Nursery Fees Vs Private School Fees!

[Toothache]

My friend was educated at a Private School. I was chatting to her last night and she was talking to an old school Teacher the other day about Nursery fees.

Its actually costs MORE to put your child into Nursery than it does to have your child Privately educated when they are older!!!!!

How shocking is that???? So basically anyone that can afford a Nursery fulltime should technically be able to afford Private Education easily!!!

I'm not planning on sending my kids to a private school, but I just thought that was scandalous that Private Education is something that is viewed as a privelege for those in the wealthier bracket..... yet childcare is something that most average working parents are expected to afford!

Oooo Goldenoldie - I actually feel a bit miffed by your post!!! You would rather spend your money on your childs education than holidays etc etc..... fair enough, but is there something wrong with sending kids to a state school and taking them on a fab holiday??? I started this thread not because I think Private education is any better..... certainly not around here! I have 8 very close friends, 5 state school educated and 3 privately educated. No difference AT ALL in my opinion. In fact in my close little circle of friends those state school educated have went on to have better careers anyway.

IME (over 4 years and likely to be continuing for another 3.5 years) nursery fees have gone up by 5% plus annually as well. I started off paying £21 a day in June 2001 and am now paying £30 a day. So an increase of approx. 30% in 4 years.

Ours have been increased twice this year by 5% each time.

I would love to send my kids to private school, one would be a possibility but for both to attend isn't. Right now I have them in a very good school which is a catholic one that has small class sizes and teachers that appear to still enjoy teaching and getting the kids inspired.

I am really shocked that the fees for nursery and private school are similar

I do spend money on my children's education, it's called Tax

too right bundle!

also, our nursery fees have only gone up by a cost of living rise (around 2.5%) each yr, over the last 3 or 4 yrs.

Well said Bundle!!!!

still fuming

Sorry, but our school fees have never gone up by 5% a year, at least not in the 7 years our DS has been there.

As I said, each to his/her own. If you have state schools you are happy with near you, then great. I pay tax too, lots of it, but sadily that does not equate with having a half-decent school nearly. Most of them I would not trust with the family pet, let alone our child............

I'm not suggesting everyone should make my choice, each family has to decide how best to spend their money and develop their children.

I don't get what you are fuming about, Toothache. Are you saying that Goldenoldie is wrong to spend her legally earned money where she chooses? Are you saying that she is wrong to exercise a choice in education, or wrong to prioritise education over other aspects of life?

You're lucky that your school fees haven't gone up, GO, how does your school fund rises in teachers' pay I wonder?

I think Toothache is annoyed because GO appears to think her choice is morally superior.

"given the choice between new cars/expensive foreign holidays/designer clothes - all the things my working friends with kids in state schools spend their money on, for me, there is no competition, I'd rather spend my money on my kids education"

pmsl at the thought that people who send their kids to state schools only do so so they can have new cars/expensive foreign holidays/designer clothes... hahahahaha!

i'd rather "buy" time with my kids by working p/t or having a career change - in my book that's a better "investment" in them than private education.

I am with Bk on that one

although it is easy for me to say I would rather buy time with my kids than a private education when the good state schools here are better than the private ones.

we looked at privates chools for our 2 ds but seemed to have the same problem as afew others here, could def afford the fees for one child but no guarantee that would permently be able to afford fees for two children. the school that we looked at did include schooling from 8 a.m to 6p.m and holiday club for a small charge and apparently the mothers who have nannys who are willing to look after an extra child or 2 in the holiday for extra money are happy to do this at they share the cost for the holidays!

in the end we went witht he school that we felt most comfortable with, which turned out to be our local c of e school, ds1 actually went to another school for one term but it was so appalling, with bad standards for behaviour and education and a headmistress that couldn't accept criticsim of her school, that we pulled him out with immediate effect and he started at the c of e school 2 weeks later and has now settled in and loves it and is doing very well.

however when we move back up north the local schools are either not very good or oversubscribed so will probably place them both in private school then as it is much cheaper than the school that we had considered down here.

Yet again it's the "there is no such thing as society" thing that's driving this. So many middle class high earners are terrified their precious ones will be infected by the inevitably troubled offspring of "other people". It's paranoia. And dare I say, a bit ignorant.

