If Labour win... are your DCs coming out of Private Education?

[MrsJamesMathews]

Sitting here doing some maths.

It's not looking great.

With increased corporation tax and VAT on school fees, I think we'll be having some very awkward conversations with our DCs schools on Friday.

Anyone else worried?

appreciate I'd find that hard to accept if my own child didn't have the resilience or intellect to cope in an environment where they have to compete on equal terms with the majority

Such a nasty comment, wouldn't it be nice to have a discussion which would exclude the regular private school bashers who dominate every thread like this.

I suggest you google schools on the Isle of Wight. Only 1 secondary school has achieved a Good rating from OFSTED in the last 10 years or so. That is a faith school.

We were the first generation in our family to go to university, my mum has a few O' levels. My dad has not got a single qualification to his name because he failed the 11+ and immediately written off.

I'm not asking this to be rude, but is your social circle just full of private school families? I do not believe that the majority of people you know who attending state schools are failures.

Of course children can do well in a good state school, but they rarely do well in the poorer schools.
My point is if state schools are so good, why all the complaints all the time.
We are all entitled to our opinion and I don't think the majority are fit for purpose.
Clearly, the grammars would remain empty and there would be no call for private schools if the state system was so good.

appreciate I'd find that hard to accept if my own child didn't have the resilience or intellect to cope in an environment where they have to compete on equal terms with the majority Oh yes, our DCs all go to private schools because they are thick, delicate little flowers.

Not all private school families are there for the end result. And not all of us think of our children's education in terms of 'competing'. For us, our DCs private education is simply a nicer way of life than the other options available and we are very, very fortunate to be able to afford it (for now!). It's no different to choosing a nice car, or a bigger house, a nicer area to live in or enriching holidays.

You are very lucky if you find a good state school or live in an area where Ofsted rate them as outstanding.
In order to have a good state system it needs to be fair for all wherever the child lives, whatever the parents income. It isn't fair though and so many fall by the wayside.
By stating that state education is good, you are letting down the poor kids on sink estates, or catchment for these schools, that is what is unfair.
Spout as much as you like about your lovely leafy comps, but then take a look at areas of deprivation and tell me the chances of the kids there are equal.
Such hypocrisy, at least I'm honest and admit that my dd has opportunities that others might not have.
I'm thankful too, she is very grateful, works hard and believes in time she will be able to give something back.

i've a large family including siblings and now nieces and nephews who've been let down by shocking state schools in East Sussex - some of the worst in the country although they've gotten a lot better according to the stats in recent times. Not many accountants to be observed!

perhaps that's why I'm not a fan - schooling probably does vary a lot in quality by region.

The most successful people I personally know went to grammar schools or are not British so not relevant to this debate.

pottered

Ditto, we are in East Lancs, the very odd chance that a child makes it to Oxbridge in this area they are front page news, I would grin, if it wasn't so sad.
The solicitors, Doctors, Accountants and other higher paid jobs and professions are usually people not reared in this area and travel from Manchester or the leafy Cheshire villages.
I'm so glad my dd has had the chance of social mobility, she is so grateful and tells me all the time how lucky she is.

Their will always be demand for private and grammar schools in the same way as there will always be demand for a Range Rover or first class on trains. Some people want to flaunt their cash and their ability to buy "the best" whether that is for schools, houses or designer labels. Private schools will continue to thrive even if the demographic using them evolves.

The rest of us are happy with sending our children to state schools, but we don't want the education service we pay for through our taxes to get worse, in exactly the same way as you don't want the private education your children receive to get worse. Of course we will complain if it does, in the same way as you would. Every parent wants the best for their child. Listening to my friends with children in private schools, they constantly complain as well, about the cost of uniforms or whether rugby has been cancelled as well as whether the teachers are any good or the syllabus has changed.

However, some of the views expressed on here about state education are ignorant. Even the schools struggling to meet government exam targets will still have pupils who perform well. How on earth do you think this country continues to function if only the 7% who attended private schools have any hope of a future? Most have not received a privileged education, but haven't suffered as a result of it.

my parents killed themselves to send me to a selective grammar (they had to pay for me to board) and I'm the only one of my large family that is even in a decent job at this point, let alone got to university.

Would I have done it if I went to the bad comprehensive schools they did? I personally doubt it - we all form our opinions based on personal experience. Clearly sticker has good selective comprehensives in her area, more supportive parent mix so has completely different beliefs.

Are any of us evil?

I appreciate I'd find that hard to accept if my own child didn't have the resilience or intellect to cope in an environment where they have to compete on equal terms with the majority.

You really let yourself and your argument down, minifingerz by making such nasty comments.
A poster was talking about her experience of a child whose parents earn average salaries receiving a bursary and that warrants criticism because the child in question is just poor and not poor and badly behaved/difficult to educate.
So his parents are dismissed into the great homogenous ether of parents who use the private sector because they're too involved and supportive of their child.

