Cost of "private" school versus reducing hours to home school?

[RoRoMommy]

Hello all,

I've been lurking for a while, but have not been able to find an answer to this question: What is the cost of "private" school in this country (isn't private actually called public? I am from the states, and private is what you pay for, which isn't public, which is what's free). I am trying to do a cost-benefit analysis of whether sending my son to a really quality school would cost less/more than reducing my hours, and my husband reducing his hours, so that we could both be with him one day a week, then my mum could do two days and our nanny one day.

One more question that brings up--does home ed work if the child is taught by multiple "teachers"?

I appreciate any input on where to find this information, and from your experiences. Thanks in advance.

If you want to compare the costs, make sure that you include all the costs associated with a private school - as well as the school fees, you may also have to pay quite a lot for before &/or after school activities to fit in with your working hours, uniform (can be a huge amount with special sports kits etc), school lunches. Plus whatever cover you arrange for the school holidays, which are longer for private schools than they are in state schools.

On the other hand, will reducing your working hours affect your future career prospects as well as the immediate effect?

And obviously at the same time, consider what will be the best educational environment for your child!

wise words, oh scottish one. One of our friends has an older daughter who is now quite gifted on the harp.

Apart from an £8,000 instrument, they had to buy a Range Rover to ferry her and harp to/from recitals/lessons . they don;t mention stuff like this in the prospectus..

oh god - just received a letter from the PTA re a charity event at £95 per head. Pseudo-voluntary. The shape of things to come?

Squiffy - always encourage your child to take up a small instrument!

Legalalien - I had forgotten the "social" side... and there's also the "optional" trips that everyone else will be going on...

I would def spend more on HE than on a decent private school, if I had only one child. Much more. I would lose my salary, which I could probably have expected to be around the 40k mark by now.

BUT with HE my kids get 1 to, at most, 3 attention and a curriculum tailored to their interests, delivered by a team of people (family members mainly) with a lot of expertise in their field. This was the right choice for us, because I tend to think HE is a better option for certain types of child.

so I think it is more expensive, yes

oh no prob with multiple teaches, quite normal, even from infant school equ.

Just coming back to this now, thanks to everyone for the comments and considerations.

Something else I consider to be a big part of my considerations of this is the time we'd spend with DS, that we wouldn't otherwise if he were in school. That is very, very important to me.

As for money, and career prospects, I think I could work out taking a day off per week to help with his eduation, and my husband could probably swing a day off, as well. Then my mum could do two and our nanny could do one.

We've all got university educations and are intelligent people who could, even if we didn't know, find out how to teach various subjects. Would we teach them as well as, or in even remotely the same way as, a qualified and trained teacher? Probably not. But could that teacher cater to our son's particular set of skills, interests, and strengths, and communicate with him 1 to 1, in a way he understands (almost) all of the time? Probably not.

The part I worry the most about is the social aspect. Will we be able to find a sufficiently large group of other HE'ers and children for DS to socialize with? What about sports? Extra-curriculars?

Just rambling now, but these are the bits that rattle around in my brain when I think of my son's educational prospects.

One thing to bear in mind is that many HE parents don't exactly "teach" their children, just help them to learn IYSWIM. If you look round here for links about autonomous education you'll get an idea how this works.

As far as the social side goes, it seems to be a common worry for parents before they start HE, but never seems to be an issue once they've got started. Your DS will still be able to do all the "after-school" activities that others do, and may have more energy and enthusiasm for them than many school children manage at the end of a long day in the classroom. Obviously those activities have costs too, which you should factor in if you are thinking of doing a lot!

I totally understand the worry about "socialising", (although it is always a question that makes me want to bang my head on the nearest wall), because until you actually enter the magic world of HE you simply have no idea just how many of us are out there!

Also the network is huge because it is nationwide thanks to the internet and events like HESFES.
There are lots of HE groups across London and the South East and they all cross over, so eventually you could literally know hundreds of different families and an incredible diverse group of people they are!!

Socialising is definitely a problem for us because we do so much of it I can't seem to find time to do much 'work'!

There are wonderful state schools in this country. However I see you are in London I believe that it is much more difficult to find and get a place at a good school.

i totally agree with you runnerbean we have the same problem our dc have such a social life, not just with peers but such a vast range of ages, and everyday is so different here, which makes for a happy family!

Hello everyone.
Can I just ask on a personal level whether any HE parents minded giving up their career or were able to continue? I'm an author and although that sounds flexible, in fact it's so un child friendly ( is that even a word ? ) with hours spent chained to a computor or researching.
I absolutely love what I do and would loathe to give it up.
Can I have your honest thoughts on this please.

I think a good first step is to visit some schools...you have worked out a tentative plan for how HE would work and I think you need to understand how a school would work.

I am lucky in that I teach a few hours a week in the school ds will be going to, so I have seen it from the inside and the outside. I've met the other teachers as a colleague and some other parents as a teacher.

No I don't miss my career, I worked in the fashion industry, I get lots more job satisfaction now!

