Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

State school parents - still free for you?

41 replies

UnquietDad · 04/04/2010 16:37

Yup, same here.

OP posts:
ommmward · 04/04/2010 16:50

Only free at point of delivery, Unquietdad.

We all pay plenty towards state schools, whether we use them or not.

(point of information: we home educate)

Original poster
UnquietDad · 04/04/2010 16:52

I know. It was my response to the "how much are your fees going up" thread.

OP posts:
hocuspontas · 04/04/2010 16:53

You've reminded me that 2 years ago dd2's secondary was considering a 'voluntary' donation via direct debit of £25 a month. This would have been targeted at specific projects. Luckily it died a death.

wastwinsetandpearls · 04/04/2010 16:56

I pay more tax this year and we have increased our donation to school funds but we are coping.

I may spend the money we save on school fees on a plasma TV, term time holidays and cans of lager.

ImSoNotTelling · 04/04/2010 17:03

I just looked at a site for the primary school I hope DD to go to.

Apparently they raise in excess of £10K for teh school every year. There are only just over 100 pupils....

OK so it's still not a lot compared to a private school but CRIKEY!

ra29needsabettername · 04/04/2010 17:05

yup and ds is still alive, not wielding blades or on heroin yet.

This year he has taken part in youth shakespeare performances, learnt mandarin oh and played too much playstation with his other unscary comprehensive teen mates.

wastwinsetandpearls · 04/04/2010 17:07

My dd school is actually quite crap but she is happy.

wastwinsetandpearls · 04/04/2010 17:08

I feel guilty now, it used to ve a very good school, it has now hit hard times. I am sure it will sort itself out.

ra29needsabettername · 04/04/2010 17:14

ds's isn't a top state school by a long way. Low GCSE results,pretty mixed and deprived intake- more than half free school meals, a third special needs (some counted for social reasons) but it's lively and ds is doing well and will grow up able to mix with everyone which I think is fantastic.

I wish it was even more mixed- which it would be if most middle class parents round here didn't go privately but oh well.

Quattrocento · 04/04/2010 17:16

Does that chip on your shoulder not weigh you down, UQD? Or is there one on the other side to counterbalance it?

violethill · 04/04/2010 19:19

Yes thanks UQD, my children are clever enough that I don't need to pay

Rollmops · 04/04/2010 19:32

But of course, only the stuuuupid children go private, right, violet...?
Some shoulders around here carry very, very large chips indeed. Perma-chips they should be called, really.

mumblechum · 04/04/2010 19:36

I just know that I was mighty relieved when ds passed the 11 plus which meant that we no longer had a choice between a really crap school where most of the children had English as a second language and were on school meals, OR paying £100k for him to go to the nearest private school.

It shouldn't be necessary to make such a choice imo.

wastwinsetandpearls · 04/04/2010 19:42

I agree mumble it shouldn't be necessary. I will be mighty relieved if I manage to keep dd out of the 11 plus system and the rather dire grammars round here.

violethill · 04/04/2010 19:46

Very little sense of humour among some people around here....

wastwinsetandpearls · 04/04/2010 20:02

To be fair if I was paying out 100K for dd to go to school I would not have a great sense of humour.

Mind you there was little to laugh about in dd's school recent OFSTED report.

violethill · 04/04/2010 20:05

I agree with that first statement twinset.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to OFSTED

If I remember rightly, your dd is bright, so if she's happy I wouldn't get too worried - she'll be fine.

wastwinsetandpearls · 04/04/2010 20:10

She is very bright and mostly happy. Not so happy when she is being pinned up against a wall and threatened by a child who has escaped his minder. Not so happy when she us being ignored and her work is not marked. But us northern types are tough, she will cope, no she will thrive.

I have had worries about the school for a while and tried voicing them but was hushed up and told that the school was great. (It had an outstanding last time around). The OFSTED picked up many of the things I was not happy about. At least something will be done and we will do all we can to help. Dp has been approached about being a governer.

Quattrocento · 04/04/2010 23:39

Violet - I had to send my DCs to private schools. They're just so academic, you see. I wanted them to be allowed to spread their wings.

Twinset, sorry about your DD having that sort of experience. Is she okay?

violethill · 05/04/2010 07:30

Really Quattro? Perhaps you live in an area of crappy schools then.

violethill · 05/04/2010 07:36

...waits for the usual response about how the local state schools are Ofsted Outstanding but still not good enough for the little dahlings

(I have very little time for Ofsted actually. I do, however, feel sorry for people who live in an area with poor schools and very little choice. I would hate to have to spend around £100k per child on schooling - not nice)

violetqueen · 05/04/2010 08:33

raneedsabettername - can schools count children as SEN for social reasons ?
What sort of social reasons ?

ra29needsabettername · 05/04/2010 09:15

children can get into the school for social and medical reasons that do not necessarily mean they are statemented. They are still then counted by the school as having particular needs. I don't know exactly, but I would imagine this would include children who have been in care for example.

I don't really buy the whole having to buy education because local schools are so dire- many people round here would give this as a reason for not sending their kids to ds's school. I think it's really sad.

emy72 · 05/04/2010 09:15

I have my children at an ofsted oustanding state primary and I am sorely disappointed with it. I actually think it is a sink school now. I have posted on here before, there is very little I am actually happy with. There is very little learning going on and a lot of box ticking to make the school look good.

My DD has regressed in possibly every way imaginable and after being in several times I have now decided to move her out. And the old adage "if your child is bright they will do well anyway" doesn't apply when they are not taught, at an early age, to read and write - they need to be taught or you teach them at home, which is very difficult to do when your child has been at school all day and comes home shattered and totally demotivated to learn because the teacher hasn't heard them read all week, week after week, and hasn't moved her up a level since September, despite her being actually able to read several levels above.

Having seen the private options, I have now formed the opinion that if I ever decided to send her there, it would not be because they are so much better in terms of what they are actually supposed to be doing - but more in terms of "every child matters". I would loathe to send her private though I will probably try another local option first to see if we have better luck this time.

emy72 · 05/04/2010 09:19

PS - Wastwinsetpearls - your school sounds like my DD's. My DD has been attacked and punched across the face too- twice - the teacher didn't even bother telling us but just slipped an accident form in her bag. Nice.