IF money was no object would you chose a state school or private?

[SlightlyMadSCAREYthing]

And I reiterate that this is a philosophical IF money was no object.

I have always felt strongly about sending my children to state school, support you local schools and all, but now DTDs are at school I am faltering about secondary (which is still a long way off). So just wondered on a philosophical level - where do you stand?

You see statistics where the majority of high flying uni grads are private but private pupils are a small proportion of all those educated. I can't help wanting to do my best for my DDs...not that I am ever likely to afford to send them all to private if I really did decide that I wanted to.

Toadstool - I was a student at Bristol and neither a product of a state or private school (I was educated in a European School) and I tended to think that ex-private school students were very well prepared for everything and the ex-state school pupils much less so. And I really envied that "preparation" which I think has an intrinsic value for life.

Anna8888 - I was also at Bristol and would agree with you! I was a bright kid from a huge city comprehensive school (still amazed I ended up at Bristol!) and felt that all the students from private/public schools were just so much more 'prepared' for whatever - they seemed to have travelled more, read more, experienced more (! not all good! )- they just exuded a type of confidence (some might say arrogance?) which ultimately is helpful in later life.

I have chosen a private prep school for my kids after state primary. Class size and extra-curricular being the two key reasons.

maybe it is different with health related occupations but the ex-state school students we get are much better at communication with patients and clients whereas the privately educated students although they are much more confident and say more, a lot of people are intimidated by this

ah yes - Doctors etc! Mostly highly educated, but zero emotional intelligence - I agree...

thanks pooka. No, not ex-JAGs. Just that I was led to believe JAGs is the height of female achievement this side of the river so interested as to your views on the product.

Eliza2 ... in my area the church schools really do seem to be discriminatory. You really do have to put your bum on the seat till your kid has a place even if you live in the village. I drive (unfortunately) past it twice a day and - in a diverse enough area- see only white faces. My DDs private school is very ethnically diverse as a result.

Leaving aside the moral arguments for a moment, one of the things that would put me off private education would be the high income level of the majority of the other families at the school. Is this concern well-founded? I have a feeling the DCs (and DH and me!) would feel a bit 'fish out of water' - DD1 coming home and asking for a pony for her birthday and all that.

Or am I being the worst type of inverted snob?

Most private schools have parents with very very varied income levels, plus it depends what people have their high income from.

You made me laugh HairyToe - that's exactly what my niece came back and asked for about two weeks into her private school! Turns out lots of the little girls do indeed have their own ponies...

Sister compromised by letting her have riding lessons every now and then.

we send our DD to private school now (changed her from state this year) and rest assured, we don't have spare money for a pony its all going on those school fees!!!

State definitely. If money were no object (as in if I were a multigazillionaire), I'd spend a bloody good whack of it on improving standards in state provision until all schools taught all children to a high standard- I'd make sure teachers had fewer contact hours, less other duties, instigate a discipline system separate from the teaching system, and make sure all abilities were catered for. Maybe then I could stop forking out an effing fortune every year so my children don't stick out like sore thumbs. I don't even believe in private schooling.

In fact, if money were really no object, and unless they really wanted to go to school, I'd let them stay at home with tutors.

state

because of

local community
walking to school

dh lectures in a uni and in his experience, ex private school students are most likely to fail and/or drop out. he finds that although they have a good quality education, once away from that particular establishment, they just can't cope.

lucykate, cope with the work or cope socially?

HairyToe - it def depends on the type of private school though ... ds1 has just started at a very academic, highly selective school where the intake is 60% from state primaries and 40% from prep schools and more than half the kids have some sort of financial assistance (either scholarship or bursary) - that means there's a very balanced social and ethnic mix which was important to us. We didn't even consider some of the other schools where the intake was more like 90% prep as we thought it would be harder for ds to fit in

I'd choose a school with very very few kids. and one that believed in kindergarten class till six years old. Nothing like that in state sector, so private i guess!

Have worked in various private and state schools and if we could afford it we would definitely choose private. Local state schools for us at the moment, we have three and would want to give them all the same opportunities so would need to win the lottery to put three children through private!....

cammelia - both i think, he finds they are very used to intense directing, so find it difficult adapting in an environment where they are expected to use alot of their own initiative. dh lectures within the arts, this is just based on the students he's come across, he finds them more 'needy' than the state school educated students.

Still can't make up my mind.Pulled out at the last moment last year after having taken Yr1 admission in a pvt.school-lost the deposit. Does anyone know what sort of qs they ask at the entrance exam for Yr3 at Lady Eleanor Hollis/Notting Hill and Ealing High? Will give those a try,if she does not get in with a moderate amount of preparation, then may be she will be happier in a state school.

State, no contest.
went to provate school myself and have issues on my issues as a result. as do many of my friends. i won';t vore you with the details, but state is just nice and normal. not any old state mind, it needs to be a decent one - not super duper, but not diabolical either, mind you in saying that, next door neighbours kids went to school that had 17% pass rate at GCSE, yes 17%, all got 11 A*s at GCSe and 4 As at A level. no tutors, no pressure, and parents breaking up and going thru messy divorce for years during the same time. really so it prob doesn't matter at all actually!

Money is no object and we've chosen state for primary education because my nearest 2 schools are bloody excellent.

Secondary is likely to be private though because that local school is a 'sports academy' who may well turn out great sportsmen (although I haven't seen any evidence of that) but their academic record is poor. And I don't want to scrap over the few grammar places that the neighbouring county offers.

That was a remarkably boastful opening line from me!

Do you have any idea which private secondaries norks? Or is it too early for that ?

PSCUM. Your neighbours' children must be exceptional children. Good for them, but I feel sorry for the vast majority of kids at that school who didn't succeed.

camellia - for the girls I like Mayfield St Leonards and I quite like Kent College too. Not sure about the boys, one school is undergoing changes and I keep hearing that Tonbridge is full of thick cricketers because all the smart boys get into the extremely good boys grammars! But DS1 is only in Reception so I've plenty of time to decide!