Private school fees - have yours gone up for next year and by how much?

[Hulababy]

This is DD's first year at private prep school - in PP1. We have just had the letter announcing the rise in fees for next year, and was just curious if the level of rise is standard.

Not complaining or anything - we knew it would happen most years, but keen tof ind out more!

DD's fees have gone up by about 15%.

I'm not sure about the 'copying' and certainly not about the 'last 15 years'.

My very average comprehensive in a very deprived part of the north-east 30 years ago had uniform, houses, streaming etc.

I think people get too hung up about the formal education their kids get State or Private. I am as guilty as anyone about this but in the overall scheme of things it ain't that important (bullying and abusive behaviour aside).

I really do think that a good family life with lots of extended people who love,treasure and value them will bring about well adjusted people, I'm sure.

Go back to your homes, hug your child, tell them a silly joke and watch an episode of Power Rangers together and I bet you anything that is what your kid will remember when they are grown not the bloody school they went to.

1960s trend of many schools away from uniforms, no national curriculm, then Government realises they've thrown the baby out with the bath water in the state system in the drive to comprehensives, no uniform, no national standards for subjects to be covered and introduces basically what state schools have as core subjects etc or if you prefer reintroduces elements the grammar schools have. Don't you think most new state school initiatives are really just copied from the private sector though?

One of my daughter's headmistresses came from the state sector so I accept there are things taken from each but remember we have had hundreds of years of private schooling in the UK and only state schooling since about 1870 at a guess so it would all have come from the private sector originally anyway.

But loads of Blair's ideas have come from the private sector and nothing wrong with that as private education is so good the state tries to emulate it to the good of all.

Actually it is very very very few private schools with teachers without the PGCE who might accept the maths graduate without the PGCE. Not a single one at any of the senior schools my children have ever been at for example, not that it would bother me even if they didn't if they were good teachers with a degree in their subject.

Not that old chestnut again.

Where's martianbishop.....

There's no debate. Private schools are heaps better and get better results and turn out better children and 47% of parents would choose to send them there if they could afford it but only 6% or so can afford it. I am not sure there is much else to say. Most children go to state schools and do fine and our genetics never mind how your parents bring you up matter hugely too.

On the whole on average and I think they earn more in later life and other things too but not better in the sense I as a Catholic would mean better.

Just posted this on another thread:

DP's brother got the second highest score in the 11+ in early 80's but his Dad gave him a choice - Grammar school in Kent or the local Comp. He chose the comp. He went on to have an interesting career in Music and Youth rehabilitation. He was an interesting and dynamic young man who sadly passed away three years ago. At his funeral the priest said that in all his years he had never ever seen so many people at a funeral. The docs who treated him at hospital even turned up so touched were they by the sheer number of people who visited him and stayed with him in hospital.

He touched many young people's lives, many serious criminals, and helped many back on the straight and narrow. He gained respect from them and his reputation as a serious music artist went a long way to helping this. I was speaking ot DP about this yesterday and wondered why his Dad gave him the choice. 'Don't know but it was the best thing he ever did' was the reply. He would never have made the difference he made had he not had the experiences in a London Comp DP thinks.

Who is the better person?

Well at least I no longer feel cross at your words but just plain sorry for you for honestly believeing that a persons worth equates to their pay packet. I'd rather my kids never went to school rather than have that sort of outlook on life and view of other people.

He was so committed to the young offenders he would play basketball with them at midnight to keep them off the streets. He had playd basketball for the comp. It's not often I met people who truely made a difference in their job but he was one of them.

I can think of lots of people who actually work really hard in life to help other people with little or no financial reward. Now those are the 'better' people.

Fio he does. It was very sad. Left two boys behind one was only 6 mths. These two will be educated at the local comp too as will ours but two other cousins are going through the private system.

Wonder how they will all turn out.