Why on earth would you go state if you could afford private?

[Schmedz]

This thread is for Maisie and happygardening . I like dares!

JakeBullet That's the thing... some people are very determined, know who they are early on, etc. - and they do what your friend's DS did. It often seems as though they had learned to do that in a previous life.

Not sure exactly what makes people like that, but if you could bottle that ability into a potion, you'd be the richest person on the planet by tomorrow.

You know, if we couldnt afford private (and I am the first in my family to go down this route) I would have made it my business to look at the good schools, check the Ofsted ratings, look at the Good Schools Guide and ask around. The same schools (good and bad will come up again and again.).

I would move house to go to a great school or consider private tutoring to get into a grammar and take my chances there.

What I defininitely wouldnt do is just allow my children to be plonked somewhere regardless just because we happened to live in a certain area ready to be bounced around the political football that is now education.

I didnt do well in the state system neither did my siblings but of course if the state offered what we were looking for why on earth would I go private!!

I have taught in a school in special measures and students got straight As. It does happen, not as often as it should .

George Clooney is very left wing. I have heard him talk. However for people like him it is easy to believe in socialism! We went to the Italian Lakes a few years ago and George has a villa there. The buzz around the town because there were rumours he was there was incredible!

But there is no waiting in line for George, no fully booked resturants, no struggling to make ends meet. If he wanted to send any children he had to ANY of the schools in this country, private, boarding, grammar, comp etc he would have his pick.

The Beckhams came back to the UK recently. All schools are wide open to him -quite understandable really! He turned up to his son's away match at DS's school and DS met him.... DS couldnt remember his name, he said David something or other, famous footballer....

I was beyond excited! And he was really nice to all the boys

"I didnt do well in the state system neither did my siblings but of course if the state offered what we were looking for why on earth would I go private!!'
This is the nub of the whole thing the state will never offer everyone what they are looking for because we're all looking for different things. Thats good because we don't want to turn endless people who've all had identical educational experiences. All should have access to high quality education but some will always do something different. Let them what harm do they do?

Ari, why would a school on Special Measures get a large number of A grade students...

"All schools are wide open to him" Were all schools open to the Beckhams children? Do you know that?

Wondering if you mean that Special Measure schools get money to improve.

I guess if I went in I would start to look at the pupils with potential, take them to one side, teach them seperately from the troublemakers and then surprise, surprise, the class size drops dramatically and the results vastly improve for those chosen pupils or have I got this all wrong.

I didn't say they would get a large number, I said there were students who got straight As

If you were a Head would you refuse the Beckham children? Certainly when he was looking there was a buzz around the private sector and he did go for a private in London and has been known to be considering Eton.

Its rather like trying to get into a hot resturant where the waiting list is 3 months - or worse you have to keep checking whether they are any cancellations on the day. I have done that once - complete pain but I wanted to go....

I dont think George Clooney or David Beckham would have this issue.

And its the Fat Duck in case anyone is wondering.....

WIf I was a head of a super selective like Westminster St Pauls et al I might refuse the Beckhams children if they were not sufficiently bright enough. What do they bring to the party?

Any good head would say no to the Beckhams if their kids were not bright enough. If only for the sake of the kids.

Bet if he wants Eton he will get in...

Prince Harry and William got in

I'm not saying Eton wouldn't take them but it was not as selective when Prince William and Harry went as it is now this change is relatively recently.

"I didn't say they would get a large number, I said there were students who got straight As "

Absolutely. I know the head of a very tough school in a very tough area, just staying out of Special Measures (because its headline results are below the Government threshold ... completely ignoring the fact that the intake is hugely, hugely skewed towards the lower end of the ability scale and the area is exceptionally deprived, because 'context shouldn't matter, all children should get the same results' urgh) where several students got 10 As and A*s at GCSE.

And maisiejoe, you only get out of Special Measures by improving the attainment and progress of ALL groups of children - selecting and grooming 'the best and brightest' won't do at all.

So you have to stretch the brightest, coax the middle achievers over the relevant thresholds and set such firm boundaries and such tailored programmes for the potentially disaffected that their behaviour and results improve too ... and then still get kicked because your results aren't as high as a comp with a middle class intake. It is hard, hard, hard work, and takes exceptionally dedicated staff teams.

(Obviously the above doesn't apply to a schoolol that drops in to Special measures despite having a reasonable intake - that is in many ways a much easier proposition)

maisiejoe123, I wonder if you're right. Eton were (apparently - hearsay) very concerned that the Palace should get the agreement with the Press that they would leave the Princes alone. I doubt Becks could get such a deal. Eton also has royal connections. It was founded by Henry VI, they celebrate George III's birthday etc...

If I were Victoria B and wanted my boys to board I'd send them (however clever) to a campus school - not one where boys walk on public roads to classes such as Eton or Winchester. Radley, Stowe, Bradfield, Wellington are much more private.

BS - 'I hear you say': but, you didn't hear me say.

Anyway, yes, I would stay and try and make it better. Being a daft idealist. If I thought there was any way I could actually make a difference. If I were spitting in the wind, eventually I would leave but I would be vocal about the problems as I saw them - and do my best before doing so.

Then again, I have had far more positive experiences of the state system than, say, Maisie. And I probably have a different idea of what 'best schools' means.

I think BS hears voices in her head saying what they think people say, but there's quite a slippage between that and reality. I wouldn't let it worry you!

I would stick to state if the schools were good.

I have taught on a school which went into Special Measures. We always had some students obtaining three A s at A Level. (Before A*). There is a lot of back and white opinion here when life always involves compromise. We compromise our ideals every day in a democracy. Why is it so difficult to understand that a parent chooses a school the best way she can from what is available and in doing so compromises her principles to some degree? Sticking too firmly to a set of principles in life is a bad idea!

You can do well in a poor perfroming school. I did. But boy is it hard. Not pleasant.

I'm actually envious of my DC's schooling. Is that awful?

I recently read a piece by Janice Turner about her education and it was so real to me, it actually made me cry.

slip - I don't think that posters are having a go at parents for compromising their principles. Instead, they are having a go at parents who compromise their principles, choose a selective education for their DCs AND then proceed to lecture others for willingly choosing a selective.

I say 'parents' but it seems to be just one person. Apparently it's not ok to choose a GS if your non selective is crap but it is ok if your non selective doesn't have an orchestra. Go figure eh?

Agree Wordfactory. I would not have sent my child(didn't have any at the time) to the school as it was a harsh social environment. I can think of only one teacher who did and that was largely through unavoidable circumstance. I was also physically exhausted each night. There were some teachers very good at working in that environment though.

The Janice turner article rang bells with many I think.