Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 ··· 8 9 10 ··· 18 19

Original poster

to expect my local cancel to pay for transport to a private school

458 replies

tootyflooty · 13/12/2008 12:23

My dd has been offered a place at a theatre school, it is fee paying but not local and they do not have scholerships. I asked the council if they would provide the cost of a train pass, but were told no, because it is not our local state school.My argument is that by funding my dd education for the next 5 years (not easily affordable for us)I am saving the local education authority vast sums of money as they will not be paying for her place at the local state school, it seems unfair that we are penalised for our decision, She would get a free pass if our local school was over 3 miles away.Sorry to ramble but we have never had handouts from anyone and this seems grossly unfair.

OP posts:

Judy1234 · 14/12/2008 12:44

That doesn't follow though does it. Plenty of people particularly boys are disaffected at school and don't pass exams. That doesn't always mean they are thick. He would not be able to maintain his position in a bank if he had an IQ of 80 or 100.

I'm not saying there is no nepotism in all walks of life but it's nothing like as prevalent as it was and it doesn't account for the 6% of children from private schools doing so well in life and part of why they do well is their parents but their children before their own needs, their own holidays, shoes, cars and instead pay fees for good schooling and I'm really pleased I do that.

TheFalconInThePearTree · 14/12/2008 13:10

All bow before the great and powerful Xenia. The very model of motherhood, the pinnacle of perfect parenting, the summit of sensational schooling.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 14:49

are you saying those of us who don't send their kids to posh schools don't put their kids needs first?
I gave up a career and home educated. So ner.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 14:51

laughing at the thought us feckless parents buy shoes. I don't think the £5 boots I got would have paid for the kids private education.

crazyloon1 · 14/12/2008 15:05

'supposedly bright children'?

Do you mean that no one in state schools is really bright?

SparklyGothKat · 14/12/2008 15:16

oh the state school we hope to send Ds1 to do do Latin!!!

Judy1234 · 14/12/2008 16:34

I'm just saying if women pick high paid work and pay to send their children go good schools it's more likely that in 40 years time their toddler daughters will be chairman of BP or prime minister than if they send them to the nearest state school. I just quite liked this idea that we benefit the country as well as through the masses of tax I pay on which many mumsnetters draw, lucky them..... but also through my gift to the nation of five very well educated children. Quite a fun argument.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 16:37

could you be more smug?

SparklyGothKat · 14/12/2008 16:45

NMC am I right in thinking your DSs go to private school? I tell you something, I would rather be in a room with you than with Xenia.

TheFalconInThePearTree · 14/12/2008 16:47

Xenia, I think the biggest gift you could give to the nation is to shutup and quit spouting such utter nonsense.

Even my partner who went a top boys boarding school thinks you are talking complete waffle.

TheFalconInThePearTree · 14/12/2008 16:48

I'd rather be in a room with Timmy Mallet, George Bush, Margaret Thatcher and Keith Chegwin than Xenia.

piscesmoon · 14/12/2008 16:50

I find all this state v private very strange! My DSs comprehensive sends pupils to top universities every year. You get the whole range of ability in both systems.
I think Xenia's DC would do well in the state system because she would make sure they did! However she has freedom of choice. If I could afford it I might well use the private sector.
In the case of OP she has the option of her local school and free transport, she has chosen not to use it so there is no reason to subsidise her choice-I can think of much better uses for the money.

crazyloon1 · 14/12/2008 16:51

Oh I would love to be in a room with Xenia.

I think it would be fun, fun, fun...

Penthesileia · 14/12/2008 16:55

Xenia - yes, you're right. I think that if people pay to send their kids to public schools they probably will be the next chairman of BP, etc.

But not because they are better educated by virtue of going to public school; rather, they will benefit from the system which enables those in public schools to succeed (at the expense of others). Sure, public schools may turn out bright kids too; but their inordinate success is not down simply to the quality of their education.

Your refusal to accept this is amazing. Money buys privilege: of all people, you know this. You're constantly harping on about it, FGS, encouraging everyone to drop their dead-end jobs and become, I don't know, lawyers or something (because, obviously, the world would function fine if EVERYONE were a lawyer, etc.).

