Do you think it's worth it? Private schooling at what cost?

[indiechick]

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I'm intrigued by this woman, I think it's a bit contrived and apparently she has four children. But do parents really bankrupt themselves in this manner for private schooling?

Often with the Daily Mal, the readers' comments are even better than the articles:

'Can't believe anyone would put their daughters' education before that of their son! And yes, I am female'.

Presumably the poor lad is doomed to a life of illiteracy and shoving people aside in doorways.

I really think she must be a bit mad to put her family through this much financial stress. She would have been better to pay for extra tuition for all her children and she would still own her home. What will her son make of her attitude when he is old enough to understand that he was the least favoured of the children?

She sounds like a total loon, even taking into account the fact that it's all drama-ed up for the sake of the article. I googled her and she wrote a nauseating heartrending article about how she transferred one of the daughters to a state school and it was so awful because they had carpet time and daughter couldn't tolerate it. So she promptly transferred her straight back to privaate school. I'm not sure her children are going to thank her for it nor the fact that she's detailed her sacrifices in a tabloid.

I couldn't even stand to read the whole thing it was so irritating. Is that their house that the girls are standing in front of ? Hardly living in poverty. Utter nonsense.

8,000 pounds a term poor poor things it must be so hard.

Gawd, I read this and it made my teeth itch! She seemed mainly to be obsessed by paying so that her girls would have lovely manners !

Does the Daily Wail have some sort of exclusivity agreement with complete fruitcakes?

I wonder if anyone at the school will ever talk to them again. Poor kids.

Wow, I don't know if I feel sorrier for the girls, knowing that their parents are in such a financial mess supposedly for their benefit, and now being utterly embarassed in front of their whole school, or for the son who, despite being at a "wonderful" state school, will never be quite as good or valuable in his parents eyes as the well-mannered daughters.

Nobody in their right mind would do this to their family.

She is after the headmaster giving them free/reduced places, that is what is behind this.

Just as a slight off topic , I had siblings in private and I went to a state grammar. There was and never has been any resentment between us all. In fact speaking about it the other day, we all said,we never even thought about it.

I also have dc in private and dc in state.

Back on subject, the woman is a complete twat who has humiliated her family. Just imagine those poor children going into school on that!

She is utterly bonkers. Presumably she's getting paid for the article...

oh, now I get it. So that's why I am so uncouth and rude and have such bad manners. It's because I went to state school. Poor me, I never learnt how to behave properly.

I frequently let doors slam in the faces of fellow comprehensive -educated peers.

While I think they're probably going too far in trying to pay for the private school fees (clearly they can't really truly afford it) I guess its their choice to live on the edge financially like this. I wonder though if they also hide the money worries from their daugthers? I mean it would be pretty ironic if either of the daughters don't turn out as mummy and daddy clearly hopes they will (I am thinking of a scenario where they might consider that the money wasn't quite as well spent nor their efforts quite as appreciated as they might hope for). Anyway each to their own!

I think the girls can't help but be aware of the money worries - they've had to move out of their home, they are late for school because the car runs out of petrol, they rarely have holidays, their clothes come from second-hand shops. I'm not saying that any of that is a terrible thing to have to cope with, but any child at private school is going to find it quite easy to compare their family's lifestyle with those of their school friends and spot the difference.

She also lives in Haslmere! The alternative is hardly some sink school in the inner city.

It would make more sense to me if she saved money now and sent her kids to private school when they were 12/13. Surely that's the age that the small classes etc would really matter? I remember at school that a few kids left our school at about 13 and went private. Seems a good compromise?

Just read her article on the trials of finding good domestic help. The woman has a strange set of priorities.

I really quite very much hope her daughters run away with garage mechanics or plumbers or similar People Of Whom She Would Not Approve while her state-educated sons breeze through with fistfuls of A*s.

Excuse my manners by saying something so terribly vulgar and rude - She says she won't prostitute herself to pay school fees. But she will use a photo of 2 of her poor children and reveal the name of one of the other ones in a tabloid, telling everyone their private business to make money.

Well yes, going on the game would at least be honest and probably have less impact on her children.

Ha ha ha. They are in Haslemere, I went to the secondary state school in Haslemere. It was hardly a case of 700 children in a tin shack with one slate and a broken piece of chalk to share, it is a decent school! I, and many of my peers, went to university and everything . The mind boggles at this family's priorities, this is surely all about keeping up appearances and very little to do with the children?

As an aside, one of my friends went to the private school that turned into the Royal School and I was always utterly horrified at her revelation they had to wear regulation green knickers. I always very grateful that no-one regulated my knickers.