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Original poster

private school - is anyone going to put their hands up and admit

242 replies

HerHonesty · 18/04/2009 08:54

that one of the reasons why they are sending their children to private school is because they dont want DCs mixing with chavs/plebs?.

OP posts:
myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 14:50

Personally, I don't think it's a great site anyway. bbc/history is a much better resource.

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 14:51

Oh and make sure your DS mentions the French!

twinsetandpearls · 19/04/2009 14:53

Not without any pointers no, I am also not history trained, I teach humanities to year 7 though. So am sure other history teachers on here will know more than me.

Do they have any level descriptors?

I did set an essay in the signifcance of Indian independence for my year 7s in term one, I am sure the question was worded with more precision than that one. But can't remember and I am not getting my work laptop out as it is banned on Sundays. My year 7s are currently researching for en essay on the Battle of Hastings but again we have worked towards that in class.

twinsetandpearls · 19/04/2009 14:55

Yes bbc history is good but mine use that anyway and I m trying to get them to use a wider variety of web and written resources to wean them off wikpedia.

I had a lesson the other week where they reviewed different websites for research purposes and quite a few groups like schools history but that may be because there is a lot on there on our current topic.

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 15:04

I think a lot of the websites just repeat what each other is saying and a lot of what is on various websites is better accessed from the book from which it was lifted. That way the kids are getting a fuller picture rather than just soundbites.

twinsetandpearls · 19/04/2009 15:10

Yes I agree myredcardigan.

I have a system with the librarian that if they use books to research their assigment they get a special stamp in their planner.

bagsforlife · 19/04/2009 15:20

But really, just to labour the point, as there seems to be a correllation between 'poor', 'disadvantaged' and 'disruptive' for many reasons too complicated to go into, it still does come down to the fact that if you pay for an education you are more or less guaranteeing that you will not have many or any of these elements in your child's class (give or take a few slightly annoying ones....).

As is also the case at Grammar schools, given that any 'poor' or 'disadvantaged' children who have managed to get through the system well enough to get there in the first place are usually pretty motivated and quite often brighter than those that have been tutored.

lupo · 19/04/2009 15:24

Yes, one of the main reasons tbh

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 15:33

Well thats true but I don't think anyone is denying that they don't want disruptive kids in their DCs class. I don't think state using parents want that either. If you're saying,'well they just have to put up with it' then you're negating the 'we strive for a social mix' argument.

I know there's a correlation between poverty and disruption. I think what fee paying parents take objection to is being told that it's the poverty aspect of that they take objection to. Thus inferring they are mc snobs who do not want their children mixing with the have-nots. When in reality it's the disruption plain and simple. If there were disruptive children in my DC's classes I'd take objection regardless of their financial status.

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 15:35

that should read,
'the poverty aspect of it they dislike'.

Too many objections in one sentence!

bagsforlife · 19/04/2009 15:54

I'm not suggesting anyone should 'put up with it' but the original question was will anyone admit to sending their children privately so they don't have to mix with 'chavs/plebs'(not MY wording), and I don't think anyone will. But that is really one of the main reasons when one unpicks all the various statements. Because no-one poor can afford to send their child to a private school.

The same argument can be put to grammar school parents as well. I could say I want my child to go there because smaller classes, excellent results etc but the school can only function like that because it excludes (by selection tests) any children who aren't pretty bright. It doesn't have a catchment area so people can't buy there way in there through property, but obviously having money helps by tutoring to get in, or paying for private schooling before (and lots do). It does have a little bit of a social mix though and many from the private sector find it quite a shock when have their first foray into the 'state' sector and do mention it quite loudly

If there were no private schools or grammar schools at all there would obviously be a proper social mix. But I think it does all subtly come down the 'class' thing really in the end, however much one protests. It's an interesting topic I think.

Metella · 19/04/2009 16:01

If there were no private or grammar schools it wouldn't change much.

