"The great private school rip-off"

[CountessDracula]

Interesting article here

does she not realise that working class parents want their children to do well aswell?

someone cut off that womans penis

its on her head

You're right Tamum...now where's my cheque book? Ooops, hidden under some badly written whinging crap that I was going to submit to the Standard in the hope of funding this winter's trousers.

LOL Fio!

No because she might not be able to afford her holiday or her designer clothes. Unlike the rest of us mere mortals who can't afford designer clothes, a holiday or to send our child to a private school.

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Maybe with all her financial worries she should start picking up her school uniforms used?!!

I already know of children leaving the private sector at 16 to go to state schools. Some have gone because they want a more 'normal' environment and have a bit more say in the matter than when they were younger. But the parents were also thinking about uni entrance, I think.

I don't really know about your wider point. Dh is an Oxbridge tutor. He and his colleagues go out of their way to attract, and take seriously, candidates from state schools, but so many applicants from private schools still have the edge in terms of how they perform in GCSEs, the test and interviews. Moron's point may apply more at the weaker end of the market. It's harder and harder for no-so-bright applicants from private schools to get into Oxbridge. Dh's paper also looks at this, ie the 'quality' of the child, as it affects parents' decisions about how much to invest in them.

I don't mind that she can afford it. I don't mind that she has excercised the 'choice' that is available to her. I mind that she moans about her choice, and I mind that she is patronising in extremis about polyester shirt wearers who apparantly NEVER make models at school or learn an instrument! And I mind that if I had paid for a copy of the standard today, I would be being ripped off with this kind of nonsense.

I guess it may be different at different ends of the market, as you say oldiemum. We are supposed to be exercising positive discrimination so that state school pupils will be able, in principle, to get offers of lower grades. It's hard to generalise though, and I do feel it's a bit of a slippery slope- you can't tell if someone has had intensive private tuition, for example.

Blu, if you could see your way to buying the last pair of those boots she wanted I would appreciate it, thanks

Twiglett, mwah mwah

Dear me, how tragic...... She should be ashamed of herself for writing such drivel when other women, in Russia, are having to bury their children.

The woman is a jackass.

Just as a point tho, not everyone who sends their kids to private school is a stupid snob with more money than sense. I send my kids to the school that suits them best (in my opinion). It happens to be private. I'm sending them there because it suits them (for very different reasons for dd and ds) NOT because of some daft, classridden attitude to school uniform. I wish that the local state schools suited their needs but, sadly, they don't.

And the only Toast I know about is the sort I eat for breakfast

Oh don't worry hmb, it's her attitude that has got up people's noses, not the mere fact that people choose private schools (I think). It's just such a nauseating article.

Toast clothes are lovely, I have to admit

Agree 100%. I know that I am very, very fortunate to have the choice to send them to private school. We don't have that much spare cash, but we made the choice and it is in very poor taste to moan about the cost. So we don't.

I went to a state school and so did dh, we both did fine (ended up at Oxford). So I know that state schools can be excellent. I also know that the vast majority of parents want the very best for their kids. It is wrong that all of our kids don't get the education that they need and deserve. And I do my 'bit' for the state sector by flogging my guts out working in it

if £15k is a lot of money to her, then she's obviously not as rich as she'd like to be... surely she could spend that much on an afternoon's stroll around harvey nicks? or a little long weekend somewhere hot, out of season? silly cow.
btw, i'm one of the 40% who doesn't want to send their children to a private school.

Class size played a part in our choice. Also both of our kids are at either end of the 'normal' scale', dd is bright and ds (although NT) has needed a lot of support with his language development and behaviour. Both would have had real problems in a big class. The school they are in has half the numbers in the class with a permanent teacher and classroom assistant compared to the local school

Also the school runs a before and after play group, so the kids child care is taken care of, while they play with their mates from school, so I can go and teach other kids! Crazy old world I suppose.

RE the class size with my classes. I teach in a reasonable comprehensive school. Most of the kids are great, with supportive interested families. 'Top' sets, no probelms with disruption, the kids are keen and motivated, middle sets I waste time in having to 'control' the kids and we all have more difficult and less fun time. 'Bottom' sets have the most disruption, with SN kids often having to cope with very, very disruptive EBD children. So the kids who need most of my time get least. Which sucks.

ks, i know it costs a lot more. a colleague has sent her daughter to a fee paying school, but the little brother didn't get in, so she's saved quite a bit.

this article reminds me of the girl at my college who felt that the college hardship fund should take into account that people had younger brothers or sisters at private school. i don't mind the writer of the article having £15,000 plus to spare per ?year I assume - however if she couldn't be bothered to find out whether or not this money would be likely to result in a "better" education, why should we sympathise?

TBH I think that the state sector sells SN kids short, bigtime. Even though the classes are smaller you can still get classes of 22, with some of these children functionally illiterate. I teach a class of 22 and 14 of them are on the SN reg. I am lucky enough to have a support worker for one of the two lessons that I have with them each week. We both do our very best with these kids but it isn't enough. Trying to teach a class of 22 13-14 year olds science is hard enough. It is almost impossible if some of them have reading ages of 7-8. There are days when I could cry for them. (days when I could do bloody murder on them as well!)

You are right, batters, she is so far up her own arse she looks like a polo!

What bugs me is that even if my local primary was overcrowded and crap ds will still have to go there as we are just scraping by and managing to keep a roof over our heads. So I doubt we would even be able to afford a private school uniform let alone fees!

To read an article like this (however unintentional) makes me feel patronised, lower class and annoyed! Boo hoo she has to pay her school fees and can only afford a 'boots' toaster - please come and tell me how I am going to pay off my debts so that we can have a four days in butlins holiday next year!
sorry just wound me up. rant over!!