Is private really worth it?

[Farmersswife]

We are rally lucky to have an amazing rural village school in an affluent area. My daughter year 1 loves it and it’s superb. There are two local state schools and a private. 1 further away state school also. Half will go private and half will go to the state school’s from her year.

all state schools have poor performance.

at a push we could just afford the private school but would put us under financial pressure. My daughter is bright and achieving well with no concerns.

option A private
option B state school that’s the best at the time & private tuition.

We used independent all the way.
Academically I believe the outcome for my DC would have been similar had we used the local (reasonably decent) high schools, having attended state comprehensive schools ourselves, we know our DC had better experiences and happier days at independent school.
My priority is not results but mental wellbeing and resilience for my DC so yes, the financial outlay was worth it.

If your dd is in year 1 at the moment, a lot can happen to the local state schools by the time she's in year 6 and you need to decide. You say that private education would be a financial struggle, but you have no idea what the situation will be in 5 years time. I'm not sure it's worth stressing about it now.

Schools are so individual and change a lot over time.

If you think you might go private for secondary, Start saving now and make a decision when you actually have to make it. You will know if its labour by then (i think) and if they do something with vat or not.

@Farmersswife

I echo this @twistyizzy

You will get private school parents saying private and you will get state parents saying state.
Only you can decide which option will suit your DC eg class sizes, extra curriculum, results, sports facilities etc.
We chose private because :

• the 2 local state options are dire and I won't let DDs education suffer
• private she does double games every day in a wide range of sports and this physical emphasis is important to us as teenage girls are highly at risk of stopping physical exercise
• the extra curriculum activities that they do as part of the school day rather than us having to provide them after school (both work Full Time)
• small class sizes, calm learning environment and learning + doing well is valued so kids don't get bullied for doing well at school
• it isn't an academic hothouse and has more emphasis of an all round education rather than just churning out exam results. Excellent pastoral

We're in a similar situation I suppose. Both DC at a good state primary but local state is average. We're planning for DS to go private next year (P6 - upper primary) and DD for secondary. This decision has been led entirely on DS's needs as opposed to us always planning private (although many local kids do go private).
DS is the classic middle learner who seems to be falling behind as the focus in his class is on the disruptive kids and more confident bright kids. DS also has a stammer so keeps himself quiet. Coupled with his passion for sports I genuinely feel that private will be better for him and his confidence - not just about grades.
It's a stretch for us but we know if we're struggling then grandparents will likely step in so we have an insurance policy if you like.

Honestly the only barrier I'd say is the money. Crunch your numbers and see what you can save until then. Perhaps live now as if you are paying school fees and put them aside (which is what we're doing).