We would have to take our child out of private education if this goes ahead and ask the local authority to find him a place in a state school

And why on these threads is there always this nonsense about children from state schools going to good universities and becoming decent members of society. It's said as if those of us opting out of state education don't know that. DH and I both grew up in council houses and went to good universities from state schools as did many of our peers. We pay lots of tax and would happily pay more to further fund a system we don't use because we both believe that the state system In a country such as ours should be offering a world class education unlike it does currently. Don't you realise that many of us have started off putting our faith in the state system and been let down?

And some of us have dc in both sectors...

As I said, we don't have any selective comps here in my part of Hampshire, Cornwall or the isle of Wight, just bog standard state schools which produce perfectly well-rounded individuals. I know the odd parent with a child who has struggled as well, but as state schools are based around averages, you would expect that. Some of my friends children will struggle to get their 5 GCSEs, but they would still struggle to do any better in a private school as well. If you don't "get" languages or physics, you'll find it tough to pass exams in the subject regardless of where you are taught.

I'm afraid it was this quote which annoyed me What makes you think the child would suit a state school, they don't suit many tbh Tumblethumps.

I said this and I stand by it.
You only have to see the moans on here about state schools, it isn't just funding moans.
Of course it fits some children, and of course some thrive, but until all children are thriving in state schools and the system is fair to all, i find those complaining about private schools to be hypocritical.
It always amuses me the amount of angst about good faith schools and how it all isn't fair, the grammars and people tutoring for places, isn't fair.
Catchment areas, can be unfair.
Of course we all want the best for our children, but some people can't afford or don't live near the best schools.

I shall immediately dash off to start a thread called "My family's state schools were great and my DD's state school is great despite being non-selective and in a fairly dire area" and wait for others to flock to it with positive experiences. . People don't go to many sections of Talk to post good news stories.

yes, tell us how non-selective state education in an area of high social deprivation helped you achieve your full potential. Sounds a good plan :)

There is something deeply wrong with a private education system which uses its charitable tax status to extend its largesse EXCLUSIVELY to well supported children who are already achieving at a high level.

My child has a 100% bursary to a private school based on our low household income. Of Course he is a high achiever )at his school even
Those paying full fees have to be high achievers).
But our son has several other markers of deprivation (mental health issues and adverse home life) and should statistically be a very poor achiever.

And what should private schools do - offer bursaries to low achieving children from poorly supported households where education is not valued? Children like that aren't likely to feel they fit in at private school and are likely to have a miserable time there.

What a vile post at 12.40 minifingerz

If you really want to know, yes, he IS bright, but he also has a partial facial disfigurement and was horribly bullied in his former (state) school - as in pushed over and kicked as well as being called vile nicknames.
I'm pleased he has found a happier environment now.

But don't worry we wouldn't want any of your tears anyway...

Some on here would have private school kids burned at the stake for their 'cause' I suspect. Naively they seem to think that none of these children might have experienced the state school system, often for much longer than they attend private school. Let's not forget that the supposed purpose of this I'll thought through initiative is to provide free school meals to children whose parents are able to afford them.

I suspect minifingerz would think my son is in the private sector because he doesn't have resilience. He has asd which is the main reason we went private.
But on the bright side, unlike minifingerz, he's a nice person.

Although she's right about one thing. I can be hard to accept your child has s disability which will make his life harder. Especially with people like that about. Ugh.

This post is making me really sad. At the end of the day if this goes ahead, my children will have to leave their school. How do I explain that to them?

For all those people in state schools who are extremely happy with and probably mulled over their preferences a lot before plumping for that one - how would you feel if the government effectively forced your children to go to a different school in the name of so called fairness? That's the crux of why many on this board are upset. It really has nothing to do with poshness, snob value, spare cash, investments or blah blah blah. These are young lives that are going to be seriously disrupted.

My children are in independent school because all the schools in my town were full. They are all rated OFSTED outstanding or good - you'd think we would have hit the jackpot. On my choices I put down our four closest non faith schools. I got the highly religious CofE school. I'm not adverse to a bit of religion but when they were writing prayers in English and drawing angels in art, as well as having church services once a week, I just didn't feel I could send my kids there. The next nearest school with spaces was 8 miles away and was in special measures. What's even more galling is our first choice was full of siblings - two lived more than 10 miles away from the school and seven more than five miles away. All had got their eldest into the school and then moved out where they "could get more house for their money".

So shafted by government policy to not build more schools so not enough places, shafted by an admissions code which some blatantly take advantage of, and now potentially shafted by fee levels we can't afford and our children's education will be disrupted.

That's my gripe!!!!