Did you take DS/DD out of state education into Private education? If so what reasons?

[minipops1974]

Im sure this line of thread has been done lots of times - Its something at the back of our minds and just wondered if anyone has done it - and if it paid off..
Hope you dont mind me asking...

Our state education is 'Victorian'. It needs total reform, but it will happen in our life time. Our children are bored and crowded and teachers are run ragged, bogged down with paperwork & assessments. They are governed by targets which stifles their own creativity and probably a very real desire to 'educate' our children in a more engaging and dynamic manner. I took my ds1 out of state primary aged 8 and he's been in the private sector ever since - it's been brilliant for him.

The trouble with state school provision is that it is patchy and that in reality there si very little choice.

So all the McSmugs of Smuggiton can come on here saying my DC's school is wonderful, my DC's school is the very best in the country etc...but that means jack shit for the rest of the kids in the population who can't get in.

Tis an anecdote and nothing more. Tells you or I, nothing about our local state schools or state education in general.

So Camicaze's experience is very real and cannot be trumped by someone diving in to tell their experience...cos you know, Camicaze's kid didn't go there.

Litchick, the trouble with private school provision is that it is patchy and that in reality there is very little choice for the vast majority (because they can't afford to pay for their children to go to private schools in the first place and even if they could, there aren't always that many to choose from nearby, particularly after you've excluded the dire ones).

Anecdote is actually what the OP asked for: she wanted to know other peoples' personal experiences. She didn't actually ask for anyone's opinion on state or private education in general. So you can criticise those who made general comments, but there really is no point in criticising people who have commented that their personal experience of state education is positive.

Camicaze...
I think my dd is in the school you explained... Unless as you say there are many others like this. I did love the idea but not sure if it really works. First of all because to provide a 'creative/active' environment it is important to have teachers who are able to do that. And most of us are not really good at it.

You made me think with the school thinking of 'a child that had no ability to think beyond the concrete or sustain concentration'

However, my ds will be going there next year too. I cannot afford private but my mum would be able to pay and she has offered many times. It is a matter of principles here. I do believe we have to support state education and many other fundamental public services. Unless something is really really wrong, my kids will stay there.

You are right rabbit... it seems difficult to stick to the OP questions sometimes. I have no experience to add. A few persons I know who changed from state to private seem to be very happy though.

Camicaze, thanks for describing your experience and expanding on your thoughts.

Actually, you know what - there is a lot of what you say that I can relate to and have experienced with my DD...maybe not to extent you describe but to the extent of stifling her learning somewhat.

We've been in 2 outstanding primaries so far and found more or less similar patterns. Maybe we've been unlucky, but I think to be fair that the teachers are trying their best with the resources they have and all the paperwork/assessment they have to complete. They certainly all work hard, they are in from 8am til 6pm every day. And I can tell they are passionate about education.

HOWEVER - I can't help but observe - even in Y1 - that as the class is being streamed, is the children who have supportive parents - (regardless of income) and by this I mean who do lots of supplementing at home - whose children are at the top.

Yes it's all well and good assessing and reassessing my DD1 and telling me how very bright/exceptionally able she is - she wouldn't appear so bright and far ahead though if we hadn't invested time doing the traditional sit down and spell/read/copy at home with her regularly enough as it wasn't being done at school. I don't think I am willing/able to do this long term though.

They just don't do enough traditional sit down and practice the abc at our school. Not surprisingly over half of the class can't read or write AT ALL(the teacher told us).

And I don't think I am a dinosaur; I think being able to read and write is important to access the curriculum and does give children the confidence to be independent in their learning...

Finally - there is no provision for kids in this school to do any extras - music, a choir or a language or anything exciting. It has been raised by a lot of parents so a couple of things have been brought in - although if you compare what's on offer to any localish preps then it makes you want to cry.

So kids like my DD who are lucky and have parents who are willing to accommodate and CAN pay and ferry around for piano lessons, ballet, etc are afforded all the opportunities - kids who can't don't get exposed to any of it.

It makes me really sad.

Like Litchick says, provision is patchy and there aren't any other schools around here we can "try" so we are sticking with it and making the best of it for now.

One final thought: by Y6 half of the class will have gone private (it happens every year) and of the other 15 a few will have moved for a better catchment or tried for private secondaries. So the ones left get to go to the sink local secondary. Again it's the ones with no better choices who lose out.

PS this was also in answer to the OP, ie those are the reasons why I would at some point consider a private option - I can't answer whether it would be better but those are the things I would be looking to resolve!

have done this with both DC - one for secondary, one in Y5.

One was because he was bored at his "oustanding" state primary and switching off. Was also bullied for being seen as top of everything, which made him deliberately get things wrong in maths. i could only see this getting worse if he'd stayed with the same peer group at the local comp. He loves the fact it's seen as cool to get good marks at his highly academic secondary. It also offers far more sport etc than the local comp did and he's very sporty.

Moved DD as she failed to make any progress for years at the state primary and they were not in the slightest bit concerned. Repeatedly told me she had no SPld when in fact she has since been assessed as severely dyslexic with attention issues. Within a few weeks of changing to a small private school she had made tons of progress and wanted to go to school again.

As a result I have become quite disillusioned with state education in our area, although financially it has been a huge strain to make the switch.

I moved my DS at the end of Y2, he is now in Year 6 at a small, local prep school and doing well socially, in sport and academically. He found it tough for the first week or so to break into established friendship groups, but has never looked back since then. New children join every year from other state schools.

