top grammar vs top private

[darleneconnor]

For argument sake say you had to choose between a top (ie top 20) state grammar and a top private school which would you go for?

Assume no financial constraints and no objections to the principle of private education.

Are you in the South seeker? I live near to a private school in the north and I can tell you this does happen. I see it every day.

Grimma. I went to a Catholic secondary. There were lots of non-Christian children pupils.

Yes it was, sorry. That's why it's the lowest form of wit!

What a fabulous choice that would be. Given that specific choice, I would always choose independent, though.

joni I really don't think it's the case that most private school parents are a. lacking in confidence or b. lacking in contacts.

Also - in my LA, children of religiously observant parents tend to go to faith schools even if it's of a different faith, because their parents perceive a faith school as upholding moral and spiritual values, even if it's not the faith they practice in.

I think it's the case in some cases though Litchick.

There may be a north/south disparity in our perceptions

I think the 'experience' of attending eg Eton would be fabulous and that no Grammar school could come close to providinng anything remotely similar.

Aha! yes... but the highest form of humour

@Duchesse The GS in question does not 'massage' its figures. Your post is quite clearly sour grapes. If you were so very pleased to send DC1 to whichever of the big 3 schools your DCs go to, then why did you put DC2 and DC3 through the 11+?

Hmm. Our two grammars are in the top 20 or thereabouts so we hope our children will go there.

We are penniless but if the DCs are bright/talented and some sort of scholarship could be obtained and the DCs were keen to board, I would think about a top national public boarding school over and above the two grammars. They would have to be the right sort of child though - after all Eton/Winchester are like mini-universities and the boys have to be very independent and able to stand on their own two feet.

Indeed I have a half baked idea that perhaps they could go to the grammars till 16 then get 6th form scholarships to board at one of the big public schools.

I wouldn't bother sending them to our local independent schools though - not such good results at the grammars, although granted probably better facilities (though the grammars are pretty good too). Seems to me if you are going to go to public school, you may as well go to one of the big ones.

I must depend on the private school, dd1 attending a small independent primary for a year when we lived in London. DH and I felt like fish out of water as a couple of media types ( well me ex as am a SAHM), most of the parents where a lot wealthier than us and living very different lives. Not a builders van to be seen.

I agree with Pickled. And would choose top public school.

Or top private day school... in London.

at the idea of private school parents lacking contacts or intellectual confidence. I am up north, with children at private schools, and I have not noticed either. I have noticed the builders' vans, though.

Interesting how Top is defined,Stonyhurst I notice was rejected but for some people its more of a Top school than some perhaps better known(to the general public) it would be very easy to make a case that if you were a Catholic and wanted connections,then you would be far better going to Stonyhurst than for example Eton Or Winchester,likewise if you are going to be based in the North ,you would find your dealing with more Old Boys from Stonyhurst than say Harrow,its horses for courses.
Anyway how can a school that has among its Old Boys three Saints ,not be a top school...lol...

Not a single builders' van at ds' school. Crikey...

sigma- it is very common knowledge that some pupils are heavily encouraged to take their GCSEs as external candidates at Sidmouth College.

Also the fact that they spend three years on GCSEs then 3 on A levels (which in my view is the right way around) gives pupils the chance to do more A levels and therefore artificially inflates the stats for A level compared to the vast majority of schools that take 2 years. So yes, I stand by what I say and make no apologies for it.

And it has really nothing to do with sour grapes- I believe that's the second time you've said that to me. I would dearly love not to be spending every penny I earn on school fees to the extent that we can't heat our house, but it is what it is and our children are both happy and doing well academically.

Defining a school by its Old Boys and Catholic connections rather than its academic excellence would certainly give a different view to a couple of theist scientists with a daughter!

(they do have girls at stoneyhurst, and some decidedly non-saintly behaviour...)

I sincerely hope that propatrias definition of 'Top School' is a rare anachronism.

athiest scientists !

And to answer your question, sigma (not because I feel the need to justify myself, just hoping that maybe you will learn something here) because they are different people and have very different learning styles and would have been fine at the GS. That was a silly question.

Of course schools are defined by its Old Boys(the Saints ref was true but a joke) that way you find out what type of person the schools produce,its not just pure luck that one school has multiple VC winners or another a long list of well known actors,if you want a career in Special Forces its unlikely Bedales is the school for you,just as if you are a Fotherington Thomas type perhaps Gordonstoun wouldnt be a great choice ,if you think Top just means Academic then perhaps you need to look a bit deeper at the Private sector,its about a lot more than just Academic results.
To pretend that Stonyhurst isnt defined by Catholicism is daft,It certainly shouldnt be high on any athiest wish list of schools.

Indeed... I was pondering 'top schools' and tried to assess where British Nobel laureates in Chemistry, Physics and Medicine were educated. Hard to do properly, so far I haven't found any Etonians; thought I'd found a Harrow and a Westminster but they weren't those Harrow and Westminsters... shedloads of grammars and lesser-known independents.

Wonder if this helps explain the state of Britain today - if our 'top' schools aren't particularly good at turning out top scientists (let alone engineers) but instead bankers and politicos, would that maybe cast a light on why our once strong technologically-based industries have been allowed to go down the tubes? Compare with Germany....

Also because science pays relatively low wages.

And house prices are so high, cost of living so high. And DC will need excellent pensions, and they'll have loans to pay off.

Who can blame the kids for wanting the best paid jobs?

Blimey. My builders van comment has really caught on here

Interesting that a fellow northerner has noticed them but a Londoner hasn't

Hildegarde. My post doesn't suggest all parents who send their children to private school lack intellectual confidence. I think a few do. That's not a critisism, just an observation. Fwiw I think the academic/media types who aggressively argue that private schools are terrible while tutoring their kids to within an inch of their lives are hypocritical. So the was very misplaced

I think it's one of those mn myths. Builders' vans and Boden...