And please. Enough of the 'my gift to the nation of 5 well educated children'. Frankly, most of that is luck: sheer luck.

Luck that you had healthy kids, able to have a full education; luck that you were educated in such a way to enable you to be well paid and thus to raise them comfortably; and so on and so on.

If you'd had a fraction - a bloody fraction - of the 'luck' of some of the mums on here, whose kids will never go to public school because they are ill, or SN, or whatever, then maybe you wouldn't be so secure in your 'it was all down to little ole me'.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 16:56

SGK - the boys were home edded till 13 rthen went to a private school paid for by in-laws. But its really laid back. We looked at another one where the Head said ' I don't like Home educators as they tend to be free spirits'. This one was positive about Home education. The school became an academy so its now free. Thank god its not snobby or I would remove the boys. Some of the parents are unfortunately but the boys mates all seem 'normal'. so far.
But I was very wary cos of the Xenia's of this world and I told the boys that one hint of snobbishness over the fact we are on benefits or one derogatory comment about disabled poeple and they were out.

piscesmoon · 14/12/2008 16:58

I think schools should be turning out 'free spirits'.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 16:58

Xenia banging on about her 'gift' to the nation makes me want to spew. Its down to luck that none of your kids was born brain damaged so you would have had to give up work to care for them. And personally, I think my kids have benefited by being home educated rather than parked full time in some school with nannies to fetch them. They had a choice.

TheProvincialLady · 14/12/2008 17:24

Quite a few of my friends at university were 'gifts to the nation' courtesy of Sevenoaks, Winchester and Rugby. What a bunch of emotional cripples they were too - they fitted in very nicely with my crowd Now let me see, who has done the best? Would it be Matt, who was on class As in serious quantities since the age of 14? No, he spends most of his life in and out of psychiatric institutions. It's not James, as despite winning a prize for being the top student of his fresher year he couldn't cope with not being told exactly what to do and when, so he dropped out at the end of year 2 and never completed his degree. And it isn't Laura, who dropped out to marry a fireman. Or any of the others. In fact I did quite well, somehow managing to complete my degree and a couple of others, even though I only went to a state school.

It's a good job there aren't too many gifts to the nation knocking around or we'd have to open a few more state schools to compensate.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 17:32

there's a whole bunch of 'gifts to the nation' up at Bristol uni in town vomitting in gutters and keeping the cocaine dealers in business. I know I should be tugging my forelock but I just can't bring myself too.

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 17:33

makes me feel sick when people can't see past wealth and privilage to see the 'real' person. What sort of sad education must someone have had to only value money?

needmorecoffee · 14/12/2008 17:33

oops. That should read 'past their own wealth and privilage'
Must remember to check my rants.

JollyPirate · 14/12/2008 17:36

If I didn't know different I'd swear Xenia was a troll.
I just suspect that she's winding you all up and laughing.... isn't she?
Not serious surely?

SparklyGothKat · 14/12/2008 17:40

NMC, I was stated educated and I did well at school and college , but like you, we were dealt the blow of a disabled child (or 2) and as a result I am on benifits.

But in Xenia's world I would be a lawyer, and private schooling my kids. Though TBH I wouldn't want my kids to be private educated if Xenia is an example of the parents of the kids. At least at my DC's school they are accept for who they are, and I have met some wonderful parents, who aren't up their own arses.

pagwatch · 14/12/2008 17:41

ummm
can I just ask.

Whilst reading Xenias usual and highly entertaining guff can we please not respond by deciding that every person in a private school is per se a useless wanker.

I know it is almost impossible not to want to violently counter xenias mind boggling view of the world but my perfectly nice DH went to private school and my and thoroughly nice DS1 does too. Most of his friends are just nice young who want to be Doctors or artists or something that they think is enjotable and worthwhile to do.

I am sure there are a lot of tossers out there. But just because Xenia likes to amuse us with endlessly well crafted wankery does not actually mean most people in the private system agree with her.

SparklyGothKat · 14/12/2008 17:41

JP, unfortunely Xenia is not winding us up, she posts like this all the time

Flip

1 2 ··· 8 9 10 ··· 18 19