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Original poster

First post: what is wrong with considering private schools?

999 replies

dietcokeisgreat · 07/10/2014 14:12

Dear all,

I just starting looking at mumsnet last week and joined today. Some of my work colleagues talk about it and i am thinking about options for education for my son, who is just 3 and thought i would take a look. Well, i just starting the thinking, so it is early days.
We could pay for school, or maybe not, we don't know yet. He is our first child, we are having problems getting pregnant again, so unsure if there will be more yet.

I was surprised at some really negative comments on lots of threads towards people posting for advice/ whatever about private schools. Why are they doing that? What is wrong with people thinking about different options? Or asking about a school they know that is private? Twice i read something 'well i can't pay for school' as a response. For me, its no different to whether or not people have cash for other stuff. I can't afford to live in the smarter part of town, or pay for a boarding school but that doesn't mean no one should be allowed too!

Just wondering...don't want to post something that will enrage others or be and be upset by responses ....

Thank you.

OP posts:
MustChooseASecondary · 09/10/2014 17:32

No one is tutoring for SATs. They are tutoring for private school entrance tests. About 15% of our year 6s go on to independent schools. Parents are seeking to fill a gap in the curriculum between their DC and DC at prep schools with whom they will be competing.

These are the kids who get the level 6 SATs, etc. pretty unfair on the untutored kids who aren't taught the info in the first place, I think.

There would not be an elite group of tutored kids in the school, if the school raised its standards and taught all children capable the material. This is the essence of my discontent.

grovel · 09/10/2014 17:49

dietcokeisgreat, 250+ messages on your first thread.

Take a bow.

Hakluyt · 09/10/2014 17:49

"I can only assume that OFSTED's standards and mine are not the same."

Say more?

NancyJones · 09/10/2014 18:03

Firstly the bbc have been here for a while. Bbc staff on the whole are not living in Salford. Vast majority with Sch aged kids moved to Trafford. Others to stockport or Cheshire. The schools in all 3 on paper achieve far higher than in Salford . Plus, with the exception of Worsley, nowhere in Salford is considered desirable in the aspirations sense to live in. From an objective pov at least.

I taught there for many years and never came across any bright Y6 child with the Trafford grammars even on their radars.

Thirdly, my children attending the local state would categorically not make any difference to the attainment of that year. They are almost all bright articulate kids whose learning is supported at home. Most are reading on entry to school. Most get level 5 at the end if ks2.

Oh and yes I do actually believe that no state school could offer what I'm looking for. I want a focus on a broad education. I want lots of sport, not just netball and football. I like that my primary age kids play hockey and cricket and rugby. I like that they have a weekly swimming lesson. I like that they are having proper tuition in piano and violin and drama. I like that they have excellent art and D&T facilities inc a kiln and photography studio.
I especially like that school places such emphasis on these things for my dc who is considered gifted academically. Who was reading roald Dahl in reception. I don't want her to be pushed down a narrow academic alley. I don't want them pushing her to get some ridiculous sats score. My other two at the Sch are also doing well. One very bright big not gifted like sibling. One academically average but a very talented artist. The school is a great fit for all of them. It offers everything I want in a school. The quality of resources is fantastic. The small class sizes are superb. Not too small-18 of so. No state school I have ever heard off can offer this. Sure, they can offer the academics but I'm not much interested in that alone.

NancyJones · 09/10/2014 18:08

Oh and schools can of course be rated good or outstanding when their attainment isn't sky high. Thankfully, ofsted now look at starting points and achievement reached as the children progress through school. If, on entry, they have very poor social skills or functional language (I don't mean eal) and the school can show outstanding progress, then they quite rightly deserve to be graded outstanding. That doesn't mean their sats results will show 60%+ L5s.

MustChooseASecondary · 09/10/2014 18:09

I want something much more academic than is being offered Hak.

The state system can co-opt me by giving me what I want, or repel me by refusing to teach my children properly. I don't know if the failure is down to inability, laziness, the politics of equality of outcomes or what.

Clavinova · 09/10/2014 18:11

Of course people are prepping their kids for SATs - you only have to look in WHSmith to see rows and rows of SATs workbooks, not to mention SATs apps for iPads etc. It's partly a question of pride - if I had a pound for every time I've read on here, 'my child is high level 5/level 6' I'd be a rich woman and you'd be foolish to send your child to a state comprehensive school and not do your upmost to get them into the top sets.

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 09/10/2014 18:24

My oldest did SATS before level 6 was even a thing and some parents were using maths coaches! Fuck knows why. It was only the kids who were good at maths already, as well. And only started in year 6.

MumTryingHerBest · 09/10/2014 18:29

NancyJones you specifically stated in your post There is virtually no use of the private sector nor is there a bunch if selective schools creaming off the top.

