I have just visited a Prep School and I am in shock...

[WerthersOriginal]

My DH and I went to state school. We have done ok and have good steady jobs with a modest income. We have 2 DCs aged 2 and 6. We have always been anti private schools, not sure why as we had never set foot in one. I was watching a thread last week about private schooling and a lot was said on there that made me question my views. DH and I agreed that perhaps, we ought to visit a couple for interests sake.

We have just done that and OMG....

This schools is great. The facilities are incredible. We toured the baby room (nursery), the Pre-Prep Dept (2.5 to 7yrs) and the Prep (7 to 11 yrs) and I was surprised that at the class sizes, the resources they have, the curriculum, the sporting, art and musical facilities. The school calender itself is something else.

Our local state school is absolutely fine but miles away from this school. Surely, having specialist subject teachers at Year 3 is an advantage!

We have 2 more to visit but we are hooked. I am ashamed to say that I knocked pvt schools without actually seeing what they have to offer.

I would like another list.

All the things that Chaya considers constitute "over resourcing."

Let's have List Day.

My muff reflects my life Hully. Chaotic and messy but still enjoys the finer things in life.

Right, so kids are happy everywhere. I love all schools, I don't care where your Darlings go but my Darlings Galore go private and thats that. Bring on the wine, the charlie and the muff grooming kit.

FFS it's only Tuesday lunchtime!

Oh shit, my muff is now slightly damp after all this rofl!

Just realised we are not all on the same intelectual level here. goodbye.

Blessings - c'mon, we need your blessings listed. So far we have:

1. Private school
2. Alcohol
3. Coke
4. Expensive grooming arrangements

Oh crystal! Don't go, we don't mind that you can't spell or use capital letters. We won't judge!

like hatwoman said, seems pretty obvious to me just helping out at school

and there is a lot of inequality within the state system as it is, and there are good secondariness within the state system with small class numbers and high standard of teaching

on the other hand I am not particularly against private schools, just to really relevant to me

Why would you groom your muff. It simply needs to be kept in a cloth bag and away from the moths. Surely?

I agree. Most schools are fab. Most kids are happy in their school ( as much as a child ever is) and life would be much easier if we didn't try to beat each other with why they should chose as we do.

Have I paraphrased correctly?

1. Lethargy of the body but not the gob
2. Food
3. Vibrators

I would like you to raise your intellectual game for crystal's sake, Paggy dear.

I have been snubbed because if my towering intellect again.

That is getting so dull.

How can a school be over-resourced? Science lab in primary = fantastic - what's wrong with that? DS was deligehred when on his forst day @ schol he got to use a bunsen burner - was fizzing with excitemnet about that. Also spends lots of lunchtimes in the DT lab making all sorts of interesting stuff. How can that be a bad thing?

I could get pregnant and double my iq.

I am a warning to you all as I am a product of a state education!

If you can't afford personal grooming sessions for your muff, don't even think about it.

I felt just the same when I first saw a posh prep. Wow, glory, wonder. How beautiful the library, how marvewllous the art teacher, how incredible the swimming pool. Off ds duly went at supernal cost. Now the tale takes a dark turn....

They barely got to use the swimming pool because it was constantly rented out to others...or in use by the swim team. The library was largely a site for computer game play. The art teacher left and was replaced by someone much less impressive. Some of the teachers were really disappointing, though a few were amazing. Overall, IT WASN'T WORTH IT. Caveat emptor.

Here's the really funny side. A year ago I revisited my old pretty bloody awful state primary. Lo and behold, it was very nearly as impressive as the prep! Tiny classes, aircon, carpet...

DS' I think.... if we're on about grammar - possessive apostrophe where word ends in S....

(perhaps with an exception for "St James's ".. where people disagree)

Xenia - the acronym might end in S, but the word doesn't.

I heard that direct social based marketing is very effective.

Interesting.

Sieglinde, they had carpet???

Good point but still not sure. I'd have probably put S'

Wait until you've visited them all, then look again at State schools. I visited private secondaries, I loved one, my DC didn't. They are now doing perfectly fine at their State secondary (one we might all have liked, I ruled out as appart from swish facilities it didn't seem that much better than the state school we went for, and involved a commute).

Personally I think you should always visit private schools first, so as to not be swept away by gloss.