/sigh

It's all about parental choice. We all have the right to express a preference about which school our child goes to.

If you have the dosh, or in our case, space on the mortgage, you simply have more schools to choose from.

We got into private education because the county could not give us a suitable secondary school for DS. We are very glad with how things have turned out, even though it means making some sacrifices.

I am quite willing to admit that my interest in private ducationwas motivated by snobbery and worry that my dd would be polluted by lesser mortals.

She is in less danger thougb going to the local catholic school which has a lovely feel to it, a strong PTA and excellent community links than at one of our nouveau riche burberry wearing 4 wheeldrive heat reading hot house hell holes.

Not a comment on all private schools, just the ones on offer round here!

you're right (as usual), issymum, in that this might kick off...

but not imvho that it is a wohm v. sahm debate - i will have to keep working no matter what - the issue for me is how much time i put into career v. family, the career sacrifices that entails, and on the other hand the material sacrifices it entails...

i go back to my earlier point - to my mind our family's dilemma wouldn't be an issue if it were dh who did my job and vice versa - he is a very hands on dad who has cut down his working hours to spend more time with the children, but he would never go p/t. i am the main earner in our house, but i have done it. in how many households where the man is the main earner would this happen?

likewise the debate about splitting p/m/aternity leave? the answer is always "what's the point, the man would never do it, the family would lose too much money..." hello, er, yes - i can confirm that the household breadwinner loses a fortune if they take unpaid maternity leave!

although having got on my soapbox about that, to vickiyumyum's point, i'm sure there are lots of families out there who couldn't "permanently afford it for both" whatever the split of earning power - that's the nub of the gist for us...

imho, it's a one way street (pmsl again at the notion that you could send a child who had been privately educated at primary level to one of the local comps - hohoho!) - i just can't commit to 17 more yrs of working in the city. if i don't private education isn't an option - end of story.

to go back to the original point of the thread - that's why we can afford nursery now, but can't/won't commit to private education.

now if there are women main earners out there (issymum ) who feel completely comfortable with their career choices and are prepared to sign up for the long term - well, that's nobody's business but theirs... certainly not mine, good luck. i plan to make different choices, that's all.

these arguments are ridiculous as it all depends on each individual set of circumstances.

We've chosen private for ds2 because ds1 has to go to school by taxi- he's picked up at 8.50am and drpped home at 3.30pm- there's no way I could be in 2 places at once - so we've gone for the school with pre and after school care for ds2- unfortunately we'll have to pay for it.

They run summer playschemes as well which will be an advantage. The majority of children go on to the local grammer school so hopefully we'll avoid paying at secondary (our local secondary is dreadful unless you want to learn to be a drugs pusher- that's not snobbishness- they've just employed a retired policemen to be on site during achool hours to deal with situations that apparently arise frequently.)

Luckily we're not in the SE so school fees are 3k a year. Assuming ds3 is fine and goes there then I should still be able to able to earn the fees by working part time- I can't work during school hols/outside school hours because I can't get care for ds1. Not snobbish not wanting to avoid the riff raff, just trying to make our complicated lives easier.

sorry, i should admit that our local r.c. state primary - where ds will go - is a fake private school - straw boaters, caps, houses and all - so at the moment the choice is a pretty easy one for us.

i don't have an issue with parents choosing private education per se... just with the notion that if you don't you must be spending your money on frivolities instead. fhs - how many people really have choice about it anyway?

In response to a couple of points made earlier:

I am very honest and open when I say that if a local state school could not offer my child a good (IMO) education then I would pay for private education. I am in a financial position where this IS a choice for me, and I would have no qualms of using that choice.

I have worked at a poor state school and also at a very good state school. They are world's apart. I am not sending my child to a bad school if I can possibly help it. I left teaching because of being in such an enviroment. As I am able, there is no way I would put my child through such an environment.

As I say I am open and honest about that. I am not a snob or precious about my child, but I will do everything I can to give her the best I can. Just like most parents do.

I know I've strayed way off the point of the thread. I just kind of hope in a 70s kind of way that if more nice, caring middle class kids go to state schools the schools will be better. How does everyone know their local schools are awful?