Agonising over school choice

[llareggub]

Well, not really. Just can't understand the lengths to which people go to get their precious little darling into the right school.

Unless there is some legitimate need, why won't the local school do? Parent pressure might then drive up quality.

Obviously everyone wants the best for their child but what diference does a good school make to an average/above average child? Is there just a marginal diference?

Parental influence just as important/more important IMO.

I think of Grammar schools as being abhorant (sp?) - not a choice at all!!

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Not abhorrent to me, but not a "choice" in the way I understand the word!

I think the problem is that "choice" is a much-abused word, especially by the current government. It would be daft to say, for example, that someone has a choice whether to live in a council flat or a 4-bed mansion - other factors are going to determine that, not the individual's choosing.

I suppose I see choice as being something that is very much dependent on an individual's circumstances rather than available to all.

I would imagine there are very few things where the level of choice people have is exactly the same.

Certainly state school is not one. The ability to afford to live in a certain area must rule out many people, the ability to afford transport to take their children to a school in a batter catchment must rule out others, religion another, ability (grammer schools), etc.

I can't see where the arguement is that everyone must have the same level of choice for it to be a valid choice. It can't work that way or there would be very little true coice available at all.

Reminds me of mid-80s Ben Elton rant, actually (before he sold out to The Man):

"Oh, well, we've all got farkin' CHOICE in education nah, ain't we? So let's all choose farkin' ETON for our kids."

Agree with you entirely about state school, though, hulababy! The so-called comprehensive system is nothing of the sort.

I agree with OP.
I hate the notion that we are consumers with choices re public services.
We are citizens living in a society.

I am just grateful that I do have that level of choice open to me. It helped me make the best decision for my daughter. And that is my priority I'm afriad.

I do wish everyone had the full level of choice, but I sppose life doesn't work that way.

Why the tribute to Dylan Thomas?

I suppose what I don't like is some people's implication in the past that, if you haven't got the money for private school (despite being a middle-class profesional and taxed to buggery) you then haven't made the "best" decision, and that you are a bad parent for letting your child go to a sub-standard school.

Choice doesn't really exist at all - and how can it? The problem is that your local school should be good enough for you to send your child to. The notion of market place is nonsense since the schools in question do not have unlimited capacity. The notion of specialisms in secondary (language college or whatever) is completely crackers since students still have to cover the National Curriculum anyway... but don't get me started on that one...

Grammar schools are IMO devisive and only championed by those parents who think their children are bright enough to get in.

Education is so important but there are constraints in the system because no-one in Government is prepared to raise taxes to fund it properly. I'm not sure that Labour has is right but please can we remember how poorly funded it was under the previous administration.

Worzella, yes -

OfSted are obsessed with "standards" and flagging some people average and others as below average, so inevitably some schools will come off badly - if there is an average, you have to have schools below it. This is part of the problem.

"The notion of market place is nonsense since the schools in question do not have unlimited capacity."

Totally - the analogy breaks down. Think cornflakes. Kellogg's, as the top quality brand and also the most popular, should be available to as many people as want to buy it. With the current system, it's like having Kellogg's Corn Flakes available to 3% of customers and only Supermarket Bogsstandard Cornflakes available to the other 97%.

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Well, I'm not saying private IS the best option.

And many people do think like that, because of the way the school thing is described so often in terms of a "marketplace", an analogy which doesn't work.

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I am forever being critised for going the independant route (I much prefer the word independant than private)and I often wake at night worrying about whether we did the right thing. Guess it's our working class background and the fact that we are not in high flying jobs (teacher & secretary)

Our other choice which we seriously considered was home education.

Oddly enough it is more affordable for us to go private than to buy a house in a neighbouring area with excellent state schools.

UnquietDad - I don't think many people feel that way at all. I am gratefulf or the choices I have and, having looked at lots of options, I chose what is right for my child. I would never judge what someone else does for their child regards schooling.

julienetmum - actually that doesn't surprise me. I suppose the diffeence is that you often get other benefits by moving, not just the school.

other benefits outweiged by us having family just round the corner from us now though, plus the commute to work would take longer

Also, I'm guessing you are in the South/Londonish area UnquietDad

The two areas where Hula and I live private schools are only (only she splutters) around £6-7k a year not the £10-12k around London

I think UnquietDad is in the same city as me.

Julienetmum - i agree with you about going independant - like you said its actually affordable going down that route rather than moving to a good catchment area . This factor played a part in our decision to send our dd to independant sch rather than our local which did not impress us enough.

Or you could do what we did - spend the money moving to a better catchment and then still go down the independent route! Hmmm, didn't plan it that way though. We moved because of the catchement but then visited the catchment school and didn't get the right feeling there - so had to look elsewhere!