Poll? State or fee-paying schooling for your primary children?

[ArsumLardis]

State for us.
I don't want to start a debate (other threads for that!), just wondering where the percentage lies. tia

nothing like a private/state debate to get the posters in ehh!

state
unless hell freezes over

Uwila - why would you prefer to send you kids private?

Most parents would prefer to educate their kids in the state system and only chose private because the state system is so bad where they are.

Private for both DDs at primary stage.

Not sure that is strictly true Kaz33. Smaller class sizes , wider range of on site facilities and activities, specialist teachers etc all come into it for us. Local state is actually ok.

I thought that too speedymama!

I'd like mine to go to the state grammars at secondary too but if not, I'll probably be paying.

unless we were fairly certain they were in fact poorer, we'd automatically go private by choice. Why? much smaller classes, much better discipline, much better facilities. Easy decision for me. As it is, although dh on a relatively high salary, we're mortgaged to the hilt so would only go private if we felt driven to by lack of decent state provision. I guess we're lucky to have this option, anyway.

State for both mine, and will continue state at secondary level unless something disastrous happens.

State for my children - however we are lucky enough to live in the catchment area for an excellent state school which makes it an easy choice.

FWIW they will also go to state secondary but again for the same reason, we are very lucky to live where we do in terms of their education.

LIZS she probably means people would rather not have to pay for education full stop.

I think there should be another thread connected to this one. What lengths would people go to, to use private ed? There has already been one about the lengths people go to, to find a good state school.

Shall I start one???? Or will it become a state vs private debate?

tinker, I think you're right. DH nearly said something similar when I read some of this to him last night.
(What I could see he was thinking was ooooh, what a middle-class place MN is....)

I'm bemuse by the presumption by many on here that private education equals a good education, particularly as my DH's 2 cousins both failed all their GCSEs despite being in private ed since age 4 years old. DH and SIL, state educated in comprehensive school in working class area and both have PhDs in chemistry and biochemistry respectively.

I meant they have PhDs in Chemistry and Biochemistry respectively

are you lacking a private education? ..
went to local comp myself...

I also went to a state comp and studies Biochemistry, though I must say this was largly in spite of the education I had at school It was one hell of a struggle to work in an environment where trying to do well marked you out as a 'snob' and put you in line for serious bullying. I had the crap kicked out on me, a real bundle of laughs. And yes, I know that bulies exsist in private schools too.

But just because people did well out of a state education, it doesn't always mean that it was easy.

yeah, i also feel any success I've had is in spite of my (state) education, certainly at sec. level. I went to a very formal, strict primary and I still remember how shocked I was when I arrived at the comp to see how untrendy it was to be clever or to try hard..I do think the private system, on the whole, is much more encouraging and has much better discipline. This has been the case in the schools I've seen anyway.

Martianbishop, equally if they did well in state education can mean that they had a good time and they did. Everybody has different experiences in both systems. I just find it weary that there is a general presumption that private automatically means good/superior and state automatically means poor/inferior and that is just not true.

Another point to remember, comprehensives are inclusive of all types, many private schools weed out the undesirable elements in terms of behaviour and academic potential so not really comparing like with like.

Fiofio

I put a wig on mine to get her in , pmsl !

speedymama - only high school for 50 miles is this grammar school - think it works a bit diffrerently in scotland. I wasn't being presumptoius - it is where all local kids go.

although obviously my children are exceptionally bright!