This thread demonstrates that what you have posted is not correct. The Trafford grammars are creaming off the top. These posts are from the parents of those kids.

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/search.php?keywords=salford&terms=all&author=&fid%5B%5D=25&sc=1&sf=all&sk=t&sd=d&sr=posts&st=0&ch=300&t=0&submit=Search

MumTryingHerBest · 09/10/2014 18:35

Clavinova Of course people are prepping their kids for SATs Why?

you'd be foolish to send your child to a state comprehensive school and not do your upmost to get them into the top sets. My local secondary schools do not use SATs results for setting. They all carry out their own assessments although one uses the 11 plus results on initial entry into the school and then continuous assessment.

MiddletonPink · 09/10/2014 18:41

OP there will be quite a few rude people telling you their opinion on private school and why they disagree with it and how their state school is fabulous.

Good for them. But it's your child. You would be paying the fees every term. It's down to what suits your child and your family situation.

happygardening · 09/10/2014 18:42

Another advantage of DS2's independent education he's never done SATs all these levels people talk about mean absolutely nothing to me.
I don't understand why children need to do them.

happygardening · 09/10/2014 18:47

So mum if state ed is so great across the board why are so many trying to get their DC's into the top sets?
Obviously not all can be in the top set. If you have to tutor your DC to get them into it then surely they shouldn't be there.

Hakluyt · 09/10/2014 18:48

"No state school I have ever heard off can offer this. Sure, they can offer the academics but I'm not much interested in that alone."

But of course they can't! That's what you are paying for!

My state school children get whichever of those extras they want- the difference is, I pay for them separately, you pay for them as part of school fees. It is ridiculous to say that state schools are inferior to private schools because they don't have kilns and a wide range of on site music teachers!

MumTryingHerBest · 09/10/2014 18:48

NancyJones No state school I have ever heard off can offer this. Sure, they can offer the academics but I'm not much interested in that alone.

I want lots of sport, not just netball and football. I like that my primary age kids play hockey and cricket and rugby. I like that they have a weekly swimming lesson. I like that they are having proper tuition in piano and violin and drama. I like that they have excellent art and D&T facilities inc a kiln and photography studio.

Academic requirements aside, the things you have listed in your post can be found at every single on of my local state secondary schools. One of them actually selects on sports aptitude (specialises in sports and technology), one selects on technology aptitude and all of them offer academic and music places. I should also highlight that one of them actually has a dedicated music school on site (also open to the general public as, DCs do their music lessons there).

Hakluyt · 09/10/2014 18:49

"Another advantage of DS2's independent education he's never done SATs all these levels people talk about mean absolutely nothing to me.
I don't understand why children need to do them."

But he will have done plenty of formal exams. What's the difference?

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 09/10/2014 18:49

Mum didn't say she was trying to get her children into the top sets, I don't think.

happygardening · 09/10/2014 18:50

Hakulyt as you know you can't pay for the things my DS gets and in my area even if I could pay they're not available

Hakluyt · 09/10/2014 18:52

Happygardening- your son is at a school which is one of the 5 top private schools in the country. I honestly don't think that is what most people are talking about when to talk about private school!

MumTryingHerBest · 09/10/2014 18:53

happygardening So mum if state ed is so great across the board why are so many trying to get their DC's into the top sets? I've no idea as I've never come across anyone who has said they are TBH. Certainly no one I know gets their children tutored to get them into the top sets. They do tutor for the 11 plus, GCSE and A Level though.

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 09/10/2014 18:54

Ds1 presumably had NC levels on reports, Happy? It's just those.

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 09/10/2014 18:55

Nobody tries to get their children into top sets in comprehensives, obviously, because we all know they'll be bullied for being in them! Wink

MumTryingHerBest · 09/10/2014 18:57

happygardening So mum if state ed is so great across the board Could you cut and paste the post I made that makes this claim.

Taz1212 · 09/10/2014 18:58

So there is complete consistency across all private schools. Now that's an interesting claim.

MumTryingHerBest I did not say that. I specifically stated that there is a lack of consistency between the Edinburgh state schools and the state schools in our region. In fact, I would argue the exact opposite for the Edinburgh private schools. They don't need to follow the Curriculum for Excellence and they all take very different approaches- some follow Highers, some offer A levels, one offers the IB as an alternative to Highers and some offer a mix of A levels and Highers. They do all expect P7/S1 children to be at the same starting point (or to catch up in our case), but after that the approaches vary.

NancyJones · 09/10/2014 19:01

Ok, yes, we are talking about different things. Yes, some children who live in Salford LEA at the Trafford end do indeed apply to the Trafford grammars. I taught actually in Salford. The deprivation was shocking. Those kids, even the bright ones, we're not applying to Trafford grammars.