are private schools better?

[ivet83]

my dd is 2 years old and it is probably too early to worry but people say to me i should start thinking about schools from now.i am starting to panic as i hear how many people can't get their children into the schools they want. I can't afford a private school but does that mean that my child would go to the worst school miles away from home? what's wrong with this country?

Thread title is silly - impossible to answer. Some private schools are better than state in specific ways. Some state schools are better than private in specific ways.
No is doesnt mean your child will go to the 'worst' school miles away. But it doesnt mean you'll get your first choice either.

I think it is extremely rare that your child will have to go to a primary school miles away form home, unless you happen to live in a rural area where it might be inevitable.

What it might be worth considering is what you want to see in a school. In my antenatal group of 6, each of us got our "first-choice" of school, but they were all different. As parents we have different priorities from each other, and our children have different needs.

The only thing that having the money for private schooling does is widen your choice. But plenty of people who could afford private schools choose to stay with their local primary school as it reflects their values.

at...?

It's horses for courses. There are too many facets to any kind of school for it to be a straightforward better/not better kind of debate.

some are, some are worse. Depends on the private school in question, what the local state schools are like and what your child needs from a school.

Impossible to generalise

What you have to do is look at all the schools that your are able to send your child to. That means the schools that you can get to, and if private schools are within that zone, then schools that you can afford.

It really doesn't matter what schools are like elsewhere in the country - just what they are like in your particular area.

For me, private is hands-down better. No question.

Exactly, Lady Muck - being able to afford school fees simply means that you have more choices. We all do the best for our children according to our circumstances at the time, and try to match them up with the school that suits them best.

thank you guys i guess when the times comes i will have to do my research.

Obviously though the amount of imput and support a parent is willing /able to give will have a huge reflection on the childs learining. Not end of world if you cannot afford private school - some rural schools for example (ours) have not got the best ofsted reports yet I like it because of the individual attention the teacher is able to give child and the speed at which problems and discipline is picked up and dealt with. [Yes, because it is small, like a private one] Yet if you judged it by reputation/ ofsted report / other wealthier parents opinions you probably wouldn't want it for your child compared to a private school. Other factors to consider are: proximity to house, it can be nice for your child to have friends nearby, as well as practical for when you are late up/ without a car!! Now seriously, is it worth the stress of driving 30 miles to St Posh for the Seriously Posh when you could still be swanning around in your pj's at that time if you choose a local school? and then back from drop off in time for Lorraine Kelly

Obviously though the amount of imput and support a parent is willing /able to give will have a huge reflection on the childs learining. Not end of world if you cannot afford private school - some rural schools for example (ours) have not got the best ofsted reports yet I like it because of the individual attention the teacher is able to give child and the speed at which problems and discipline is picked up and dealt with. [Yes, because it is small, like a private one] Yet if you judged it by reputation/ ofsted report / other wealthier parents opinions you probably wouldn't want it for your child compared to a private school. Other factors to consider are: proximity to house, it can be nice for your child to have friends nearby, as well as practical for when you are late up/ without a car!! Now seriously, is it worth the stress of driving 30 miles to St Posh for the Seriously Posh when you could still be swanning around in your pj's at that time if you choose a local school? and then back from drop off in time for Lorraine Kelly

I am terribly terribly repetitive !!

Can you send me a link to St Posh for the Seriously Posh please?!! lol!

Definition of "better" is very much dependant on the area, the school, the child and the parents. Do you mean in terms of academic achievement , discipline, socially, facilities, curriculum and extra curricular activites .... the list goes on . Not every private school would prove ideal for every child. It isn't too early to visit private schools'open days so you have an idea for comparison if you are that concerned. What you don't know you won't miss thoguh.

Bear in mind the vast majority of children in UK are educated in state schools and yet they do not have the monopoly on social and adademic problems.

My ds has gone from a state to a private school, there are alot of state schools that are fantastic and alot that are not. I moved him because he is very bright and I thought that the private school could help him more. They do more academically for him but most private schools only want bright, well behaved children. My ds is a bit on the enthusiastic square peg side and I have had so much trouble because the school don't understand him. And then there's the money. I have to pay for everything, the uniform's very expensive, I can't go to tesco and buy £5 shirts, they are allowed to tell you where to go so I end up paying 3 times this, his blazer was £50! I have to pay full whack for his trips as they are not subsidised, then they do alot of fund raising, his friends live too far away so he gets lonely during the holidays, which are alot longer then the state school holidays so it's difficult for me to work. The homework he gets can be excessive. Look carefully at the state schools before you choose, there are some that are bad (but there are some private schools that are not good either), is your child has special needs you are more likely to get them the help they need (with exceptions), they are cheaper, have shorter holidays (nice!), less homework.

