State Primary Teachers sending their child to Private Pre Prep

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

How do you manage the longer hoildays in pre prep?? Did you have any negative comments from other staff about going private??

bumping xx

bumping xxx

You'll have to find a teacher here who can afford to go private first!

I've taught with staff whose children went private, usually married to doctors or lawyers.
Never heard any adverse comments from other members of staff, you tend to be judged on how good you are at your job rather than the choices you make as a parent.
Their children seemed to do a lot of holiday clubs, often with a fun but educational base such as sporty or languages. Or the parents had an au pair or nanny.

The one person I knew in that position imported grandparents for the non-overlap weeks. Most holiday clubs run only during the state school holidays, but there are some that go beyond that (especially in areas with conentrations of private schools).

Or you have to do the dreaded child swop - you farm yours out to friends for an overlap week, then get theirs back for most of the rest of the holidays.

Ours runs its own holiday club which we use at each end.
As I job share with someone without young kids, one year I arranged for her to do the full week first week back then I did full week second week in.

Rarely have I had negative comments at school. Another teacher at school also uses the private sector and our HT also sent her two to prep but then to grammar for secondary.

Prep schools have holiday club - our's definitely does.

Is that your only question? I would have thought the more burning question would be "why are they going private when you teach in state" which is none of their business imo but is asked all the same. (oh maybe that's what you meant by negative comments, i'm tired so being a bit dim obviously)

'"why are they going private when you teach in state"'

To which the answer is that teaching is a job, not a faith. I've taught in schools with shit catchments and huge problems that I wouldn't wish on any child, especially mine.
Or 'Fuck the fuck off'
Whichever seems the most appropriate.

Hee hee - my sentiments exactly. I had so much stick from sending my DC to a private school and lost lots of friends (obviously they weren't that good a friend i realised) from the state catchment one she had been in for pre school.

DC's have a number of pals who have teacher parents at state schools.

One Mum works at a local die-to-get-into outstanding faith school, but still uses prep because she says the nature of its popularity means it's packed to the rafters. Also her DH is a banker, so they can well afford.

Another Dad, is the HT of a local secondary. None of his children attend state schools. Don't know the family well but they might have family money.

Presumably there is overlap in the holidays, so although prep's are longer, it should be doable.

While I'm thinking, there is also a Mum who inspects state schools.

I think she's freelance so perhaps she can dictate her own hours.

maybe teaching should be a faith

Or a vocation, rather than just a job.

In terms of comments from people, teachers or otherwise, whether I agree with someone's choice of school for their children or not has absolutely nothing to do with whether I like and respect them or not, or feel the need to comment on it or not (unless they invite me to comment, which would frankly be odd of them in a professional setting). Most definitely none of the other teachers' business to comment on. You can't stop their thought processes, though, and it's quite normal to wonder about the motivations - hopefully not in an uncharitable way. If you are always professional and a good and committed teacher then surely that is what you will be judged on.

Thanks all, food for thought! Thanks again.

I do not know any teachers at our school who use private, you do get comments if you send your children to the grammar. We were offered money a few years ago to send out child to an independent school and lots of staff made comments that it was innapropriate and implied a lack of faith in the state system. I never had any plan on taking the money but was quite taken aback at how shocked people were.

I'm a state school teacher who did a year teaching in a private school to balance my experience. I've taught in lower, primary, church of England and Catholic schools. My last job was at a private prep which also had a lot of boarders. Now I'm a mum it is so hard to decide which kind of school to send dd.
I can see the advantages to all the schools but I cannot see how anyone can put up with rudeness and often violence that I had daily in many of the state schools.
Because of this we are saving every penny to go private. We'd also like smaller class sizes and a wider Curriculum (especially sport.)

I'd love her to go to a brilliant state school but we've calculated that it is cheaper to send private than find the extra needed to move to a catchment area for a fab school.

Slight tangent (I'm a state school governor with a ds in state infant and a dd in private prep) but I have had negative comments. The school advisor for the infant school called me in for a meeting to "examine my commitment to the state sector" for example. If a comment is made I usually state that I only take criticism from people who haven't rented to change catchment areas, found God to get into the very good local catholic school, or tutored for grammar school. If they've genuinely gone for the bog standard local comp I'm happy to agree that they're a better person than I am.

Our daughter's school has about four extra weeks off a year but only provides holiday clubs for the Summer. I survive by working flexibly (I agree not helpful for teachers) and calling in all manner of favours from friends which I pay back over the other holidays.