I send my child to private school because....?

[jabed]

Well, I don?t actually, I just work in one. But it seems to be a constant source of questioning on MN and given the current news articles (I have been reading the DM and Tory graph online) about how many of our left wing leaders hypocritically claim to be egalitarian and socialist whilst buying education for their children , or have had education paid for by their own parents. I just wondered, what is it we expect from education, and why is it some of us are willing to pay for whatever that is and how they see that as worthy of their money.

There you go. :)

Because I can and because I want to.

I would actually rather like to pay more in tax and that money go entirely towards education so that more children can have the sort of opportunity my DCs will be lucky enough to have.

The only answer is to look at the school on a normal working day and don't make any assumptions of either sector.

On the subject of bullying - it does go on in private schools.
My DS had a few episodes of other boys ganging up on him with "play fights" which turned quite physical.
He however completely refused any intervention from our side as there seems to be a "code of honor" or something like that, which means he would not report his peers even when been slightly beaten up himself. Not a done thing apparently.

Why is MN so obsessed with this subject?

Why do so many of you care how people spend their money?

The attitude seems to be either "because it buys your DC an advantage over mine" or "state schools are just as good and you are wasting your money".

Every private school parent in England must post on MN, because I don't know one single person in RL that uses a private school.

It was easier to get her into Private than the local state which has a catchment area of 3 houses and a shed meaning if you live 5 mins away you get allocated a "bulge" class in an infants 5 miles away.

I waited 9 months for the local authority to tell me that.

Private school: DD did the tests, offered a place 2 weeks later.

Secondary schools: State options not thrilling, didn't want to move house to have a chance of getting into an ok state school.

And DD really liked the school when she visited, and she still likes it now.

Oh, and they don't insist on lots of GCSEs which the local state schools do. I'd rather DD didn't do 12 GCSE. There's better things in life at that age.

The 'code of honour' where you don't tell needs to go- it is the bullies charter. Schools need to be very clear on it and bullies need to be outed.

That's not why I am interested in talking about it. I am with Helena Kennedy and others in thinking that anything which perpetuates privilege is a bad thing, and one of the reasons that if you lift the lid on anybody our state institutions its rotten to the core is the public school system. Obviously most of the little two bit independent schools most mumsneters are talking about, and which they fondly imagine will buy their child advantage don't come into this category, but they do their bit to perpetuate the social divide. And could well be done without.

I don't think MN is obsessed with this subject anymore than anyone in RL. I'm here all the time a lot and read far too many threads.

Any decision regarding our children will always generate heated debate.

My DS is nearly 3 and we live in an area where some of his peers will end up going private so I've had discussions about it a few times.

I sense a hint of panic among parents who seem to think that private schools are a golden ticket and state schools spell trouble.

However the majority of us were state educated and the majority of us turned out fine. Yes certain sections of society are dominated by privately educated men people, but I wouldn't write off a whole section of society because they didn't go to Eton.

My children will be going to state schools as I don't agree with private schooling being a smelly lefty

I would question all schools very closely on their bullying policy before sending a child. The 'don't tell' is as outdated as the panama hats on the other thread. It all goes with educating DCs for careers in the colonies and not appropriate for any school in 21st century.

I send my DDs to private because state schools have head teachers and the staff don't care what results the pupils get, do not work hard to ensure all children achieve and don't care about pupil behaviour.

There aren't any sports clubs, superb art shows or amazing concerts.

No child ever leaves with an A* and a place at a good university.

There are no trips to Africa, the Arctic or even Europe. Brilliant camps are not run for a whole year group.

And there is never any wrap round care.

Exactly StarBallBunny

Have not noticed that any sort of education has snide comments - including home education? Medicine escapes as most parents are lucky enough not to need it - they all need education.

And it's seen as acceptable to make snide comments about private schools on mumsnet

What an odd thing to say.

I'm guessing in RL you have friends around you who are similar to you so make comments that you agree with.... Unfortunately on MN you can't filter out unwanted opinions so you're more likely to come across things you don't agree with.

Iggy - Nobody objected so far to seekers " Anything else sounds self serving, snobbish, ill informed, smug, arrogant, or just downright silly. Or any combination thereof!"

Must be acceptable then.

...I did enjoy reading it though - reminded me of Otto's famous "You English, you are so superior..." etc. from Fish Called Wanda.

Ok I'll bite, as I'm lying on a deck chair with a nice cold beer and it's impossible to be irked.

I can
I want to
I wouldn't have if we had got any of our 3 SS choices, but we didn't. We got a failing school that employed people dressed in Disney type character costumes to tempt the kids into school. Cos it's the kids that need to be told age 5, not their parents

OK I'll bite too I send DS2 because the education he receives is one million times better than anything the state sector can offer and unlike many I've got children in both so I can speak from personal experience and also had a excellent state choices. But as I'm not a complete idiot I am able to clearly see the difference so the independent school won.
All of you out there who think that what the state sector offers is remotely comparable with what the top independent schools offer are living in cloud cuckoo land, deluding yourselves to make yourselves feel better! I accept there are some pretty crap independent schools out there but the top ones are in a completely different league.

Because I want my daughter to be taught to love learning, not how to pass exams.

BTW, it's not a posh or privileged private school, it's just a non-mainstream school (Steiner) that pays crap wages but employs enthusiastic and dedicated teachers who love their job and the children they work with, and that respect is reciprocated and shows in the love of learning shown by the pupils, regardless of what their academic ability level is.

Did the completely dismal state of maths education (in both public and private schools) pass you by? Education in this country is failing dismally, I don't know who is at fault, the government for focusing on exam results, the parents for not supporting the teachers, or perhaps a lack of knowledge amongst teachers, or the lack of ambition and drive amongst children, or maybe it's a combination of all those things?

Whatever it may be, there is no way I would put my daughter into the state education system. The choice was HE or Steiner and as we both work full-time the choice was really out of our hands. We're just lucky to have a good Steiner school nearby.

I'm not sure why I need to experience private education to not want to educate my child that way. I don't think private schooling is bad for any individual child concerns - it just doesn't fit with my personal value system.

I meant odd because it's not specific to mumsnet to make snide comments about private schooling. Many differing opinions can be found here - both for and against private schooling.

Enjoy you have my total sympathy. School choice is not choice in many cities.

However, I am fortunate enough to live in a rural area with excellent state schools and falling rolls. The DDs school, described earlier gets the worst results of the bunch because we are at the edge of a grammar school area and have least high tech jobs.

I have friends who's children attend private schools purely because their parents, grandparents and social circle thinks they should.

Their DCs would have got into the areas best state school and, I'm sure, walked out with 3A* A'levels without them paying a penny.

They would also leave school with a much more rounded and realistic view of the world. (and the funds to see them through university.)