Is private school really worth it?

[milliec]

Message withdrawn

Message withdrawn

Quattro - I was in the County athletics team - and was the only non-totally-state educated child in it! My sister was in the county trampolining team, and did NO trampolining outside the auspices of the school!

Message withdrawn

I did shag all sportwise

going to a private school or a state school doesn't help if you're slow at running and you can't jump

Have you been to visit the schools you are interested in, state and private ? I really think that you will know when you visit.

We didn't start as early as you, but we traipsed round dozens of schools (state and private) to see which one would suit our ds the best. I have to say that it was blindingly obvious when we visited which was the school for us - it is also a church school and we are neither church goers or ds christened - but we got a place even though being out of catchment, non-religious and over-subscribed. Methinks someone 'up there' is trying to convert us

Go and look and get a feel for the places and what they offer. You will also discover that money does not necessarily buy you a better education, but in some areas it might. Good luck

I was told at my 6th form college that I was 'very well prepared for A level' because my O level teachers had barely taught me anything so I was used to going to the library and finding it out myself

Fio you need raw egg white. it was a miracle on Ds2 when he was 2 weeks old

Haven't read through everything but I think, that on the whole private education IS worth it, so long as you will still be able to afford a lifestyle similar to the majority of the other children (ie being able to pay for the extra ballet/mandarin/violin lesson at lunch time)
My children go to a private prep school and, while it isn't perfect (and no school is) I'm very happy with it, you get the sort of opportunities there I don't think you would get in a state school, dd1 who is in pp2/yr2 does ballet, french, latin, mandarin, swimming, piano, violin and gymnastics lessons weekly at school (some are extra cirricular some aren't) her brother has just started fencing, but that means I don't have to ferry them around from place to place, it saves us all time. They play sports on astroturf/netball pitches/tennis courts/ rugby pitches and swim in a full size pool.
By 13 all the year has a GCSE in french and some will have Latin too.
If you are considering private secondary education it helps to be at the feeder school/prep department where the children are taught to the entrance exam and will move up knowing lots of other children.
And while its not as important in the early years as your child grows up you know that the majority of parents at the school really care about their child's education - I know most parents at state school care deeply too but you can't deny you are more likely to find parents who don't.
Then again, my children are at a large and heavily oversubscribed school in a large city, in some smaller towns I guess schools won't have as many children to pick from and less money available to fund the facilities...

Whatever you choose I think your daughter will do well having a mummy who cares about her education so much!

I agree with the many who have said it depends on the school itself, rather than whether it is state or private. My DDs have had good and bad experiences in both types of school.

Go and look at all options - a few times if necessary - and talk to parents with children at the schools if at all possible.

Good luck!

fio if he has blisters, it might be fungal. Canestan works for my DS(expensive but you can buy it OTC)

Fio - having a terrible time with DS2s bum, sudocrem making it worse also - have had to take him to the docs and he has had a sort of steroid cream for two weeks and now has to have daktacort for two weeks (which is also available over the counter) plus metanium at night all over to try to keep his skin dry. If this fails, the doc said gulp dressings... apparantley it is a fungal infection and just one of those htings.

On the state/private issue - I can't see many advantages to private school tbh, but then I teach at state primary and there is a good selection where I live. Private definitely does not automatically = better, and often the opposite IMHO.

Good luck with the bum FioFio

The ability to pay gives you more choice in terms of the schools that your dc can go to. It doesn't by itself mean that paying gives you a better outcome. It gives you a slightly better chance at finding a school that suits you and your family best. Most of us on this site (or any other) will disagree as to the exact priorities for a good school. Personally I think that that is a good thing:- I would hate to feel that I had no choice at all in my dcs education, whilst accepting that in fact there are very many parents who don't have a choice.

In terms of answering the OPs question about whether people pay deposits for private schools whilst waiting for state school selection, yes this is pretty common ime. It is also fairly common for waiting lists at private schools to move significantly after state school allocations are announced.

It's not just about the sports - it's about the ability to learn in class because everyone is focussed on that, and the results are considerably better too. My DS has just moved up into year 3 and there is a special reception class for those coming from other (mostly state) schools because they can be some way off the pace.

Fio
coconut oil is available at health food stores and some supermarkets. It is solid but melts when you scoop it into your hand.
Coconut is a natural anti-fungal too if I remeber rightly. i think that is why it was recommended to me in the first place as poor Moo had nappy rash, excema and thrush at one point. Fun eh

I am loving the juxtaposition of private schools and sore arses by the way .

Sorry . Weird I know

Christ - the NHS nappies are just hideous arn't they. When Ds2 finally didn't need them anymore they kept delivering. I ended up with a nappy mountian and I had to make 20 phone calls before they would come and take away ..
You have my sympathy.

And permission to get pishy

As others have said, depends on the child, the school and probably many other variables. IME it's very difficult to quantify what you get - eg are you paying 12k a year for better teachers (probably not) or are you paying to not have the social mix that you get in state? I think in many ways you pay for the indirect benefits (less SEN kids cos the school doesnt have to take them etc) rather than paying for direct things, such as better teachers. Also, remember that the extras like mandarin, fencing, sailing, music, will be extras on the bill too - ie they're often not part of the package. So you can easily buy into many of these type of things when your child is in a state school. Finally, once you're paying, you will definitely convince yourself it's worth it - I mean, you're hardly going to part with the money and then admit it doesnt make a difference are you!

"once you're paying, you will definitely convince yourself it's worth it"

That might be true - but I keep a careful eye on the league tables to justify our outlay - but if it is true then the converse must also be true mustn't it?

Parents in the state sector must also be very resistant to the idea that what their children are getting second best.

lovely to see that having less SEN kids is seen as marvellous benefit of going private [hmmm].

My daughters go to a state school with which I am very, very happy. It's frightfully laid-back, though, which might not suit you; they don't seem to get homework and suchlike.

(They do seem to be doing rather well academically, they just don't get homework.)