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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Have an only child with private education or have another child and send them both to state school

38 replies

NW2013 · 20/05/2013 13:54

We have one child (18 months) now and we are planning on sending him to private school as the schools where we live are not at all good. If we have another child then we could not afford for them both to go to private school and I do not like the idea of sending one to private school and the other to state school because the schools near me are so bad.
So my question is, have any of you made a concious decision to only have one child and give them a private education and holidays abroad each year rather than having more children and them having a state education? I would be interested to hear peoples thoughts, for and against on this.

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CaptainJamesTKirk · 20/05/2013 13:58

Not consciously stopped at 1 for private education as such... But... Yes we decided to stop at 1 because we were happy with 1, we will have more disposable income to enjoy as a family (holidays etc...), it will be easier re: schooling (likely to be private), university and helping out when he's an adult if we are needed.

I wouldn't stop at 1 if all your thinking about is state v private education. You've got to think about your family, your child and how you may feel in the future.

TheLordOfTheDanceSettee · 20/05/2013 13:59

For me I'd have another child and state education. However, although I live in a 'deprived' area, the school is great.

We have, however, decided to limit or family to two children so that we can afford holidays abroad, after school clubs and the like.

Original poster

NW2013 · 20/05/2013 14:03

Thanks for the responses so far, I probably didn't explain the situation too well, but yes other factors are equally important too regarding the ability to have holidays, more disposable income etc. if we only have one child.

OP posts:

calypso2008 · 20/05/2013 14:07

I have one DD. That is it - I grew up with 2 other siblings, never had my own room, went to a terrible school - managed, by the skin of my teeth to get to university (only girl in my year to do so)

I am sending my DD to private school and giving her the advantages I never had.

Oh - and my siblings don't like me and never did. So I have never gone with the 'lonely only' thing.

Elibean · 20/05/2013 14:10

Personally, I'd have another child and move when they were older if the state schools were still that bad.

But, and it is a big 'but', school can and do change hugely in that time frame. Your child is very very young. We have a local secondary school that I would not have sent dd1 to in a million years - five years ago. Now, it is looking good. By the time she is 11 (two more years), I suspect it will be outstanding.

So I would focus more on family and relationships at this point, myself, than on local schools.

Then again, I went to private school, and have two siblings, and wouldn't have swapped the latter for the former for anything in the world. It is all a bit of a gamble, really - as you can't predict future sibling relationships, or the impact of future education, IME.

calypso2008 · 20/05/2013 14:15

Good points Elibean

springlamb · 20/05/2013 14:17

You could also consider moving to an area where the state schools are better, or there are more options. For example, Kent has comps, grammars and a good selection of privates at secondary level.
You have time on your side to research etc if you are concerned to be in the right place/make the right decision by primary time. In my view there are two windows where it's best to make a move like this - in time for primary applications, or when your eldest is in Yr 4/5 in order to apply for secondary school places.

mrsshackleton · 20/05/2013 14:18

Entirely depends on how much you want a 2nd child vs how much you value private education. I would go for the second child, but that's me. At my dc1's private school I've noticed there are A LOT more only children than at dc2's state school, so I'd guess this is a factor for many parents.

BackforGood · 20/05/2013 14:21

What Elibean said.
Have you done the maths of moving to near a state school you approve of and increasing your mortgage, rather than paying fees - that way it wouldn't matter if you had 7 children, they could all go to the school, and you'd have an asset to sell at the end of it.

HabbaDabba · 20/05/2013 14:25

I have a friend whose husband has four mortgage-free London properties. They live in one and rent out other three.

To summarise, about £3m assets in bricks and mortars, and rental income of about 4k pm and they can only afford one child

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 20/05/2013 14:27

I really wouldn't use schooling as the deciding factor. No form of education would be worth missing out on a child if you want to have more than one.

If you, truely only want one child, then only have one and send you only child to a private school if that is the best school option.

I always wanted more than one child so for me private school was the optional element. I am fortunate that I've been able to have my cake and eat it as we are lucky enough to be able to afford private school for 2 but if we couldn't I would have looked to moving close to a good state school.

rabbitstew · 20/05/2013 14:34

The only only children I know who are women never married and stayed near their parents/carried on living with them in order to look after them in their old age. Hopefully in the modern era this is less likely to happen... but I wouldn't want to be an only child!!!!! Particularly not one who thought they owed their parents something for having sacrificed having more children in order to devote more time, money and attention on them.

Lonecatwithkitten · 20/05/2013 14:51

I choose to have one child.
I then choose to educate her privately.
Really for me they are two independent decisions.

Quangle · 20/05/2013 14:54

I really wouldn't use schooling as the deciding factor. No form of education would be worth missing out on a child if you want to have more than one

Totally agree with this from Chaz who does indeed have a brilliant attitude.

