an interesting rationale for choosing a private primary school??

[Twiglett]

was chatting to a nice woman today, turns out she lives very near to DS's pre-school (and future primary school), however they don't send their kids there because

by sending their children to private education they free up resource in the state system

... what do you think of that??

but the argument doesn't really wash for private healthcare either. a new system of reimbursement is being introduced called payment by results whereby hospitals are paid for their activity, on a patient by patient basis. so fewer activity/patients/operations means less money in the system.

Isn't the health service limited by beds though?

If you didn't have private healthcare, would more procedures be done? A lot of the treatment is done when consultants voluntarily work overtime. Would they do extra work without the incentive of more dosh?

yes, because it's almost always the same consultants doing NHS & private work. in fact, it's been suggested that some consultants have a vested interest in keeping NHS waiting lists long so patients will opt to go private & the consultants get £££ (NOT saying this about all consultants AT ALL - a very small minority).

I sympathise completely with doctors who have private practices, because they get to spend more time with patients in better conditions, and that must be more satisfying.

But if a consultant is spending a day a week on his private patients, that's a day he's not treating NHS patients. And a nurse working in private healthcare is not staffing a bed in the NHS (don't blame them either - also they're not leaving the profession). I just don't know what the economic effect of having just one system would be. Anyone know any good stats??

It's a free country and we should be able to spend our hard-earned money on children's education or medical care as we see fit.

and certainly better for their bank balances, acnebride .

basically, private=seeing the same doctor faster, NHS=not having to pay for it. I was strangely pleased to see my own (NHS) obs consultant turn up on Portland Babies - her manner, time taken etc with the Portland Hosp patients was exactly the same as she had been with me in a v pressured teaching hosp in East London.

Private isn't necessarily better all-round care though - as a v junior lawyer, I once worked on a medical negligence case in which a colon-cancer patient was being giving meals of roast duck at his v posh hospital - needless to say, he couldn't eat any of it. At night, the only doc on the premises was a locum GP .

completely agree ameriscot

however there are many people who work exceptionally hard who would never be able to afford private schools so the state sector should be just as good

it is only the argument 'we're doing it to relieve the burden on the state sector education' that I take it total umbrage at .. like those who send their children to state schools are too completely stupid to realise its bollocks

there is a complete patronisation in the statement and a divorcing oneself from any responsibility to the welfare of society as a whole too

"I'm alright Jack"

So you don't think the products of private schools contribute to the welfare of society?

I simply dont believe it is her real reason and find it patronising !

Agree Bloss, sometimes feels like a stealth tax on school fees..!
Is there any sign that this country will introduce the American 'school voucher scheme' which I know nothing about, but must exsist because Jed Bartlett talks about it!

ameriscot we are talking about the parents here not the children once they've come out of school

I have said all along that I don't have the slightest issue with private education and I really don't

I understand its boring round here but I'm afraid I'm not going to have a fight with you on this one no matter how you misunderstand my posts

My parents felt strongly about comprehensive education so I was sent to a comp when they could easily have sent me to a private school. The comp was rubbish and I got an appalling education. I don't think I improved the school by being middle class unless you think providing bullies with an easy victim is helping.

I am sending my ds to private school because it is the school I would choose to go to myself. It is clean and bright with highly motivated and skilled staff and lots of facilities.

I can afford it because both dh and I have good jobs, we both pay high tax. Why do I feel like apologising for sending him there? I am sure that given the choice most people I speak to would send their kids private as well.

I feel frustration that the state system is only just "good enough". I think that education is the route to the wellfare of all the people in this country and money does make a huge difference to the standard of education. I used to teach secondary science in the state sector but the facilities were enough to make you cry. The pupil teacher ratio was dreadful and the support for special needs kids was non existant. I would home school rather than see my kids go through that.

No No No to the voucher scheme. Private education and private health services must IMO remain a luxury, not an alternative normality. Otherwise you do really damage the existing state provision. Obviously that is very easy for me to say as I can afford the luxury! But taking money away from general services to subsidise those people who decide that those general services are not good enough is just confirming and accepting that the general services are not good enough, and saying we don't give a toss. If you want to exercise your choice, you have to be prepared to pay for it.

Thats what Jed said but in the end he approved it, guess its only a matter of time, ehh!

I can see your point - but whilst I can see that I can make a contribution to my childrens school, I don't see that I can make much contribution to my local hospital. Completely agree with you on people in power though - if they are the ones running the sytem and have no confidence in it, why the hell shoudl anybody else

You can work as a volunteer at your local hospital if you want to help. Or apply for an job on the board (very well paid for about 12 days work a year). Or join one of the committees like Maternity Services Liaison Committee or Labour Ward Forum (and I bet these committees also exist for every other department in the hospital.

Oe you could do campaign for the abolition of all/some of these committees which exist and take up consultant time e.g. on MSLC there is usually one paed, one midwife, one cons ob, minimum. Meetings last a ocuple of hours and they might have to travel 30 mins to get there. How many patients could they treat in that time? Or do they do this on a voluntary basis out of working hours?

Oh alright SueW But those things don't rely on me being a patient and utilising the services. I know you don't have to be a parent to be a school governer either, but I see schools (the best ones anyway) as being part of a community, and by going private you are opting out of that community (I don't have a problem with people doing that if they believe it's best for their kids)

Agree with Prufrock - this is a bollox argument isn't it? Just tell it like it is lady, please!

Because of political views DH and I could never contemplate paid-for education, and whilst I find it regrettable that everyone doesn't share our views, I am a realist and accept that there are those, including some of our best friends, who can and will exercise their right to choose. I do wonder whether once the tax breaks conferred by charitable status enjoyed by some of our most expensive schools are removed these establishments will start to look a leetle bit less attractive tho...

Aren't private schools part of the community too? I know that my kids' school is very involved in serving the village that they are in...and beyond.

Ameriscot, no theyre not!
not sure if you are in the UK or not? but ones idea of community there tends to depend on ones social class!

Twiglett, just curious to know how you responded to the mum you were talking to.

Round 44