He was at an "outstanding" state primary, but it wasn't outstanding at the things I think matter, (I won't elaborate as I have been heavily critised for my reasons for moving him on MN in the past).

Only worry now is what to do when he is 13.

rabbitstew - no, the op asked for comments for anyone who has done it and how they faired.

So how could the comment...DC's state school is ace...ever help? I mean, I'm really interested to know.

I suspect that the point is they have nothing to offer and no interest in helping anyway, they are simply making a point.

Ho hum.

I moved DS1 at start of Yr6, due to social/bullying issues, his private school has a strong rep for building children's self-esteem which is what he most needed. He's only been there 6 weeks, bit early to say how it's going (but he does go, not refusing like he was before).

I still have 2 DC at local state primary, I can't imagine them doing better anywhere else.

Well, Litchick, I guess you could also ask in what way it is helpful to tell someone about how wonderful your personal private school experience is and how much better that is than your personal state school experience. As for my previous comments on this thread, I made the following points:

1. If the poster is thinking of opting out of the State sector for now but not convinced she can afford to or wants to remain in the private sector permanently, that this is also something she should be thinking about now, because the switch back can also cause issues.

2. If the sole reason for a move is academic challenge, that my personal opinion is that it may not be worth it for that reason alone - so, it really depends on the reasons for wanting the change as to whether it is likely to be successful.

3. "The choice you eventually make is not one of state versus private, it will depend on the schools in question, the personality of your child, how much money you actually have to spare and how you wish to spend what you have if private education is not something easily afforded, and what you want your child to get out of primary level education. It is not an objective decision - you have to accept that your choice is going to be very subjective and that you will therefore have as many critics of the choice you make as supporters."

In what way are any of these points unhelpful???????

As for my references to my personal experiences with state schools, they were actually in response to another poster's problems with the use of a creative curriculum and I was merely pointing out that this was not the problem with her child's education, as a creative curriculum can work very well (presumably in either a state or a private school) - it was the manner in which the curriculum was being carried out in her school that was the problem.

So, I am wondering in what way your comments have helped anyone??? Or were you just being offensive because other people had annoyed you?

ps Litchick, I've just looked through the thread again and find the overhwelming theme of this thread is either critical of State education in general, or critical with regard to the posters' personal experiences of State schools, so I'm not quite sure who all the McSmugs are that annoyed you so much.

Camaleon. Despite being a private school teacher I do see your point about supporting state education and it bothers me that I'm not with dd1. I think its the active choice by this school to follow a style of curriculum I think harms the progress of the kids that really bothered me and made me give up. I could cope with the fact a teacher might have limited resources/ time and allsorts of other hurdles. It seemed like the school was squandering its chance to really teach some kids that were alot more needy than my dd (with all the careful attention lavished on her at home!) Emy72 -yes I so agree regards the real impact being on those kids that don't get the home input in a school like dd's.

rabbitstew - it does sound as though you have taken it personally that some people have chosen to move their children from state to private. Calling people McSmugs isn't very nice.

I am glad your experience of state schooling in the UK positive, but for some on this thread it hasn't been - hence the decision to move to the Independent sector.

Of course the overwhelming theme of this thread is going to be somewhat critical of state education, or we wouldn't have taken our DC's out of it in the first place would we?

I really hoped this thread would not degenerate into another "them" and "us", but it looks like it's too late for that.

MenorcaFan - have you not read this thread properly? I was not the one who called anyone "McSmugs" - it was Litchick, who is pro-private education. And I do not take it personally when anyone takes their child out of State education - I just take it personally when someone is gratuitously offensive. Clearly you agree with me that calling others "McSmugs" is offensive.

And I have no objections to the overwhelming theme being anti-State education, either - it was merely to point out to Litchick that her diatribe had been both unnecessary and offensive, given that prior to her comments, no-one had been attempting to be anything other than helpful. I have every right to stick up for myself if someone makes such remarks and I will do that by pointing out that for every comment they make, there is an equal and opposite one. It does NOT mean I am totally against private education - as you ought to have read, I have not at any point said I would never consider paying for my children to be privately educated, even if in my heart of hearts, I would rather support State education.

So, don't comment if you haven't read the thread properly, or you are responsible for its descent into unpleasantness.

Or, to put it another way, I wouldn't have looked at this thread if I had never considered having my children privately educated (or had never considered it for the future). I don't just send my children to the local state school without questioning my decision. I am interested in other peoples' decisions for opting out of the State sector. However, I take vigorous objection to those who do not like to have their decisions scrutinised and who attack others unnecessarily for wanting to be more questioning than merely thinking: I can afford it, so I will do it.

Litchick Thu 28-Oct-10 08:07:15 Tis an anecdote and nothing more. Tells you or I, nothing about our local state schools or state education in general.

but surely the OP was asking for anecdotal responses?

I think as with any service the OP needs to check out everything on offer in her area and make an informed choice after all everyone could say my child did well/badly but it doesn't mean her child will do well/badly.

rabbitstew thanks for the clarification.

I can read BTW.

Adios MN

My pleasure, MenorcaFan. Maybe next time you will think more before you butt in and will express yourself in a way that shows you can both read and comprehend... I never accused you of being unable to read, after all.

Thank you all so much for your coments - and apologies for any disagreements caused - that wasnt my intention - I really did just want to know what reasons you pulled DS/DD out of State education and from the thread I generally did get that

Thanks guys and best of luck to those of you who have moved and Well Done to the ones who have found a fabulous State school - I know I havent, but will hold in for a little bit longer.