Any Old Lefties

[zanzibarmum]

Any mumsnet old lefties so disenchanted with what constitutes state education and teaching today that they are considering indpendent or GS for their DC? If so what was your final straw?

I'm more of a classical liberal by temperament, verging on beourgeoise anarachist, so not a lefty as such but I echo your thoughts, the 3 final straws for us are;

1. Staff that think "sign-posting" is an onerous, yet very helpful, task they can peform in helping parents find after-school clubs for their children. Or,rather, lazy arsed teachers who couldn't be bothered to run clubs anymore and send out a patronising newsletter once a year with a few phone numbers of "extended services providers" on it by way of recompense. So Google, type in what you want, press return...anyone. Oh, but that would be just so "unfair" (perhaps the most common word used by primary school teachers, if not all in state education in general) on the 1.3% of parents who do not have "access" to the internet. Dear o dear.

2. All Must Have Prizes Culture. No need to elaborate, but before my leftie friends get all self-esteem/equal opportunities on me may I remind them that the most brazenly elitist state education system on record was in...drum roll.... Soviet Russia and its European satelites, whose governments were just a tad left of centre.

3. Lack of male teachers in state sector compared to private sector. About 1 in state for every 5 in private, according to schools we are looking at. A despereate situation, but I think the public sector harridans who prowl the quangos and corridors of power would rather squirt acid in their eyes before offering bursaries to MALE trainee teachers and not women.

There, that's better.

I am certainly old but have bizarrely become more leftie as got older (should've gone the other way apparently...).

Decided on grammar school for no reason other than had reasonably bright, but lazy, DCs (esp the boys) so decided that this school would give no truck to 'dumbing down' and it hasn't. Lazy boys would def choose the easy route, but have/hadn't no choice.

I don't really care what anyone of them do for careers but do care that they have had some kind of 'traditional' (I suppose) decent education. Didn't choose a private school not really interested in all the 'extras'. just a reasonably proper academic education and luckily they all passed necessary admission tests to a grammar school.

PS that is state grammar school.

I actually become more left wing as I get older. Possibly from realising the advantages that our girls have relative to other children...they are loved (most of the time), encouraged and happy.

They most defintitely don't need an elitist private education on top of this.

I always considered myself a leftie, certainly I'm a labour party activist and have been all my adult life.

I would have laughed in your face if you'd told me I would send my DCs to independent school.
However when I had them and began looking at local schools there was simply no comparison with our chosen prep school which is perfect for our needs. In many ways I wish I'd never seen it.
Even when I'd signed on the dotted line I was still expecting/hoping (?) it to be everything I hated. I have been proved utterly and completely wrong.
I only wish that every child could have such a wonderful start in life, I really do.

don't you rather keep starting these threads, zanzibar?

I am an old Leftie who is so pleased with the education my dcs are getting that I intend to keep them where they are.

Besides, I'm an old Leftie of limited means, so my political views aren't really relevant in this context: I couldn't pay the school fees even if I was a born again communist.

isn't a disenchanted old leftie a.... grown-up mortgage-saddled, grumpy, things-weren't-like-this-in-my-day... Tory?

Or possibly a hypocrite. How many times have you heard the refrain "state schools just couldn't meet the needs of my children" Hmmmph.

I am a diehard old leftie but my children are so bog standard that they've been very happy and even stretched in 3 state primaries (we moved twice).

For us to contemplate independent schools a child would have to be very miserable, long term, in a state school. And even then it would be a last resort, I don't imagine we'll ever do it. Would rather sacrifice my children to my ideals, etc, in true socialist fashion.

Sorry for starting such threads. It's not compulsory to respond. I just think we should discuss the broader issues.

I too am an old leftie and am concerned mainly about the curriculum in some community schools (also worried about what constitutes teaching) - I have the option of faith state schools some of which retain the sense of aspiration (indeed demand it) based often on the values of particular religious foundations set up to educate the poor and the immigrant.

No difference in quality between the faith primary and the state primary in our area. As for secondaries, parents are stampeding to get away from the new academy which is run by an evangelical group as it is in complete chaos, with results sinking and discipline completely gone. Unfortunately, local state schools are full to the gills. And very few of my friends can afford private.

Oh, now if our local secondary were an Academy run by an evangelical religious group, or by car manufacturers or similar, THAT would make me consider private schools for my dc. But I don't really think of such schools as state schools, even if they are free.

education is about so much more than class sizes, amazing private school newly-bought facilities and the extra-curricular activites run to impress the parents... my DC will go to our local school because i want them to be part of our local community and i want to support our local school. if i went to look at a private school, i have no doubt it'd look prettier, my child would get more one on one attention etc. but that's not the point! i knew what the difference between private and state schools was before i ever had kids, when i first formed my political views so i don't see why i would change them just because i have kids. it actually makes me feel a bit sick (i'm sorry, i really don't want to be offensive but it is a tricky, impassioned topic) when people who have had left-leaning beliefs all their lives make the decision to opt out and that their children 'deserve better' which seems to mean 'deserve to be segregated in a bubble away from the normal life and community that everyone else is part of but somehow wouldn't be right for my child' - call me a teenager but it is selling out, plain and simple

I agree with LJ mostly.

Except that now it appears my son may have SEN and I am worried about how well the state sector can cater for him. Would he get a better deal if we paid for his education? I honestly don't know. But the thought has crossed my mind, yes. Doesn't sit comfortably with me at all, being a right old leftie.

As for faith schools, DH tried to persuade me of the benefits of a Catholic education a while back (I'm an atheist). I do admire many aspects of faith schools - but it boiled down to me not wanting my child to be indoctrinated with a belief system that I, personally, think is absolute bollocks.

Willbreakmybones 'lazy arsed teachers who couldn't be bothered to run clubs anymore'

I find that an incredibly tactless and uninformed comment. All of the teachers at my school run clubs. I run four - that means three of my lunchtimes are taken up, plus one after school club on a Friday, when I'd really rather 'piss off early'. It makes me absolutely FURIOUS to read comments like this.