Would most people choose private education if they could afford it

[mids2019]

My children go to reasonable state schools but especially from my older daughter I keep hearing about a succession of cover teachers and general malaise in the school system (governments fault not the schools)

That for me asking the question would most people choose private education if affordable in their heart of hearts or are there egalitarian parents who would still choose state on ideological grounds?

I am in two minds about this but certainly the private sector locally is attracting quite a few.

We can afford it and chose not to. We think our less than perfect state primary actually gives our DC to learn from and deal with a more diverse pool of people. We think this matters more for success in the longer term. We however use the extra money to provide additional support in terms of classes and experiences. They are thriving and ahead of many privately educated children. Another consideration is time. Private schools tend to be further away and imo wasted time impacts DC growth and also impacts the quality of family life

Considering our local state options and our dc’s needs, we are stretching ourselves and pay for private.
I don’t feel comfortable there are two systems, but I am sitting with that discomfort as keeping my ds in the state sector where he was unhappy and they lacked resources to change that would have meant doing him down, for no discernible greater good.
In a different place, time, child or situation I might make a different decision.

If everyone could afford private school, why would the government be in the business of offering a state run alternative. All they would have to do is mandate minimum curricula, and inspect.

I am working from the presumption that education is very important, very expensive, and therefore most people couldn’t afford it without some help.

Of course, there is another way to look at this. That would be that a collectivist experience is desirable and necessary. So there is a positive benefit to state education that goes beyond the state merely providing a necessary service that most parents cannot afford independently.

I don’t know how most parents feel, but I presume there is something in the latter, or else a voucher system would get the job done more cheaply and give parents more choice.

Nope. I realised when studying a Masters in Education how destructive to society private education is.

DS has completed one week at his new private school. Age 10/P6. He's been streamed in Maths and English and is in below average groups for both. His old school sent report cards home saying he was exceeding expectations. And at parents evening furnished him with praise while I looked at jotters thinking he can barely string a sentence together.
I'm not surprised by the classes he's in l- we've moved him because his disruptive state school class meant he was barely learning and his teacher seemed to change every month.
I'm hopeful now he will actually progress but I'm sad that I've felt the need to do this. It's a huge stretch for us.