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 I do. Exciting teaching, fabulous extra-curricular activities, well-rounded children with lovely manners....we are very very lucky to be able to afford it. All schools should be this good as all children deserve this.

I would keep my DCs in state school even if I could afford private.

I am lucky that we have a good local primary school, which is a 10min walk away (although the secondary school is no great shakes), my DD has known her classmates since we used to go to the local baby groups. She has been to playgroup with them, and through the first few years of school. They all live locally.

I don't agree deep down with being able to buy a better education, am not in favour of moving into better catchment areas, heavily tutoring kids to get into scholarship programmes etc. And people who lie about where they live to get into 'better' schools are disgraceful IMO.

When it is time for my DCs to move to the rather dodgy local secondary school, they will do so. And I will hope that both they and I are of sufficient character to deal with whatever issues (if any) may arise.

'All schools should be this good as all children deserve this'.

Maybe all state schools would be a bit better if people who had the wherewithal to support schools, to work to help their children achieve, to fight for equality of education, for facilities etc etc , didn't just buy themselves out of the system.

Do you believe in being able to buy a better pair of shoes, or eat at a better restaurant or buy a better house, redhotpokers?

The thing is that you have to assume you are buying a better education. Actually, I don;t think you are necessarily but you are buying yourself a different choice and buying a school that might suit your child better.

redhotpokers maybe all state schools would be considered good enough if allparents valued education, taught their kids basic manners and decency, disciplined them properly and realised how bloody lucky we are to have such an amazing free system.

Until then, I'll reserve the right to spend our cash as we see fit, thanks.

I believe that, in an unequal world, the best thing that could happen would be for our children to at least be educated side by side. Of course there will always be wealthier areas, but the playing field, and people's expectations of and perceptions of, one another, would be rather more realistic.

You are buying out of a community. Out of a local responsibility. Nothing to do with buying shoes, meals etc.

But that's just my opinion.

And actually I don't think you are buying anything better with private schools, but you are buying choice and control. And you are buying the right to opt out.

'Until then, I'll reserve the right to spend our cash as we see fit, thanks.'

And that's your choice. Which the majority of people don't have. Enjoy!

Lots of people send their kids out of their communities, loads and loads and often to different state schools.

I just don't believe private education is all that, if I'm honest. If you wanna pay for it, be my guest but don't , for one minute, believe Tim nice but Dim is going to set the world alight because you have.

So piss, are you saying the system is good but the children in it aren't?

redhotpoker did ya miss where I said mine were all at state schools

You get numpties and wasters in the private schools as well, parental idiocy and incompetence is not limited to specific economic groups. In DD's (private) school there is one child who turns up about 50% of the time, I am amazed at how much money the parents pay out not to take advantage of the facilities, but there you go.

In terms of measuring value then for private or state school my criteria are: is my child engaged and interested in the work? Do the teachers actually know my child and can tailor work to suit her? Does my child enjoy school most of the time? Is my child attaining knowledge and emotional competence?
And: are the teachers actually interested in discussing my child's school life or do they brush me off?

The last question is an interesting one as when I went round schools the number of head teachers who wittered on about their great processes, but not the children themselves was depressing.

I think the system can be excellent and can be appalling, like private schools.

Of course there are problems in some state schools with behaviour, with challenging kids and challenging parents.

The facts remain that you are far less likely to get low level disruption, disengaged kids and disinterested parents in the Independent sector, that's the nature of the beast.

Must have done Pissfarterleech. Tbh I was struggling to see which side you were arguing! I thought you had said your DD was going to a private secondary school??

Totally agree with RedHotPokers.

Also. It is very valuable to learn to get on and value others from different social and ability groups, and yes deal with difficult people.

I have a relative who sent his daughter private and she did well at GCSE but cracked under the pressure at A level like several of her friends. She has alot of problems now. The parents constantly push her. They make clear the financial layout that they have invested.

Additionally, I think doing well at a state school is a better acheivement for many than going private, it shows the determination of doing it without any unfair advantage (more so if in a 'sink school'). I think alot of universities value that too, as well as the recent push on taking more state school puplis.

Ah yes, she probably will be but my son won't. Because she is a child who will suit a particular style of school and not another, is all.

I sit firmly on the fence on this issue. It isn't a topic that bothers me, I know far too many public school pint pullers and too many state school captains of industry to think it really matters that much.

Yes for secondary schools as our local ones aren't good and the catchment one is dire.They go to a state primary that is fabulous,but I really worry about what will happen when they leave.I don't want them going to the same awful school that I had to go to.

I would but for the sport more than anything else. There is just not enough time spent on sports in state schools.

I've been a bit confused about where you're coming from too, PFL (sounds more polite, sorry!).

I suppose you have to weigh things against each other and all that - for me the possibility of some disruptive kids isn't the worst that could happen. Real honest-to-god bullying, for example, I don't see as being potentially any worse depending on sector (after all, the bully's parents are paying too!). My child has had to, and does have to, contend with some disruption sometimes, and it does annoy her - but I'm just not sure it is the worst thing in the world. How many of us sit in offices at work where someone keeps wittering on at us - or have been to meetings where one or two people won't shut up? I see it as character building . Or that's what I tell her.....

So, we can and we don't.
Not for primary anyway. I love the fact that we walk to school, that they are in a great school, that we are part of the community here.

2ndry well that is a different story and one we don't have to consider for the next couple of years.

No! My state school did me proud. I am currently fighting my in-laws who want me to enroll my dd's. We should all be supporting an education for all system not a 'screw all those other children I want priviledge for mine at whatever cost' system.

RedHotPokers I went to a somewhat dodgy state school where I was sworn at for knowing answers and had lessons disrupted by people who didn't want to learn. You can't work around that low level disruption (other than doing a load of independent work at home). You lose 5 mins because someone's pencil case is being chucked around or because someone's Coke can in their bag has been stabbed with a compass. If that happens a couple of time a day you can easily lose one or two lessons worth of learning each week. And of course, on the bad days you lose a whole lesson because someone chucks something at the teacher when they have their back to the class and all hell breaks loose.

I did well enough but truthfully, in a better school, I would have done better. I don't really feel I learnt many useful life lessons other than to try to send my children to a school with a better learning environment even if I have to pay to do so.

I can and I do. The one good local primary didn't accept him because we live a 5min walk away. That, apparently, is too far away.

Oh dear, didn't really want to get into this but.. Have taught in several private schools, one with royal connections quite well known, state secondaries and FE.

I have seen:
Dodgy financial practices
Unqualified teachers (very common in private schools) You know things are bad when the kitchen staff are routinely more qualified and educated than the teaching staff.
Managing students who are unlikely to achieve academically out of the school as soon as this become obvious.
Coursework submitted to the exam boards that bear little (if any) resemblance to the work submitted by the student
Exam practices that raised eyebrows
Snobbery of truly epic proportions (and not just the students)
Racial and sexual harassment routinely left unchallenged for fear of alienating the paying customers
As much violence and disruptive behaviour in private schools as in state ones.

Now I work in HE, I find find, in general, state school students are less demanding, better at getting on with things and working out stuff for themselves and better able to access support services when needed.

Don't kid yourself that what you are getting is a better education. It's just my observation, but when you buy private education all you are really buying is smaller class sizes.