I have two and they go to state school. One of them is not taking up valuable resources that could have gone towards private school education. I can't really think of them like that. But perhaps I'm not reading your question right. If you want more you should have more. If you want one then you should have one. The fact that with one you'd have the benefit of more spare cash or that with two you'd have the benefit of two people to look after you in old age is secondary - it's not why you have them iyswim.

ZZZenagain · 20/05/2013 14:55

can't you look into moving somewhere else if you really want to have another dc?

QuintessentialOldDear · 20/05/2013 14:57

Save what you would have spent on private school from Reception onwards for ONE of them, to private school from Y4/Y5 onwards for both of them...

noramum · 20/05/2013 16:11

We have only one child, for various reasons, financial ones were never into our thoughts though.

But: we moved to another area as the school in our area was bad and if oversubscribed DD could have ended up everywhere and we didn't want to take this risk.

But DH and I are also from a country where public education is not normal at all unless you count boarding schools or selected international ones. Everybody went to their local state school. So this never really came into our mind when we have 4 great state schools to choose from in the area we are now.

Original poster

NW2013 · 20/05/2013 16:12

Thanks again for all the responses.
Moving is not an option as we currently are close to both sets of grandparents and other close relatives which to us is of most importance. If we were certain that we wanted more children then this of course would not be such an issue, but we are on the fence. We both are only children so the idea is not strange to us, it's just that at some point you have to make a decision (or mother nature makes it for you) and I just wondered if other people had thought about this.................

OP posts:

Zigster · 20/05/2013 16:20

Not sure the maths works for that one. Fees tend to increase a lot through independent schools - starting low and increasingly dramatically once you're hooked. By my estimates, State to year 4 would only save you less than one-quarter of total fees. The half-way mark (by fees) probably mean State school up to and including Yr 8 - i.e. up to senior school.

Personally (to the OP), I'd decide whether or not to have the second child and then worry about whether or not to go for private education. That you're even seriously considering private education for one child means you must have a sufficiently good income to be able to provide a very comfortable childhood for two children.

Mandy21 · 20/05/2013 16:21

I think its a very personal decision and as I'm getting older, I realise lots of my choices in life are governed by what I had (and what my H had). I had a twin sister (very close indeed) and went to a very good state (grammar school).

I would never choose to have one child, thats simply my view, because I have gained so much in life from having a sibling. I can't imagine on any scale that compares to going to a better school. But like I say, thats just my choice.

We have 3 children - and have moved to an area where the state grammar schools are in the top 10 of schools nationally, including private schools. However, the house prices reflect that so we're paying way over the odds on a mortgage, but it is do-able at the moment, whereas 3 lots of private school fees isn't on the radar and never will be.

As others have said, it depends what you want for your child - a private education on the assumption that it will be better and lead to more opportunities in life, or another child. Whilst people can give you their opinion, only you can answer the question.

MrsMelons · 20/05/2013 18:28

My friend has just one child and made a decision to have jsut one so they could send them to private school.

We decided to stop at 2 due to many factors - holidays, hobbies, schooling just to name a few. It was definitely a big factor, at times I wish those things weren't important to us as would have like more children but I have a feeling I only feel that way because we stopped at 2, I wonder if we would have actually had any more in reality.

Pyrrah · 20/05/2013 19:02

We are stopping at one child. Affording private school fees was not a reason for having an only - there were many other factors.

But, as an only she will have the option of a private secondary school - if she had siblings then that option would cease to exist.

Zoomania · 20/05/2013 19:16

Nw, just a thought from reading your last post- sorry if i am making assumptions. You place a lot of importance on being close to family. Remember that sadly over time this family will reduce in number especially if you don't have siblings, nieces etc. you also need to think about how your family will look in 30 yrs. I personally would prioritise siblings over education but then I come from a big family and did very well at a state school.

pinkdelight · 21/05/2013 09:09

"Moving is not an option as we currently are close to both sets of grandparents and other close relatives which to us is of most importance."

Is there really not a good state school anywhere in the region? That seems very unlikely. It sounds to me less a matter of schooling and more just the indecision about having another DC, which is totally understandable when yours is only 18months. Why not wait another six months? IME you start to feel much more like yourself again when DC is over two, and you get a different perspective. When they're your first and so little, you have these PFB thoughts about how only private school will do etc but then the possibility of another DC gets more feasible and you start thinking more practically i.e. maybe if you moved to town X then school Y is nice and you'd still be near family. You can also start to visit some of the 'not good' state schools and maybe find out they are good.

MammaMedusa · 21/05/2013 13:20

Do you think a state school child's life is a life worth having? If so, then if you want two children, have two children.

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