Why go private?

[lilyjen]

I just wanted some answers really, i've never really understood private schools. Why do you need money to be a better teacher and why shouldn't standards be as high in state schools? I understand that lack of funding might mean less resourses in some areas but otherwise why? I'd say i'm quite a fussy mum myself, that is I want the best level of education for my DD who's 6. She's in a state school in Windsor, which is a good school compared to a nursey she went to in a deprived area of Wales previously but i still have issues with their standards. I can't afford private education, i'm a student studying for my nvq 3 in childcare and as a future childcare practitioner with experience already in the feild of schools and nurseries I just don't understand why there's such a varying difference of standards in education and care.

bulby if you take an average teacher in a state school and one in a private school, the private one will be able to perform better because:

-they have a LOT less paperwork to fill in and hence more TIME.
-they have heaps of resources
-they don't have a quota of photocopying, which when is used up ..tough,

-they don't have to spend so much of their time on crowd control
-they have a lovely free nutritious lunch each day
-they don't have to put up with being sworn at more than once before a child is dealt with!

etc etc
all this leads to a less stressed and hence they are better able to teach, not better teachers IYSWIM

its not their ability, its the environment.

CeciC - interesting point

People seem to pay to avoid state schools 'sats factorise' only to find that they have put their children in 'common-entrance' factories with far more testing all the way through.

I don't know why people pay. I did very well in a state comprehensive and - though the self-imposed pressure was there around GSCE and A-level time - enjoyed my childhood without endless tedious homework imposed upon me. Coped with Cambridge very well.

And, that's what I want for my children; to enjoy learning and playing at primary age, ramping up their work in an age appropriate way later on. (But we live in an area without the hideous spectre of the 11+)

Class sizes.

I have 2 kids in private prep for different reasons. DS1 is dyslexic and gets the help he needs which he wouldnt have got in a large state class where we used to live. It is streamed so he is in the right sets for his ability and in different classes for different subjects. DS2 is academically very able and can be a bit of a geek - he writes books for fun! He is in a very academic top set with like minded kids - they are a scary lot! But being a bit of a geek is not something they have to hide and they are all really happy and work at a roaring pace. There is good disipline, great sport, music and outward bound and a huge extra curicular activiy programme which means I dont ferry them to activities, which I cant do aynway as I am a LP and work full time. It is an expensive choice but I am lucky enough to be able to choose and it works for me. I think it is more relaxed than state as they dont have the disipline problems some schools have and arent bound by the national curriculum

Hi all,
My comments were not against Private education. I have friends whose kids go to a prep school,and so does my DN. My DN goes to a private schools as her parents think that she wouldn't be able to concetrate in larger classes as her concentration span is very short, and as well because they have very good Grammar schools and they want to increase the chances of getting in one.
My comments was for people that say, at some of the posts, that we avoid sats they are not teach to the exams/tests, of course SATS, but they are crammed for the 11+ or other entrance exams. If that was they reason for going private, that is fine, but saying that they want to avoid "teach to the test" when some schools (private) will focus on the entrance exams for months, then they don't avoid teaching to the exam at all.
DD1 is in Y4, so far I haven't notice much SATS in her school, I know they do them, but no really importance are given to them, so far. That might change from next year.
But from next year we will have to look at the different Schools for secondary, and seat an exam for the Secondary school in our village, even though is not a Grammar schools, is Selective so just a small percentage get in by distance. 90% get in with exam. We will look to all the alternatives, including the private schools (and hoping that we won't need them as I don't know how we would pay the fees), but I wouldn't have any problem by sending her to a private school, if that is what we think is the best for her.

I disagree that bright children will cope anywhere. In infants school being bright and having different work to the rest of the class is a novelty, the other children go home and tell their parents that 'fluffy's ds is reading Harry Potter' or 'fluffy's ds is like a calculator and can add up really long numbers'. As they grow older then the bullying starts. It's verbal at first "chess geek" "nerdy gay boy", then a little silly like snatching reading books and throwing them over fences, then it becomes physical, pushing to start with, then kicking, punching etc, then it becomes more severe, having balls thrown into faces, having head rammed into filing cabinets. I don't know about what will happen to my child when he's in senior school yet, I've made the decision to move him to a highly academic school so he can be with other boys like him. I should also mention the bordom but it's obvious.

My reasons for going private:
Safety (hopefully), there's a zero bullying policy at his new school.
Friendships (hopefully), he'll be with more boys like him who like the same things.
Longer days so I don't have to worry about who's collecting him from school.
Facilities are fantastic.
Exam results at GCSE are 99% 5 A-C whereas our catchment school results are 24% 5 A-C
The curriculum's very different, ds is good at languages/maths/science, the new school has philosophy (he really likes this) on the curriculum as well as latin and classics.
I can afford the fees.
The library's really good so I won't have to buy him any more books!! (the school will pay for itself really)
The mannars (from what we have seen) are very good.
He'll love the extra curricular stuff (fencing/archery/debating club/reading group/chess club/warhammer club etc).
Class sizes are smaller.
He likes tests and they do a few of these.

We have been through a few schools trying to find one that's right for him so fingers crossed with this one hey!

Private school children have clean, shiny hair and nice uniforms.

Defarge You would die if you saw my three most mornings.
The blazers have buttons missing, quality is crap M&S would be better but it keeps costs down and this morning two out of three hats had footprints on them where they'd played football in the car with them.
I was deeply ashamed, kind of.

only teasing, honest guv! Someone once did say that in all seriousness on a thread once though...cue collective dropping of jaws!

For me it was about the ability to put my DS down a year from his state school year (which was year 6). He has a late August birthday and has never caught up. He is now in year 5 and has just come top (he was in remedial group in state year above) in his year group in a History project. We are extremely proud of him! I know (as a teacher myself) that he is not ready for secondary school in Sept so want him to bed down for another year of primary until he transfers to the current school's secondary sector in Sept 2011.