Depends entirely on where you live. Talk to parents, check out the level 5s (not 4s) statistics on the DFES website and visit the schools; all the schools will have open days which will allow you to do an early recce now.

We've investigated our local private schools and they do not offer a better standard of teaching than our nearest state primary.

I was willing to be impressed by the private schools being a prep pupil myself, dh wasn't, but we both left distinctly unwowed. Dh and I automatically went into inspection mode and weren't impressed with the teaching, although the grounds were lovely and the pupils well behaved.

But then the pupils are lovely at the local primary and the facilities good.

I think something would have to go wrong at the primary (e.g. bullying/nightmare teacher) to consider the private.

My ds is due to have a nightmare teacher at his private school in September, it's his last year so I'm tempted to go window shopping. They have all of the same problems in private schools.

For heaven's sake, go and look at some of your local primary schools. In any case, you're rather too early IMO - schools can change enormously in a couple of years - but you should be reassured if they're anything like most of my local schools.

There are some very well respected private schools and if any of those were in our area I would be giving them serious consideration, even given the financial sacrifice.

However, I am also watchful about uninspiring teaching that can take place in private schools, just because they have nice kids in front of them. I accept you can find the same in in state schools too but it's less easily hidden and there is less excuse in private schools where the class sizes are smaller and the children usually well-behaved.

The teacher who covered some of my maternity leave, left under a cloud before he was asked to leave (my students still speak of him), to only be employed immediately in a private school with no reference requested from my school! I would be deeply alarmed if he were teaching my children.

So much depends on your local area as other posts have said. When I read Xenia's posts, I get the impression that there are some really excellent academic private day schools in London, and the gulf between them and the state schools probably means it makes sense to pay. Where I am, where we are fortunate in having very good state schools, it doesnt make sense to pay - there isn't much of a gap between the sectors, in fact in terms of exam results the gap is very small and certainly wouldnt justify 15k a year or whatever. It's also true that schools can change a lot over the years so don't try to make long term decisions atm. Heated also makes some good points - dull, uninspiring teaching can happen anywhere, but is less tolerated in state schools because the kids generally won't accept it. I am in secondary state, and one thing I'm amazed at in recent years is the calibre of NQTs we get - they are virtually all really outstanding - way better than I was at this stage. I'm a good teacher now, but no way did I have their skills/drive when I came out of college. I know with bursaries given now for PGCEs, there is a lot of competition for places on teacher training courses (apart from a few shortage subjects) and I guess we're reaping the benefits now. So that's something to consider too - a lot of NQTs wouldnt consider going into the private sector, so it pays to look around your local state schools to see what they have on offer - you may be pleasantly surprised. Going and looking is the key thing - particularly on real life 'normal' days - not just open days when there will be a lot of 'window dressing'!!

I absolutely cannot divulge link for St Posh for the Seriously Posh. It is far too exclusive

freckly, I wouldn't want to go there if you did... Marx's maxim and all.

What - from each according to his ability, to each according to......Oh THAT Marx!

if you cannt afford private, then it isnt something you need to even think about.
most education in this country is excellent

This thread caught my eye as mine go to private school but I did some work experience in a nearby state school a few weeks ago. The state school had far better facilities, it was modern and bright with lots of good kit. What completely blew me away was the sheer number of children in each class. You literally could not move for bodies. Unfortunately that meant that the teacher taught by shouting...not in a nasty way, just to be heard. Also, in order to keep the lessons moving along, children who were a little slower to pick up the information and who had questions were quite firmly put down. I can see why, the class needed to move on but if I were those children, I'd keep my head down in future. The children who had special needs were well supported, the children in the low to middle ability group troubled me. Seeing the inequity of the two systems has really bothered me lately.

Both systems have their pitfalls, both have their streaks of brilliance. I just wish that there could be a magical waving of wand to spread the load across the two systems.

seeker

ivet 83 where in the country are you? It really depends on that - in some areas state provision is much better than the private. Also depending on where you are if you want to go private you do need to think about it now and get there names down (unless they are selective at a very young age). In London for example there are some schools who close their lists 3 yrs before!