Private school fees up 43%

[UnquietDad]

story here

Deliberate, do you think?...

So if only "18 professions" can now afford them, and they don't include teachers, architects or police officers, what are they? Any offers?

Quattro - Quite.

UQD - I know you have said you can't afford it so it is not an issue. But let's assume you could afford it, is an independent education something you would look at for your own children? And let's also assume your wife wants to leave the decision entirely up to you.

40% over 5 yrs acc to this article

Roll numbers are local private schools are not falling this year. they did locally last year - blamed on a blip in birth rate I believe primarily. But next year's class sizes at the main schools locally are all up again to normal levels for this coming year. No problems in other precent years either, bar the 2007/8 one.

Most private schools have charity status and do not make loads of spare money from fees. As already said you can check out accounts on the charities commission and see where any excess money is and what it is used for.

Schools locally have not had massive rises over the stated period. As I said before, this year we have no rise. Another 2-3 locally have also only had a small rise.

I suspect the 43% stats comes from a small number of top London or southern-based schools, probably the highly sought after ones, having much higher increases, hence pulling the average up.

OK, I have to admit I read every post up to page 7!

There's just one thing- which is as completely off thread as much of this discussion has been, but.......

Choosing to spend your hard earned money on Jimmy Choos doesn't affect me.

Choosing to spend your hard earned money on trips to St Lucia only affects me in a climate change sort of way but I accept wot wiv China, it's a drop in the CC ocean.

Choosing to spend your hard earned money on private medical treatment doesn't really affect me (except when I have to wait in OP for 2 hours whilst the consultant finishes laying his silvery trail around you at the Private up the road...)

BUT you choosing private education for your DC may well very much affect me if your averagely clever child gets 3 'A's at A level due to intensive one-on-one tutoring and swipes my very clever child's Russell Group university place because in his sink comprehensive he only got 2 'A's and a 'B'.

That's why.

Don't be so ingenuous.

disingenuous

So you approve of frittering away money on trivial things rather than spending it on education?

That is very upside logic, unless fueled by jealousy.

Why is it wrong to do the very best within our own powers for our children? If you object to parents doing what is right for their own children, you need to take it up with the politicians. They are the ones who have failed you, not the parents who seem to be putting their beach towels down on Russell Group places.

I'm not a great believer in frittering money, actually. Let's face it, our current financial woes are due to unrestrained -nay-, 'incontinent' spending!

What's upside logic?

There's nothing wrong with doing the best for your DC -But have you heard the concept that your right to swing your fist ends where my cheek begins? Your ability to effectively buy your child advantage should end with my non- privately educated child's right to the further education to which their intellect and application has entitled them. If my child is actually more clever!

And please, please, please don't accuse me of jealousy. The simplistic tone of that jibe frankly offends me. It implies that 'if you could afford it you'd send YOUR child private'. I actually could on the 'one car/no holiday' basis. But I believe my local school provide a reasonable and adequate education for my children (note, not 'the BEST!!!!!'- I'm not an idiot) and I won't be one of those hit with the ridiculously spirally cost of 'going private'.

That's such complete bollox tesla.

For one thing, new labour have introduced adjusting for the basis of the schooling received.

So 2 As and a C from a sink comprehensive? Welcome to Oxford, old thing. Can you speak or do you just grunt?

Five As from a private day school? England tennis and swimming? Well it's no less than we expect from YOUR SCHOOL.

If you are perfectly satisfied with your local school, then great! Sounds like you aren't totally though, as they don't seem too good at scooping up decent university places.

teslagirl, you're saying "you're buying your child an advantage that I'm not prepared to do even though I could afford it"

Then claiming its unfair

bonkers

Bonkers indeed.

BTW, let's say a family has a six-figure income, and they already give away about 10% to church/charity. What are they then 'allowed' to spend their money on? What meets the approval of the members of this thread?

Its not just buying your own child an advantage though, is it? Its causing a corresponding (and some would say unfair) disadvantage to other children.

Don't other people's children matter too?

But that's for the politicians, not the individual to do something about.

"2 As and a C from a sink comprehensive? Welcome to Oxford, old thing. Can you speak or do you just grunt?"

yeah...RIGHT.

I suppose one of the key questions is "if my child is more clever". Which he/she . Or in fact he/she may not be.

So, if a state-educated child (who to the casual observer looks devoid of natural gumption having not read around his suhject) has inferior grades, do we get to blame the power and privilege of a rival's parents for providing private education? When said rival parents scrimped and scraped and did without holidays and cars to provide that education? When said rival was literally burning with academic fire and stayed in every night to work and research his subject? When his IQ is 15+ points higher AND he's worked his arse off?

Or do we in fact decide that the whole system is flawed and reintroduce university admission tests that test ability? As a London University has recently done>

MrsTeasdale you would have to apply your argument to anyone who is buying extra tuition for their state-educated child as well.

For it to have even the beginnings of a credible argument

I think a lot of universities are introducing admissions tests.

Quattro - OK, swedes was trying to persuade me they were falling. I thought it was unlikely. If they are not then that just proves my point. They can afford to put the prices up as it's a seller's market.

If they are, that'll put the kiboshers on Labour's 50 %

But there are lots of ways to "buy" an advantage in education:
(1) Put your hand in your pocket for school fees;
(2) Put your hand in your pocket for a tutor to get your kid into the only remaining grammar (don't forget to watch your blood pressure);
(3) Put your hand in the bank's pocket and buy an ugly box next to the high ranking Comp; or
(4) Get down on your knees every Sunday and worship the Great Spaghetti Monster.

All of these things affect other local schools.

That was re uni testing

I have to say when I said "2 As and a C from a sink comprehensive? Welcome to Oxford, old thing. Can you speak or do you just grunt?"

I was actually referring to a relatively dimwitted relative. Who subsequently left Oxford without getting a degree. The work was just too hard, you see.

"Choosing to spend your hard earned money on private medical treatment doesn't really affect me (except when I have to wait in OP for 2 hours whilst the consultant finishes laying his silvery trail around you at the Private up the road...)"

Disagree...it does affect me. It affects me regards waiting lists as the same consultants work for NHS and private.

If I had paid for treatment when first diagnosed a couple of yeas ago I could have had my op within the month - I waited ver 12 months on the NHS, for the same consultant/same op/smae hospital/same theatre.

Following my ops/treatment I could have seen my consultant for my follow ups and to start my fertility clininc within about 6 weeks - instead I waited 6 months.

So, actually people paying privately for medical care does affect me!