My son is eleven and transferred to a private prep school at the beginning of year six, when he was ten. I think it's from about nine onwards that the real value of private education comes into play. My son has had a year's quite intense French and Latin. He has been stretched in science and maths. It's just more intellectually rigorous and more is expected of the children. Then there's the sport...

I will be transferring my daughter as well within the next year. There's just no way she'll cover all this broader curriculum in her state primary, which is actually a good one and has done very well with both children in the earlier years.

So my advice would be state until about nine. Then private, if you can afford it and if you feel it's needed..

Hi RoRoMummy, I think I'd have two very separate strands in my mind, in your posiiton. What would the financial implications of HE be, and what would the benefits and drawbacks of that lifestyle be for everyone concerned?

And then in a different bit of your brain, what would the financial implications of the schools you like be, and again, what would the drawbacks and benefits be.

And if both are doable without bankrupting your family, then I would simply follow the lead of the child, and be prepared to change my plans if his preferences changed. He's the one the education is supposed to be for the benefit of, after all

And hello litchick. I think HEing needs to be thought of as something the FAMILY does, not something the mother chooses to do alone. And then it is a question of finding ways to earn enough money between the wage earners in order to live, and making opportunities for both parents to be chasing their dreams. So it might be that both parents need to plan to flexi-time or go part time. Or it might be that grandparents need pulling in to be in charge for a day a week while the writing mother goes off to an internet cafe or library to do her own thing. Or that the grandparents will come and stay for a week (or have the children to stay with them) while the parent who normally is at home "in charge" of the educating bit goes away and stays in a B&B and writes writes writes.

Some parents have something of a shift system where, say, one is in charge for 7 hours while the other is at work, and then that one is in charge for 3 hours while the other goes off to do their own thing, or do some part time work, and then the remaining hours are family time. Sounds a bit rigid like that, but you get the idea...

There are always ways and means. We are limited only by our imaginations

Thanks OWAUW.
i like your idea that we should do it en masse and still be able to do some of what we all want.
It's just that any time I try to raise this with HEers they look at me as if I'm being vile for thinking of anyone but the kids and that anyone in their right mind would only be too happy to give it all up. One woman even told me I was far to 'selfish' to HE because I said I really like my writing.

Hi, Ro Ro. I think unless you have your own private jet it's worth thinking about when you want to spend the money. This will depend on your circumstances and your kids' needs. I chose to send both mine to reception at least (a few years more if possible) in schools picked for small classes, and to withdraw them later if all was not ideal once they'd made lots of friends and learned the basics of literacy and numeracy. I would now say the time is right for ds to go back to school - he's 13. Another good moment is often 6th Form. But it will depend on your own kids.

IMHO, two 6th form years at the school of your choice are probably better than 12 sucky years somewhere you don't favour (don't forget to factor in travel and clothing costs). Many indy schools are quite inured to homeschoolers nowadays.

IMHO too, a few extra tutors help homeschooling in lots of ways - less boredom, learnign to wrk with people who may not be the same as your fmaily etc). We've always had music teachers and one or two others.

Hi, Ro Ro. I think unless you have your own private jet it's worth thinking about when you want to spend the money. This will depend on your circumstances and your kids' needs. I chose to send both mine to reception at least (a few years more if possible) in schools picked for small classes, and to withdraw them later if all was not ideal once they'd made lots of friends and learned the basics of literacy and numeracy. I would now say the time is right for ds to go back to school - he's 13. Another good moment is often 6th Form. But it will depend on your own kids.

IMHO, two 6th form years at the school of your choice are probably better than 12 sucky years somewhere you don't favour (don't forget to factor in travel and clothing costs). Many indy schools are quite inured to homeschoolers nowadays.

IMHO too, a few extra tutors help homeschooling in lots of ways - less boredom, learnign to wrk with people who may not be the same as your fmaily etc). We've always had music teachers and one or two others.

Hi all,
Just to add my two'penneth to the discussion.
Our girls were in private school up to last year. One was in year 6 (last year of junior school) and other was year 8. It was an all-girls day and boarding school.

With extra curriculum activities fees at that level were £18,500 per year, rising to £20,000 + with both in senior school.

Now happily home-educating!

You need to be very careful with your choice of schools because it is a huge financial commitment if it does not work out.

I would suggest that you talk to people in your local community about your chosen school and try to get as many opinions (good and bad) as possible.

Your children do not necessarily get a better education just because you are paying a load of money for it.

Ultimately a lot depends on your budget and what you want to do. With home-education, you have a lot more flexibility. You can bring in tutors if you choose to and there are loads of resources available.

Home educated children also go onto to take the public exams, such as GCSEs or IGCSEs and many of them do very well.
Hope this helps.

Hello,

I've read all the (very interesting) posts on this thread, and am hoping that I might find some London families who are interested in reducing the cost and parental time commitment of home education whilst also increasing the opportunity for friendships/socialising by pooling resources (ie. communal/cooperative home education, sharing the cost of tutor(s), helping to educate/have fun with each other's children). Sorry about that long sentence!

I'm a single, working parent living in Camden, London, with a 7 year old daughter who currently goes to private school.

If any of this is of interest to you, please contact me!