so do countless others.

I'd also venture to suggest a lot of teachers go in to the private sector because they know secretly they just aren't up to the job of teaching in the state. Not all obviously but I've come across a few,not my friend obviously

[myredcardigan]

Yes, I agree with MMJ!
Go on tell everyone how your daughter tells you she loves you and you say goodnight. The tell them how you smuggly remark that the poor child says it again in the hope of hearing it from you and again you refuse.
Your post on that thread in no way said,'I'd love to say it but can't.' Instead it said 'she'd love me to but I wont.'

[OrmIrian]

"a feeling of not fitting in with the rest of society" Oh yes....I can indentify with that. I'd give anything to have had the easy social skills of my DCs

[noonki]

I think it all depends on the school - I grew up in Oxford where the most of the state schools are brilliant and why anyone would consider sending their child to private school in most of Oxford was beyond me.

A number of friends of mine that did go to private school are still suffering the scars; a feeling of inadequacy of not fulfilling very high expectations, a feeling of not fitting in with the rest of society (considering the very small number of people that go to private school) and though not all are posh, they are in no shape or form representative of the british population.

Saying that some friends from my school were let down by larger class sizes etc and Oxford is a weird anomaly anyway!

[muppetgirl]

I was just wondering if you are talking about similar aged girls, learning a pretty similar curriculum, taught by teachers who were taught how to teach at a (probably) similar teacher training college, how do you believe they should differ?

[OrmIrian]

I don't blame you for feeling (privately) a little smug. But it should be kept private. Sounds good natured enough between you though.

smartie - that is exactly what my DCs got this year. Behaviour, acheivment and effort were all graded. And how she had improved. But the best bits were when the teachers wrote their summary at the end and said what they really thought of the child.

[foofi]

Yes, I'll expand. I find it hard to love my kids, or to tell them I love them. Now, what's that got to do with you?

[myredcardigan]

Milamae, there's a far cry from getting 60 Alevel students through their exam and trying to teach 35, 8year olds literacy when some cannot even read CVC words like cat and others at working at level 4. The Alevel students all want to be there for a start and are all broadly on the same level.

[Hulababy]

Hmmm - just reread OP. You child isn't working at funn potential? Why not? Why are the school not addressing thes?

Is the other girl working at full potential? If not - again why not? If yes, then - hmmm, she is at least being kept at her own level of capability.

Fortunately my friends don't do the comparison thing with DD and their children's education. Would hate to see my little girl judged in such a way? How unpleasant.

[smartiejake]

I think perhaps it depends on the school.The reports my dd gets now(independent)are SOOOOO much better than the state school ones she used to get.

They actually TELL me what her strengths and weaknesses are; give me grades for all manner of things such as behaviour, interest, achievement, effort, classwork, homework using initiative, attitude, concentration ,how she is performing in terms of the year average, what her test percentage is etc. (and not a national curriculum level in sight!)

Much better and more informative than the old computer generated twaddle that could be about any child in the class that she used to get.

[Hulababy]

Are both children achieving their potential at school, without being majorly pushed? Yes? If so, good - what's the problem?

[noonki]

my parents never got over the smug feeling of my gcse results (though not amazing) that totally beat my privately educated cousin, at Eton no less. As we are the same age they came on the same day -

the glee in their voices was something to behold as they told my snobby grandparents !