arabella weir on why we must send our kids to state schools

[nowirehangers]

Arabella on why she would never send her kids to private schools
What do people think?
Fwiw I find the tone unbelievably smug. I also disagree with a lot of what's being said. I don't think all parents send thier kids to private schools so they can avoid the great unwashed, though some do. I would love my dcs to go to a state school for the reasons she mentions.
What puts me off is the fact the teaching is so often mediocre - as the Chief Inspector of Schools admitted this week. Of course there are so incredible teachers in the state system but I fear there are a lot of second-rate one too. I went to a state primary where the teaching was awful then was moved in to a private school and couldn't believe how much more stimulating the atmosphere was and how much more inspirational the teachers were. I dislike the idea of my dcs mixing only with posh kids, so I'm going to put mye experience down as an unlucky one and give the local state school the benefit of the doubt but if I feel they're being taught badly I will remove them and remortgage the house or whatever to make it work. Anyway, that's my opinion, interested in others.

Our private primary school is 2 years ahead of state equivalents but it is entirely non-selective. Personally I like diversity which is why I switched from the local 95% Bengali school and am not interested in highly selective schools.

IMO our school is ahead because of its excellent teaching, small clasess and most importantly of all, every parent provides a supportive learning environement for their child.

Sorry if this is a stupid question but how do you know that a school uis 2 years ahead of a state primary? Is it because the kids are doing year 4 work instead of year 2? Or is this a research thing?

Just because at age 7 say , they are using work books with 9+ all over them. Also, I switched from state to private so had a direct comparison.

Most private schools are working towards secondary level entry so they will start kids as early as possible on subjects like verbal and non-verbal reasoning which form a key part of entry exams. A child of 8 will be working on exam material for 11+ primarily to get them used to it.

My children, who are not outstandingly clever or anything, are doing work two years ahead quite comfortably. They are also learning two foreign languages, studying history of art, archaeology etc.
It is not a particularly selective school and yet the kids keep up. Why? Because children are like sponges. They love to learn and will do so if information is presented in an interesting and relevant way. It is, afterall, what they've been doing since the day they were born.
There is no reason that I can see why most children at state schools can't do the same other than the expectations set for them are not high enough and the flipping strangle hold of the NC and SATs which force teachers to follow scemes and worksheets.

My children are at school in the States now. They have big fat text books and homework books which they follow far more strickly than any NC stuff in the UK where they had an hour literacy/math but no set text books.

They do have state testing (to improve standards, which is happening - New York had some really terrible schools, which are now improving) I am not sure why this is seen as a bad thing. My experience of private schools involved lots of tests too.

I went to state primary and moved easily into private secondary. The children who came from the private primary were no more advanced than me (and I was not coached). I have friends with kids in private education (junior level), they don't seem cleverer or more advanced than my two. My nephew moved from state secondary to private school without any great angst or tutoring either. At university the privately educated kids did not stand out from the state educated kids (although those who had taken a year off/or were mature students certainly did).

I think private education can offer many things, and I have no ideological block about considering it for my children if I think it is in their best interests, but I do think schools should be judged on their individual merits.

Thinking about it, I find Martin Samuels just as disingenuous as AW in his 'I have ter send the bairns to a reet posh school otherwise they'd be licking ter road clean, like poor me' routine, given that he is, in fact, a Times journalist, who presumably can give his children all the connections and extra curricular privileges that AW's children get PLUS private school.

"Sorry if this is a stupid question but how do you know that a school uis 2 years ahead of a state primary? Is it because the kids are doing year 4 work instead of year 2? Or is this a research thing?"

Again of course there are schools and schools, and many private schools are not super academic. However the academic private schools pride themselves on being a long way ahead of their state equivalents - as measured by results in SATS if they do them (many don't but those that do, ace them). In my DCs school, new entrants from the state sector (always 1/2/3 a year) have lots of remedial classes to help them to make up the ground.

I want to respond to Fallenmadonna's comments regarding levelling out the playing field.

