If you could afford to send your kids to a private school, would you?

[juicychops]

or would you choose for them to go to a 'normal' state school?

just curious what your responses will be

Yes, but only if I had enough money do uniform, trips, etc at school and still do family holidays and so on, not if it was really tight.
I'm not mad on the idea of private education, I think some children would grow in to better adults if they spent more time with a broader range of people.
However, the level of discipline in some of DD1s classes is such that the teacher cannot teach and that frustrates her.

I thought I would send to co-ed private school (high achieving) if I could afford it. Smaller classes & greater opportunities?? Having said that, I can't afford it so my Dd is in local comp & I am impressed with it.

I wonder how private school teachers would cope with such diverse classes? Or whether privately schooled kids can really understand some of our social issues.

Only if you could convince me that the standard of education was MUCH better than that at my locl state school, but i am not convinced that they are, particularly at primary level.
I suppose we could afford to send our dcs to private school, but i feel that my expectation of the school would be too high as i would be forking out a lot of money and would therefore expect to get my moneys worth.
I am not happy with my dc's 'outstanding' state school at the moment. However, i would be more upset, if i was forking out three grand for what could be deemed an average education. I do feel that those who send their children to private school feel that they have to justify the money they spend and i am not convinced that it is necessarily worth the money(unless your child attends one of the better private schools)
I have a ds in year 2 (turned 6 in summer) and i would be interested to know what an average 6 - 7 year old in the private sector can do. I firmly believe, that at primary level, parental support is more important than the school one attends.

please excuse typos, i am on the phone at the moment.

Do people only socialise with those they go to school with then?
I went to a state school but my best friend and the other people I hung around with the rest of the time went to other schools some private some state. School is not the only thing in a childs life, they may go to cubs or dance or Church or any other of the huge amounts of possiblities that are open to them where they can meet other people.

I sent my child to prep school beacuse he has been let down by the state system. I send him because they are giving him the education and through that the confidence he needs. I don't send him solely because of his peers. Afterall his siblings go to state school, or would if I could get them a bloody plac.

I can't afford it, and mine do go to private schools. I would sooner live in a tent than send them to be "educated" by the state.

I would send to private day single sex private schools from 11 if we have enough money to do so when they get there.

Primary school - if they are bright and local state isn't a total dump then there is no need.

I would be snobby about the private school though - top 50 is worth paying so with 'worth' getting less as you slip away from that imo.

tip I too always find the assertion that DC only know other DC at their school a bit .

Don't DC play out? Don't they go to brownies, footie etc?

No, but we have great state schools here.

If they were shite, I'd send them in a heart beat.

pissfarterleach
'All this, "OOh my kids private school is sooo inclusive, that's why we send them there!" bollox.
You send your kids to private school to avoid them having to sit next to numpties and wasters. At least be bloody honest!'

Thanks for your honesty and I think you are totally right!

Yes, I would use a private school if it is the best option for my DD. There's nothing more important than education and health, so if I've got excess income those are what I'd prioritise my personal spending on. (By the same token, these are the areas where I hope the govt prioritizes spending and I'm happy to pay taxes for such purposes)

We used a private primary; for secondary the best option was the state school so that is where DD now goes. We will look at all the options again when she reaches 6th form age - she'll probably stay where she is, its a bloody good school.

I have taught in both private and state schools. On that basis alone, after the things I have seen, there's no way I would send DD to a private school.

Apart from which, I simply can't afford it.

yes in theory. but in practice its a bit different. DH is banging on about sending DS1 to a 'local' private school (he says his mum will pay). Its not that local, its an hours bus ride and he is just 4 years old and I'm not having that. However if it was just around the corner like his current primary, and was outstanding and it 'felt' right when we checked it out, then yes.

As for boarding - well I boarded and I've always been pretty emotionally immature - I've always thought its because I wasnt raised in a 'normal' home environment. (various living arrangements in my early years, then I went to boarding school when I was 10 (although I wasnt 'sent' - they asked me and I chose to go) . I still think thats too young.

Pissfaterleech and jellybean

That actually had nothing to do with my choice to send two of my dc to private schools.
So your comments may feel true but actually are not true.

I don't doubt you may find people wjo think like that. But saying that it is not true -that I don't feel like that - is not my avoiding a difficult truth.
Terrible sweeping assumption.

aolinereed if you can't afford it, how does it work? Do you live in poverty? Do your kids miss out on everything else for education?

We can afford it and I regret that we sent our DC to a state primary, despite the Outstanding Ofsted report. Our oldest is now at a State GS and we are very happy with that but I would not have considered a state comprehensive, had we not passed the 11+ we would go private.

Pissfarterleech (I can't believe I just had to write that): what else is there, really, beyond education? They do cubs and spend a lot of time doing nothing in the holidays as we can't afford to go anywhere. But they do swimming, ballet, football, rugby, languages, watercolours, endless music, drama and so on at school, so I wouldn't much want them to do anything structured outside school anyway.

DD1 went to the small, local state primary DD2 goes to. We were happy it was a good school and felt no need to pay for private school.

The local secondary is not what we want for them so DD1 goes to a selective, girls private school and DD2 will follow her.

slug could you please give us a glimpse of the things you've seen in private schools? Did you teach in several or only one?
Thanks.

Thanks for that Aoline sounds like you've made the right choice for you!

Just wondering, how do you measure the value of private education? By the end product - what sort of job your kid has?

I want my children to attend a school that supports their enthusiasm and 'knows them' coupled with high expectations. I get worried when I hear stories about our local state school and the fact that only those children who make it into the top sets do well. They have the good teachers. So the parents of really able kids relax and lecture the rest of us on how they hate tutors, or private schools . . .

My fear is that my lovely easy going kids won't make top sets and will experience poor discipline, disruption, and fall victim to tall poppy syndrome. Its when I have these fears that private school appeals. But then, I went to state so maybe this is rose tinted?

I send my kids private. The local primary schools which we could get into are not good and we are in the position where we can afford fees.

The whole issue of diversity in schools is an odd one - my DC can't get into 3 out of the 4 nearest state primary schools (in Central London) because they are Christian schools and my DC's are not Christian. After the church going / baptised cohort and siblings there are very few or no reception places left. So, those state primaries in a mixed area have less ethnic diversity than the prep school my kids attend but I assume my kids school has less socio economic diversity.

There have been posts on this thread that suggest 'getting away from state school idiots' would be a reason to go private. I almost spat out my coffee as I read that as the most awful, spoilt, badly behaved, over-indulged, entitled, bullying yob has just left our lovely (ofsted outstanding) state primary in favour of a very expensive, well known private school minutes away.

How we will miss him...