Private schools vs public schools in UK

[Kaizen92]

Hello Everyone,

We are first time parents not mainly from UK, We both are earning fairly decent I would say.

Our baby is going to nursery but we are at the stage to see primary schools as well for moving etc.

Some of our friends, who are also (not from the UK), are considering sending their children to private schools and have shared the reasons why they think it's a good idea.

To be honest, the idea of private schooling hadn't crossed my mind until now. I'm curious to hear your perspectives on this matter. What are the potential differences, and how might they impact a child's overall development? Of course, we're mindful of the financial considerations involved.

Personally, I lean towards the idea of supplementing our child's education with extracurricular activities aligned with their interests, alongside additional coaching where needed, while entrusting their core education to public schools.

Let me know your thoughts. Let's discuss :)

Private schools and public schools are both fee paying. Did you mean private versus state school?

In the UK, OP, 'public' schools are usually known as 'state schools'.

A handful of the original elite fee-paying boarding schools became known as 'public schools', possibly to distinguish them from the private tutoring arrangements of the very rich for their sons.

@Kaizen92 you’ll need to familiarise yourself with the correct terminology first - or you’ll be permanently confused:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/public-school

If you mean Private vs State then its an impossible comparison as a good State school will always be better than a bad Private school and a great school for one child of any kind may not suit another child.
Generally though private schools have better facilities, smaller classes and better behaviour - but thats a huge generalisation
I would say research ALL schools that you could access (distance, affordability, entrance criteria etc) and then see which one you think will suit your child best. Might be Private, might not.

The first thing to note is that "public schools" are actually private here. We call publicly funded schools "state schools" instead.

You will encounter a variety of views on this subject. Some people who blindly assume that private schools are better, no matter what... despite never having set foot in a state school in some cases. Some people who are ideologically opposed to private schools and believe that they produce arrogant, entitled tossers...despite never having met any privately educated individuals in some cases.

Then you get the people who go private because they don't like the particular state options that are available to them, while acknowledging that state schools can be perfectly good in other areas. Then there are the people who take their kids out of the state sector because they have SEN which are not being adequately met. Then you get the parents who could comfortably afford private education but are underwhelmed by what it has to offer, so they send their kids to state schools instead.

You get the parents who love private schools because of the fabulous facilities and extracurricular activities, who like the idea of having everything in a one-stop shop. And you get the parents who look at all that and conclude that they could facilitate equivalent opportunities outside of school for fraction of the cost, and who think there are benefits in kids having separate groups of friends outside of school etc.

It's impossible to generalise in my view. The best thing is to go and have a look at both state and private options in your local area, and pick the school that feels like the best fit for your child. That's what we did, and I have no regrets.

Yes that's what I meant. Fee paying vs non fee paying. I am sorry, It is not allowing me to edit my post.

SORRY. I meant private vs state schools. Apologies🙏

This is one of the best answers I have ever read on the topic so I have little to add.

From a personal point of view we started off at a state primary as we had one near us that seemed very nice, was popular with other parents and got decent results.

We stayed with it as both kids were happy there.

For secondary we planned to go private but found that the private schools that we liked were not suitable for our oldest child. And then our youngest didn’t want to go. So both kids will be in state secondary from next year. On the whole I think that it was the right decision but I do have slight concerns.

I think that if you have infinite money then you can usually find a private school that is your best option. For us though, we did do the sums and decide that being able to give the kids a massive house deposit when they are 23 would be more valuable to them than private education.

Well the first question is... can you afford the Private schools? Not just at entry level, but as they progress up the school, plus the annual fee increase (plus the possibility of VAT becoming chargeable on school fees).

Then it comes down to individual schools. You might have brilliant state primary schools, but mediocre Secondary for exame... is it worth saving up for now? Or not so good Primary,but good Secondary.

Then there's the individual child. Not all schools focus on the same thing

In short...
-money gets you choice

• whats better comes down to individual schools.

No need to apologise, a lot of people not originally from The Uk call State schools Public schools

Indeed, it's very confusing for the uninitiated!

Agreeing with this.

I attended a state school. Qualified to teach in state schools. Now teach in independent. DH attended independent, has also taught in both state and independent.

We have sent out eldest to an independent primary. She is very bright, but has ADD/ASD so we really strongly felt the small class sizes would be helpful to get. Our local state primary is also sadly not very good for various reasons (mostly it's seriously overcrowded). Our twins we have registered for a state school a little further away. Ideally they will gothere but we are out of catchment area.

Basically, it's not a choice to be made in general terms. It depends strongly on what's available in your area and the needs and personality of your children.

@TinyTeachr Please may I ask as a teacher how you find working in independent vs state? I'm a primary teacher considering changing from state to private.

I used to be ideologically opposed to private. Not so much anymore. I think, depending where you live, state schools are under so much pressure. I'm grateful my kids are c coming towards the end of their time. If money were no object and they were starting school now, I would certainly investigate private schools. I think they tend to create more confident children and have way better facilities. Obviously that's a generalisation. I live on the edge of London (unfortunately not in greater London, those schools are better funded), and our state schools are really struggling. We are having to use tutors to supplement education as even exam years are being taught by 'covers' (people who sit in class not teaching, my husband was a cover teacher so I know) or unqualified teachers.

I’m of the impression where you live is a huge factor in the state-private debate.
I have family that live in Lambeth where there are many who struggle and many new immigrant's. There are however a smattering of multi-million £ homes in the neighborhood.
The challenge can simply be personal safety of the kids. School friendships and even as parent friendships.
The two nearest parks to where my family live are both unsafe day and night.
Local state school was not their first choice, one slightly further had 10ft fencing, barbed razor wire all around the perimeter of the playground and a gated system similar to federal prisons in Canada. Is is rated outstanding despite this.