If you go to any private school, especially those in the North, chances are you will see kids being dropped in their dad's work vans. I know plenty of people who send their kids to private schools because they themselves didn't have a decent education. They realise that without decent qualifications or connections of any sort their kids are distinctly disadvataged. This lack of self-confidence drives lots of parents to choose the private school route. They do not want their kids to experience a grotty, sub-standard, apathetic eduction which SOME state schools sadly seem to offer.

Plenty of children in this bit of London are dropped off in a parents' work van too. it's what most people want to spend spare money on, their children. Particularly immigrants - you take what job you can, running a shop, driving a cab and your hope for the family's future is the children doing well here. It's a perfectly laudable aim just like a parent wanting the children to drink water not coke.

Aspiration is the key. So long as you aspire for your children to do well, and support them with that aim then you are putting them on the right path. The trouble with the sink schools is that no one, children, teachers and parents expects anything, and guess what that is what is achieved. That environment really fails us all. It is a rare parent who actively chooses a school that is known to be failing. Most go there by default. Schools like that have unfortunately been around for years and years. They are incredibly hard to turn around. I don't think a few additional higher attaining kids would make any difference, sometimes a truly inspirational headteacher can do it, but often the only answer is to close the school and start again.

I have missed out on so much; just think, now I am 40; if only I could have gone to a private primary school, I could now be doing the work of a 42 year-old!
Happily, though I am deluded enough to seriously think I could afford to send my DDs to a private school if I wanted (though we all really know there are only 2 people in the world who could and they are both on this thread), our local state primary offers a great education without hothousing and with as much of an emphasis on social development as academic excellence. DDs 1&2 may grow up functioning normally in society AND have professional careers! Yipee!

"just think, now I am 40; if only I could have gone to a private primary school, I could now be doing the work of a 42 year-old!"

Spockster you made me spit out my tea - narrowly missing keyboard!

lol xenia i have been stuck behind the numerous coaches, 4x4s, bmws etc too many times. the majority don't have vans

I didn't say the majority have vans but plenty do.

"DDs 1&2 may grow up functioning normally in society AND have professional careers!"

Of course they couldn't do this if they went to independent schools.

Congratulations Spockster on having a good local primary - you are indeed fortunate.

Spockster, your post is very funny and did make me laugh.

You say that you are "deluded enough to seriously think I could afford to send my DDs to a private school if I wanted". You do have to admit that all the Arabella Weirs of this world invariably preface their remarks with - "Oh we could afford it if we could, of course." Which may or may not be true.

"DDs 1&2 may grow up functioning normally in society AND have professional careers!" Professional careers vastly overrated IME.

I love the old cliche that public shcool pupils end up as dysfunctional adults but I'm curious as to what the actual evidence to support this is. The majority of the Labour Cabinet were educated at private schools while at the Athens Olympics 68% of Britain's medallists were privately educated. Eton alone has produced people as diverse as George Orwell, Hugh Laurie, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Damian Lewis and John Maynard Keynes while innumerable gennial fellows like Griff Rhys Jones were privately educated. Even Polly Toynbee went to a private prep school.

I am a Head of a private school. Is is safe to join the discussion or am I about to get tea spit at me???

Of course you can. Nearly 50% of British parents would pay for their children's education if they could afford it (i.e. almost most of them) and about 6% do pay. That shows loads of people are pretty much in favour of private schools.

"Almost most"...??? Do you mean "less than half" by any chance?

We have lots of parents who really struggle to pay fees including me!! It isn't cheap but there are a lot of advantages. I do agree with a lot of you; I worry about how much of a 'bubble' we create therefore I have worked hard to create a realistic school.

Haha, Dalex. Put on your armour!

There are loads of folks here who have negative fixations about private schools (politics of envy, mostly).

I teach in a private school and thank God every day for that, and also have 3 of my 5 children in the system (would have all but am paying so much in taxes that there is no more in the coffers).

I've been this week to two presentations at my DDs' state schools (Y2 and Y5) and just shake my head...

I am also a bit cross about the NC provision (or rather lack of).

Where did you get those stats from Xenia?

Do you dispute them, Nooka?

I am actually surprised that the figure is as low as 50%.