Middle-class parents would just buy an expensive house next to the "best" comprehensive instead.

bagsforlife · 19/04/2009 16:08

True Metalla, but the OP was 'Is anyone going to admit etc etc....' and I think the resounding answer is....NO.

Metella · 19/04/2009 16:10

I think the OP knew that the answer was bound to be "no" but what several other posters have tried to explain is why it is no.

missmem · 19/04/2009 16:27

Well its a yes for me as my DC is already quite chavvy and needs it knocked out of him!
But behaviour is the most important and I've had DC at a private school where the kids were little sh*ts but in general behaviour and discipline is better in private schhols and the most important thing (apart from happiness, of course) and DC have been bullied in the state schools they've been to because they were clever and kind. I'll NEVER send DC to a state secondary school - I'd rather suffer home-ed!

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 16:52

Well I guess the problem on this thread is that nobody is really sure what the OP is asking.

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 16:53

But, bagsforlife, maybe the answer is nobody will admit to it because it isn't the case.

bagsforlife · 19/04/2009 17:14

And so we start all over again......

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 17:25

Oh I don't even know what the question was so what do I know!
I just think there's not many topics where people en masse just presume to know why others made a certain decision.

It's just this,'well the only possible reason to do it is because you are a snob wishing to avoid wc children.' that gets me. People taking personal offence because they use the state system yet at the same time saying they are more than happy with their schools. It's such a waste of energy.

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 17:32

e.g If someone wasn't breastfeeding their newborn 100 posters wouldn't spring up to say, 'Oh that's because you're too vain and/or lazy.'

Some may say that, others may think it but most (myself included) would reason that there are numerous reasons why she may not be Bfing and leave it at that.

bamboobutton · 19/04/2009 17:33

we are planning to send ds to private school because of the small class sizes, the excellent facilities and, most importantly, lack of government interference.

i don't think it will impact on him meeting people from all aspects of society because he will not be hustled to and from school hidden behind blacked out windows to prevent him seeing any undesirables there are plenty of places outside of school for him to make friends and socialise, the park, swimming, football clubs, scouts, ice skating, sailing, climbing clubs, badminton and tennis clubs.... i could go on.

Metella · 19/04/2009 17:37

I think a major problem with these private/state school "debates" is that some people assume that all private schools are like Eton and don't appreciate the huge variety of private schools out there.

For example, the cheapest private junior school near me costs £2,850 per year and the most expensive costs £10,353 per year.

Obviously you are going to get different types of people using these schools (and all the ones in between!).

stitchtime · 19/04/2009 17:42

to the op
ds1 goes to a private school, coz it offers the best education for him. this includes things like sports, academia, and the oppurtunity to socialise with a very wide mix of people from all sorts of backgrounds..... the local comprehensives would not offer that.

the term chav, imo, is derogatory. not quite as bad and offensive as the words nigger or paki, but nearly so.... i hope never to be accused of using the term

myredcardigan · 19/04/2009 17:47

Yes I think there's a lot of that. People who comment on PE children being out of touch with reality and unable to mix socially really cannot possibly be talking about day schools such as ours. Kids at our school go to cubs and scouts and tennis with the kids at the state schools. There's no I'm better than you nonsense and if I ever overheard any of that I'd be stepping in to counter it.

Our school also offers it's facilities (sport,music and science) out to the local state schools on a termly basis. Not much but they don't have to do it.

I always teach my kids that they are lucky to have what they have both at school and at home. Of course they take things like their enormous garden for granted but they aren't being brought up to consider themselves better than those children who do not have that. That sort of attitude is down to bad parenting not private education.

wombleprincess · 19/04/2009 18:18

just to throw another bomb in. i am slightly interested in those who say they send their children to state school for a better social mix.

presumably the fact that some of them (possibly, just hypothesising here) are lucky to be in catchment area of good state school where property prices have probably wiped out the true notion of a so called "social mix",is by the by?

and yes i deplore the words chav/pleb that OP used, or indeed use of any label,but I dont mind admitting that part of my reason (and only part) for sending DC's to private school would be class/social mix/persons who are not to be labelled whatever.