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.

In the vast majority of cases, yes litchick. But DH worked to fund himself through bar school and then had a paid pupillage- some chambers do them.

I used to work at The Times
Actually, two of the main players there then - now at other newspapers in key positions - were both comprehensive educated and boy, did we know about it. They never failed to remind everyone at every opportunity.
HOWEVER, they were more quiet about the fact they both had very well-connected journalist fathers
Ha! The Weir syndrome in full play. Fine for their dads to send them to state schools because they knew they could just have a word with whoever and their sons would be in. Which is not to say they weren't very talented journalists and didn't deserve to be there.
BTW the rest of the staff on the whole were grammar school or minor unflashy private school educated. V few old Etonians etc in journalism, with a few exceptions, because the money is rubbish

and btw knineninenine - numbers broken on keyboard - if you are in scotland it's completely different and I see why you're so baffled now
the scottish education system is miles superior to the english one and you're quite right to trust in it, sadly things are different down south

My first boss at a newspaper was an old Etonian.

He once was musing about when the school holidays were. "Oh, July 21st" I pipe up. "No, not state schools" says he.

I had clearly demonstrated my lowly grammar school background.

Charles Moore went to Eton
So did his colleague Boris J
But I suspect if you counted how many young journalists were at Eton now you wouldn't find anything like as many - as I said journalism isn't well paid enough any more to attract most of them, plus it's a dying industry anyway, at least the print side is

In terms of job opportunities at university stage my children are helped because we live in Greater London. It's something parents shoudl think about when they go off to rural devon where yes they might have nice views into their retirement but may be they are sacrificing their children's future for the sight of sheep etc.

On funding of careers perhaps no one should start these legal courses without having funding (my daughter found it) and they should pick the areas they go into carefully (as it today's Times with very low pay for barristers in long criminal trials - everyone knows, any clever 14 year old can check this on line, what areas pay well and what don't. If they're silly enough to pick badly paid areas then they live with that consequence for decades - fine if they can afford to live and keep their children but not find if they can't.

I notice her children are still at primary school. I await another, quite different article in a few years time when she has a bit of experience of her local state secondary under her belt. Or will she ship them across London to one of the 'good' state secondaries in London so that she can continue to feel good about her choices?

xenia do you really expect people to make choices about their careers based soley on what they can expect their earnings to be?

Not solely, no, but they do need to look at their potential responsibilities as parents whether they are male or female (unless they marry a rich partner they are sure will not leave them penniless) in terms of career choice as well as what they happen to enjoy. My father's advice was always pick work you will enjoy and I think all 3 of us did. I would do mine whether I were paid or not which is the nice thing about it but it's well paid too so nicer if you can enjoy and earn a reasonable enough. I would prefer my 5 children to have that balance too and plenty of people earn a lot and love their work and many work as cleaners adn in call centres and don't so there isn't a correlation between high pay and misery much as it pleases the poor to think there is.

fair enough.
There seems to be a very good reason why people would choose the criminal bar rather than the commercial bar: which is why I asked the question

''In terms of job opportunities at university stage my children are helped because we live in Greater London. It's something parents shoudl think about when they go off to rural devon''

Xenia, just how many universities do you think there are in rural Devon? Part of the uni experience is about leaving home, they don't need to live in the city to go to uni there surely?

THese threads always get filled with Xenia and other private school defenders calling the Arabella Weir's of this world smug and just you wait till you have to choose a sink school comprehensive then you won't be so high mighty and will ship your kids off to church/private school. As if this is some sort of argument in favour of the private school system.

No, its just the rantings of a fundamentally self interested selfish sector of society who fails to understand that we live in a community and have obligations and responsibility to others within it. Without witholding them we get an increasingly disjointed, sick society where the Xenia's of this world get shit loads of money. The figures on the pay gap between the top and bottom ends of the pay spectrum and shocking and have multiplied since the 1970's. This is Thatchers and New Labour's legacy - self interest.

So if AW has to go against her principles when she gets to the comprehensive system then that is not a reason to carp it is very sad. At least she had some principles in the first place

Sending your child to private school doesn't mean that you are ignoring your obligations and responsibility to your local community surely? I still sat on the village hall committee; baked cakes for the village fayre; ran a stall there; did shopping for the elderly couple opposite; used the local Post Office and made sure my child benefit was done there so they didn't lose out. How is that not being involved?

I sent my lad to prep for all the small class no NC and SATS reasons, but also because it provided consistency of care for my working day; and he had male teachers, which as his Dad was working either away or abroad, gave him male role models.

As for Xenia...well, we lived in rural Cornwall when we were in the UK, as you don't find many nuclear submarines to the pound in greater London; and besides I like Cornwall, and I don't want to live in London. Neither did dh want to do the MOD Mon-Fri and then chase home at weekends. I don't think London is the be all and end all for careers anymore. My dh has a good job, currently in Brussels, and his parents didn't live in London, so I have to say the argument falls down, as it does in respect of several well paid individuals that I know.

I was just picking up on a comment above which said after university stage when children are in first jobs it can help them quite a lot if the parents live near London although with some of my daughter's friends they were bought their own flats in Central London when they were still at boarding school in some cases whilst the parents are a bit further out in the country so it's just middle class not quite so well off people like I am who have that issue - of being able to help a child in a first job by them living ath ome for a bit (and whether they should or not is a different issus).

As for pay gaps, bring them on. I don't see any moral problem with them. Some of use are really ugly and some pretty, some mensa level IQ and some under 100 - people are different and some earn more than others. Some even work harder than others (I've always worked fairly hard and one reason I probably earn more than my siblings is simply I work more hours apart from anything else).

The money doesn't make anyone happier or otherwise so it doesn't really matter if someone lives in a hut in Africa or is on a king's ransom comparatively on state benefits in Brixton or earns what I do etc

kaz33, only 7% of the school population attend private school nationwide. Why do you care?

Looks like the full moon effect has started.

Applause for someone who attacks people for sending their dc to private school?

What business it is of hers?

There have been quite a few attacks in this thread on those who believe in the comprehensive principle.

Anyway I wasn't applauding the attack so much as the general sociological analysis. With which I agree. Is that alright with you or do I need to apply for permission somewhere?

Everyone would send their child to a good private school if they could afford it. Or their child won a scholarship, or the parents qualified for a bursary.

Its not selfish, its just human nature.

'Everyone would send their child to a good private school if they could afford it.'- well I don't, for a start, so clearly this statement is bonkers!

Apart from findtheriver.

What a bizarre thing to say...
You can never say that everyone would do anything. There are plenty of people (me included) who would not send children to private schools for any of the reasons you mention.

But you're saying practically the same thing , that you would never etc etc

So its all meaningless.

Like I say, why is anyone else bothered where anyone else's child goes to school, or if they stay at home and don't go to school, or have a governess or whatever whatever

Sorry, I really don't mean to be overly-tenacious about this, but it's not the same thing at all.

You are saying that EVERYONE would do something - clearly ridiculous.

I am saying that I would not do something (I didn't say never either - I'd consider it in some circs, just not those you mention).