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!

I agree with everyone that of course we make choices, even if our options are limited financially. In Scotland many people put in placement requests to avoid their local school for a variety of reasons, some snobby, some hugely justified. I think that also it's not just about money. It's being well-informed, doing your research and having the nouse to do what you think is best for your kids. I'm afraid I'm old-school leftie on private education (as if that wasn't obvious). My best friend sends her two boys to private school and we don't judge each other. If either of my boys had a rotten time at any school I would do my very best to get them out of it. I just think local school must be the first choice for lots of reasons - environmental and for a sense of community especially. I honestly think that there is paranoia about very mixed schools that's all.

Eric - nice to know there are still some 'old school lefties' about - to be treated with care as an endangered species now!

Eric, what do you mean by "mixed" schools?

Anything really. Culture, religion, ethnicity, class. I think the last two are the ones that scare some people if there are too many kids from backgrounds they are wary of. I'm not meaning to be judgemental here and honestly speaking from experience.

Thanks goldenoldie. I do feel like a dinosaur sometimes but can't seem to shake off these pesky political views.

I went to a high school that was classed as pretty dodgy. But I didn't fall in with the wrong crowd.... my friends were all good pupils and wanted to go to Uni. So we all did! We were not angels, but we kept our heads and passed our exams.
But my sister, who is just 1 yr older than me fell in with a different crowd from a different village..... she flunked her exams and was taking drugs from the age of about 14.

There are good crowds and bad crowds in every school..... there are bullies and tormentors in every school..... there are good areas and bad areas of most towns and cities.... so what exactly makes a bad school?

I want to raise my kids to want to do well in school and to stay away from the bad crowds(a difficult and unpredictable task!). I want them to see that there will always be 'in-crowds' and those a bit less popular throughout your entire life!

I really don't think reading stats is any way to judge how your children will do in a school. Class sizes are very important IMO.

I have a friend who is a school teacher and he really resented me saying "I'm not sending ds to that school, it's dead rough". He made some great points about it being more the reputation than the reality. All teachers go through the same training, with the same curriculum to teach.

I didn't really make a point in that post.... bare with me, I had 2 glasses of wine at lunch!!

Ericblack - I think there is as much misperception about private schools as there is about state ones!

Private schools tend to be extremely diverse in all the factors that you mentioned. In fact the private school that my DCs go to is far more socially and racially diverse than the state school that they would have gone to!

I think there are many comments posted on these kind of threads that are loaded with assumptions rather than hard facts, and of course many judgements which lurk beneath those assumptions!

Pretty impressive for a post lunchtime drink message. Very well put.

Yes, I do agree people tend to be scared about mixed schools esp. ethnicity and class.
In a way, I?m probably guilty of the latter because I believe a school with high free school meals does less well than a school with low levels of free school meals. Believe me I?ve just completely some analysis on this very topic and it?s better to put your child in a school with low FSM then a school with high FSM ? I can provide evidence to prove my point if anyone is interested, it?s not paranoid it?s a fact.

For those who don?t know a child eligible for FSM has a parent who is claiming some form of benefit. This indicator is used to determine poverty/socio educational status. I must also add that, this indicator is not the best predictor, but this is what is used for the time being.

FWIW Mixed schools hadn't even crossed my mind as factor!
I have never really made it a consideration when thinking about schools, and didn't think for one minute that there were less varieties of "Culture, religion, ethnicity, class" at private schools.... well ok... perhaps I would've thought about the class segregation, but not the rest. Perhaps I'm just naive!

It wouldn't bother me either way. I want my kids to also have a cultural education, rich in every religion and culture!

Its all well and good saying that, but I believe environmental factors have a lot to play in shaping a child?s development ? who would want to take the risk of sending your child to a school known to be full of drugs and the like?

At the end of the day, the progress of any child is down to how involved their parents are.

And yes, I believe in the stats I work with it and I have seen it, by pure observation of my friend?s kids

OK. Ds's school is fairly mixed as far as ethnicity and religion are concerned. But it is fairly middle class, but then we do apparently live in the "highest income" postcode in England.

I guess I would be surprised if there could be many truly mixed local schools outside of urban areas at primary level though? Of course it will always be the so-called higher-end who will have the "choice" to aim for exclusivity.

BK- my privately educated (Y3-Y6) DS transferred to state grammar school at 11 with no problems... my dd was privately educated from Y7 to Y11 then did 6th form at the state grammar school- and we wish we hadn't moved her (but she fitted in just fine).

These stereotypes tho- the state primary we moved ours from was full of nouveau-riche parents with very flash cars & designer clothes, who all looked down their noses at us. The private school we moved them to was full of parents like us, with battered and beaten up 10 year old cars & matalan clothes.... Then you hear on the news that "private schools should be made to share their facilities with the local state schools" (this was several years ago while mine were still at private school). All those parents at our state school could easily have afforded school fees but chose to spend their money on other things. That's fine, but you don't then demand a share of what everyone else is paying for. Obviously most people are not in that position at all, but that was my experience.

I also disagree with the whole "sending middle class kids to crap schools raises the standard" argument. No it doesn't. It just means even more fail.

tallulah - that is the one case where i think the trf would be easy, i.e. state primary to grammar. but i think grammars are a whole different ballgame to inner city comprehensives... at least the ones near us.

Batters - got your new handbag yet?

Creole - Er.... there are drugs at many private schools. As I mentioned earlier, me ex-fiance was the main dealer at one in Scotland! He sold hash and LSD.

So as for the "shock horror gasp" factor of drugs being a problem in state schools.....it isn't unique to them! I was raised in what is classes as a very wealthy and expensive area (although we didn't live in the big fancy houses!!). During my teenage years I knew 3 people who died of heroine overdoses in that area alone.

Now, as I can only go by my own experiences, and I have witnessed serious drug problems in teenagers from very wealthy areas whether they are at a private or state school..... I cannot POSSIBLY judge a school from that, as many mumsnetters are here.

One thing that would bother me about a school within an area classed as particularly 'rough' is not the standard of education (what an insult to teachers to even suggest that!!!!), but the chances of falling in with a bad crowd, as I do believe that at some schools there are more 'bad crowds' than others. I suppose it's factual to say that in 'rougher' (I hate that word) areas there are probably more incidences of children coming from problem homes such as parents with alcohol or drug problems.
My DH's friend is a teacher in Liverpool and he says that one big problem they have is disruptive behaviour. In the school he works in they have a higher than average number of children with behavioural issues, most stemming from serious problems at home. Which results in more time being spent trying to control the class than teaching it! But I think classroom assistants are helping with that.

I don't have any facts though so these are assumptions.... which I probably shouldn't make, but I've not had a coffee yet!