What would convince you to send your children to private school?

[MistyFied]

Ok, I'm applying for a new job and it's in a private school. The main objectives are to recruit new pupils (from age 0 in nursery to 18 in 6th form) and to increase donations from alumni and parents alike.
I know some people would never ever go private and that's fine but what I would like to know is are there anythings private schools could, or should do, that might make some of you consider it for your children?
Thanks for your help!

For me it would only be if all our state school options were appalling AND we had the spare cash for school fees.

Sorry, that probably doesn't help but good luck with your interview.

Allow you to pay off the fees over 20 years?
Interest free?

To be honest it wouldnt take much for a private school to convince me.
I would chew my own arm off to get my children into private school. If I had the money I would.

I think the best approach is for schools to share more will the local state schools. It would help break down the lack of understanding some people have about private school.

Good luck to you in your new job.

If they paid me nine thousand pounds per child a year I would send my children.
good luck with the interview though.

Enough money to send them.

I would never be able to afford it in a million years so unless I win the lottery its not something I will ever consider.

I think it all depends on peoples views towards education and their individual children. Some of my friends want to buy the best academic education they can afford. They want the best A level results access to a curriculum that includes Latin and the Classics etc. Other people prefer a school with strong pastoral care and a nurturing caring environment for their children.

If I was going down the private route I would want small class sizes and a school that recognises the child as an individual rather than one that is just concerned with its postition in the league tables. I would also want the school to be as socially inclusive as it can be, obviously it wouldn't have the same social mix as a state school. I would want a school with a strong community spirit rather than one which is seen as elitist. Our local private school offers bursaries but they only discount the fees by 10% the fees are almost £6k a term so 10% isn't going to attract families who aren't wealthy. I suspect I'm in the minority and most families considering private education won't have the same concerns.

We are kind of considering private school for DS1 who goes to secondary next year. I doubt we will because of the money so consideration doesn't really go much further than that.

However, he has mild SN and I might be more convinced it was worth a major sacrifice if I knew that his SN were supported. A lot of private school are very quiet on the issue. The small class sizes would be a help but beyond that I don't know what else he would get from it?

Sponsor round-the-clock showings of The Inbetweeners and Waterloo Road? That seems to be convincing quite a few people I know.

Also, what about radio adverts/flyers describing the fees as £750 a month rather than 9000 a year (adjust for your fees), and having some real parents talking about why they are sending their children?

Ha! It's you! hello there. Nothing useful to add, but good luck with the interview.

If I were in an area with really bad state school options and someone were subsidising the cost (whether that be relatives, or bursary) I might consider it.

Donations wise I would say alumni are probably a better bet than current parents, although parents not impossible.

Wow! That was quick! Thanks!
Obviously the money is a big issue - there's no getting round that, but hypothetically, if you had the money to send them to private school, what do you think you would be getting for your money that you may not get in a state school?

Regardless of finances, one thing which would put me off a private school is that the children may exist in a bubble, overly sheltered from a wide range of people, who they will need to learn to interact effectively with later in life. I would regard things like joint drama productions with other schools including state, sports competitions with other schools, options for volunteering with less fortunate people, links with schools with fewer facilities, possibly overseas etc as a very positive thing.

I would think that an excellent website would help.

Would need lots of information, but well laid out - not in a huge essay and not in a gazillion links.

When people are considering schools, one of the first places to look is the internet. I would have loads of photos, information, an alumni page - with a facility to donate through the website immediately - and specifically to choose which project your donation goes towards.

The website would need to appeal to lots of people - not too many "stuck up" photos of kids in blazers and strange hats (btw I have my DS in a priv school so not private school bashing by saying that ) - photos of kids doing maybe some sport, music, classroom photo...

Nice parents page, lots of newsletters, tucked away at bottom option to donate via debit card as an when want to, again for specific stuff, not just lining pockets of school (know that isn't the case, DS's school has tight budget, can't afford new books etc). It's the perception really I suppose.

I agree about the bubble.

i was state educated, and when I was 18 I visited my friend's university.

One of her friends piped up "But where did you learn to ride?"

I can't ride.

people not having access to horses was so far out of his scope of experience that he couldn't picture a 'normal', non homeless person not ever having sat on a flipping horse!

he said stupid things all the time, apparently. my friend rolled her eyes and say "That's just John, he went to a private school >"

People shouldn't be leaving school so ignorant, so private schools, in my opinion, need to be a part of their whole community.

Oh this is really helpful you lot! Thanks so much - I am now going to go and change my presentation a bit! What about 'famous old pupils' do they have any credibility or does that start to look elitist?

I think I heard a statistic recently (may've been on the John Humphries documentary) that 64% of parents would choose private education if they had the means.

I would hang around outside the school gates and have a look at the type of parents before your interview.

I think Runoutofidea and runmeragged have come up with some good ideas but some of the parents at our local private school would disagree. Some parents pay for their children to be educated in an upper middle class bubble and want the posh uniform. Sad but true.

Obviously I'm not saying everyone is like that but some are.

if i had the money then i would have to be really convinced that a private school could offer a socially inclusive atmosphere, a lack of superiority complex and could also reflect the local population in terms of race and ethnicity.

i would be put off by an overly weathly 'WASP' environment.

Depends on the famous old pupil. Ours was Michael Williams - I think(?) - Judi Dench's husband, anyway - so I don't think that will have affected many choices! If there are several sports people there it might be worth point out.

And, though this goes massively against the grain for me to say, numbers getting into Oxford and Cambridge, plus also other Russell Group and 1994 group (like Durham and St A) universities is a selling point for some parents.

i agree that a good website is imperative - a few podcasts are always good from the head, and maybe the head of governors.

Also - the open days are very important. Your pupils are your best advertisement. Let parents be shown around by smiling confident kids.
Then a nice talk ( with decent coffee) by various teachers and the head boy/girl.

After that, EACH SCHOOL MUST HAVE IT'S OWN usp. That is after all the point of independent education - the school is free to be what it wants to be. For some that will be academic excellence, for others great pastoral care, others fab sport and music etc. Whatever this particular school feels it does well is what they need to capitalise on..trying to be all things to all parents is nigh on impossible.

Depends who they are! If you could claim Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela (unlikely I know...!) then shout about it - Victoria Beckham and Tara Palmer Tomkinson, maybe not!

For me, it was the wrap around child care, so I could drop ds off at 0750 for breakfast and get him back at 1900 all homework done, sport played and three square meals inside him. That meant I could do my job teaching in a comp.

We got a good ethos; games every afternoon; a feeling of community; manners and politeness were instilled; no National Curriculum; no SATs; small class sizes; teachers had time to chat; problems picked up and addressed early; children setted and then stretched within that set.

I think the increase in donations will be challenging, especially in the current climate. Dh's old school are always after donations, but we need to save for ds to go to uni. If you are looking to raise money for bursaries (but that may not be so necessary as I believe there is a review of that ruling coming up) then increase fees slightly perhaps.

Although (have insider knowledge here) there are some quite cool people on the Wikipedia entry.

You could detail a comparison of fees together with the hours of schooling + "childcare" included (our local prep (day) schools start at 8.30 a.m. and have teacher supervised homework sessions in the late afternoon at no extra cost) thereby saving on breakfast club and after school childcare costs.

Might sway some parents into thinking it is not so expensive although it's presumably a tough time to take on a role of drumming up trade for private schools just when a sector of the public who could possibly afford it are bearing the brunt of the income cuts/higher taxes being implemented by the coalition.

Good Luck

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