Private schools - still better than state?

[heymacaroni]

Thought so

Only if your children are a bit dim

Of course they are...sometimes.

It depends on the school and the DC. You can't possibly do a blanket statement. People post on here about private schools upsetting them and you think -'why are the paying for THAT'! You need to take your DC and find the school that suits them. Most people can't afford the private option. I would far rather have an excellent state school than a poor private one.
I fear you are bored and stirring OP!

Some are, some aren't.

Here's a radical thought. Maybe some schools are better than other schools.

Why on Earth post that statement?

Schools vary all around the country, there are brilliant state schools, mediocre state schools and failing state schools as well as brilliant private schools, mediocre private schools and failing private schools

To make such a sweeping statement shows your ignorance.

and Violethill, why reply with that other than to add fuel to the fire?

Precisely because of the reason you describe - the OP is showing her ignorance!

No the school we used to pay for is not half as good as the state school they're in now though.

The private school I moved my children to is better on every level than the state school they were in, but the state school I teach in is better than the private school they've moved to.

Go figure!!!

I think that sums it up AngryPixie. If someone sends to any private school, on the assumption it must be better, they deserve all they get! You know your DC best and you need to do your homework. If you can save money then do-it will cost you an arm and a leg for university (and more by the time yours get to that age).

OK I was bored and stirring

I thought you were

If you are paying all that money I guess your only reward is to feel smug and superior.

In our bit of south London this is definitely true (unless you are religious). But we could have done the sensible thing and moved to where state schools are better. Most people we know did.

Education is what matters in the end and this depends on the local choices you have and on your child and where they will thrive.

I would think the Ofsted reports to be a reliable guide regarding the quality of the school, no matter whether it's state or private. Am I wrong? Had I been able to afford private education for both my DC I would have probabley gone for a private school but only after checking the OFSTED reports and the league tables.

This statement: "If you are paying all that money I guess your only reward is to feel smug and superior." is the most ignorant bit of this daft thread

Rollmops - it is a lot less offensivr than the OP. A thread like this doesn't warrant a properly argued and reasoned argument. It was clearly meant to bring out biased statements and that is what I gave.

I think grammar schools are generally better than independents

Still the dumbest statement....

princessparty, "better" in what sense?

Many grammar schools are independents !

If it is an independent school it can't be a grammar school

Independent schools can have "Grammar" names in non 11+/state grammar areas.

Yes, but you have ignored the question - grammar schools are better than their equivalent independents in which sense. I am serious in this question as it is something I am thinking about for my children.

kalas, you are wrong. OFSTED is not necesarily a reliable indicator of a school's excellence or otherwise. For example, I know of a school that was in all other respects outstanding, but had a couple of pieces of paperwork that had gone astray. They were judged satisfactory on that basis alone.

It depends what you mean by better.....