groaning under the weight of private school fees!

[pearso]

Hello,
I've got one child at private school, the other still at state primary for another year and we're dreading the decision next year about what to do. It's very unlikely we'll be able to afford a second set of school fees. Is anyone else in a similar situation? I'd love to hear from you if you are.... I'm also writing about it in my column for the Evening Standard so wouldn't use names but would love to hear what people think, especially in London and about any experiences good or bad.
thanks!

I thought they were a media invention, but the bane of my life at present are two sets of parents whose offspring were formerly privately educated, who haven't yet made the transition to state school...unlike their children!

...the link posted by Snorkle earlier is fascinating.

Is there really NO-ONE in Hartlepool who sends their child to an Independent school? Not a soul? Now I have been to Hartlepool, and it seemed OK (Bristol Rovers lost 1-0, though) so can only assume it has jewels of state schools. well, either that or the stats are wrong...

...I was also surprised to find my local authority having only a 1.4 % uptake of Independent schooling. If only this meant that our local schools were all marvels...

(in fact, they are OK. Not great, but OK...)

sciencteacher - you misunderstand my point totally. Idealist was doubting my figures and quoting 38% in her part of London. I was pointing out that 7% is the national average and so, given the huge weighting in London, the national figure must be even smaller.

dottoressa - no, I've posted on here a lot about my adventures in ey-oop, ecky-thoomp land. perhaops I should write a book called "Husband in the North"... I do read the Grauniad, but not on a regular basis.

Haaa. Tell us more Heated.

Am also finding snorkle's link fascinating - many thanks.

It would be interesting to knwo the methodology of the data collection, Retiredgoth.

I am assuming that there are no independent schools in Hartlepool, and that children who reside there may attend private schools elsewhere.

Similarly, in the City of London, there are huge numbers who travel in the the very prestigious schools - they don't all live in the Barbican.

Where I live, you have pupils moving into the area and pupils moving out - it probably all evens out.

I'm not clear on one thing - is the breakdown by children who go to private schools in those areas or by children who live in those areas and go to private schools anywhere?

I know a few come from Rotherham to the private schools in Sheffield, for a example.

...ah, I see your point Scienceteacher. If the stats relect those in private education in schools located within an LEA it would answer a few questions.

(I had made the assumption that it was a proportion of residents, but now see that this would be difficult data to collect so is probably not the case)

This will skew figures. For example, were I able to afford to send my twins to a fee paying school it would not be in my LEA....

Perhaps I was a little rash in saying that I could do sums.

Although it does not say so explicitly, the footnote to the PQ implies that the data is arranged by location of the school: so what this tells us (if I'm right in my interpretation) is that 89% of the school places in the City of London are in the private sector. That's probably right - given its small resident population the City of London probably does not have many state schools but it does have several public schools. (That would also make sense of the data for the borough where I live, where the figure quoted is below the national average: lots of children here go to private schools, but they are in neighbouring boroughs).

UQD - also from Doncaster, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Wakefield, if my old school is anything to go by!

How interesting that you are actually a northerner (if not by birth). Ecky thoomp suggests Sheffield. Given your fondness for state education, I'd guess S11? (you don't need to answer!!)

really interesting table - fascinating that the outer london boroughs with grammar schools - sutton/redbridge etc have such low rates...

Don't know about sutton but redbridge grammar schools (two smallish schools compared to the others) attract a lot of their entrants from independent primaries in the area with many coming from outside the borough in essex - but then again most of the secondaries in redbridge are very good.

A lot of the faith schools are tightening up their admissions rules for 2010 entry ready for those leaving independent schools

Scienceteacher.... rang the council as was interested.

It is an interesting table - I can't take credit for it though, some other mumsnetter linked to it a while back. I think it is skewed by presence or absence of schools in small places though. Does it accord moderately well with what the council told you idealist?

IMO if you pay for a private education it does not guarantee a better education or teaching. It does give your child a selective peer group with which to socialise.

Unfortunately, unless you are wealthy enough to maintain this private education with the selective peer group, your children will be thrust back into the throng (of which, myself and my family are part).

I work in education. I consider myself to be well skilled and effective. I to up to date and have always chosen to teach in schools where a proportion of the population are not well supported at home.

Children from well supported families also attend and achieve well.

In my opinion, if children don't learn to mix, cope and live with everyone else in every day life, then they have a shock coming when they do finally mix and will cope less well, and be more likely to be influenced by their new peers to integrate.

Unless you can get your children into some old boys system, where they live their whole live in cuckoo land, why go half way and then drop it?

I went to school in the City of London - yes that one - and I only knew one other girl in the whole school who actually lived in the Barbican. All the rest of us were young commuters.

Retired Goth2, There are no longer any private schools in Hartlepool. My sister went to a small private school called Rosebank, but this closed down many years ago - once the grammar schools were abolished. Kids now go to Teesside High, Yarm Grammar School or one of the many Newcastle options.

Drum

blackrock - I think unfortunately that most people dont mix with people who arent like themselves - and this works both ways so unless mixing is actively chosen - noone really gets a shock at all.

I dont think any 'old boys system' is relevant at all - most of us have similar friends (sadly) - classwise, racewise etc - if we go to university then this continues and you're likely to meet a partner there and so marry the same sort of person and so it goes on.

In fact I could choose to be inflammatory and argue that most of the public school pupils I have seen seem to have the confidence to mix with whoever they come across - maybe not in a good way but in no worse a way than the kids who loiter in my town centre swearing at me and my baby as I walk past (who presumably didnt go to private school).

Sorry for the random question - but surely pearso (or any other journo) wouldn't have to pay to ask for anecdotal feedback as part of research for an article? Journalists do that all the time.

beforesunrise, email me at boffinmum at hotmail dot co dot uk and I will send you the reference.

yup, although those figures in your link are for 2006 so have changed a bit

Sorry to be dim but my state school educated brain is still struggling to work out how two lots of 12k fees could cost 40k. What is this 'tax' mentioned in the article - do you pay a special tax on school fees????

LuLuMacGloo , fees are paid out of income net of taxes & ni, so you have to earn about 35-40k gross to fund 24k fees. Once upon a time you used to be able to covenant the money to the school/college and they would reclaim tax against that, thus offsetting part of the actual cost.

giantkatestacks, thanks for your reply. It just saddens me that society is so divided. I think children whose parents are involved and engaged with education and who aspire for their children also instill the ability to mix well. I also think a broader social mix gives them the advantage.

agree blackrock - I think having the experience of all types of people does give an advantage but its very rare - the old grammar school system used to produce it as did assisted places etc though these are all examples of upwards mobility (hate that term btw just cant think of a better one) - you've got the confidence that comes from that sort of educational environment but also the awareness of what life is really like - lots of old school politicians have this mix.