constant battles on the subject of private versus state education, so why didnt anyone mention this before?

[vvvodka]

dc just been put into private school. and they do games. lots and lots and lots and lots of games. and i dont have to scout around for decent footie, or karate or whatever, they just do it all at the school, coz the school organises it. he now does about six hundred percent more sport than he ever did in his ofsted outsdanding state school.

and he meets a bigger variety of people. more skin colours, more accents, more cultures, just more variety of everything. not just in his school, but also in the schools that they go off to play matches against and that come to their school to play matches with. in dc1's entire seven year career at the outstanding state primary, he never once met another childf rom another school in an event organised by the school.

so far, i am very very pleased with it. i just am surprised that no one ever mentioned it on the state versus private threads on here. or maybe they did, and i had tuned out at this point? or is ofsted fibbing about that particular state school being outstanding?

How many locals could they have employed to dig and build with greater skill with the money they spent on the trip?

Did they build the toilets all by themsleves then ?

Where do they get the locals from to do the work - they dont have the locals to sort the electric or running water.

The locals that can/ have some skill or know they can learn move to the larger city's were they think life will be better, this is part of the problem and why the villages dont prosper due to migration

If there are no locals then who are the toilets for - the teens who come to visit the poor people ?

I am amazed that these teens are more capable of learning how to build a toilet than the locals. Teenage girls are not usually experts in plumbing around here. Or maybe that is something else they only teach in private schools.

One thing that always interests me is that these kids are always building toilets. There must be billions of toilets out there by now.

hello someguy

No, it really is that little! We have 600 pupils and it equates to around £1,200,000 to run the school for a year. That includes paying the 16 full time teachers - many of whom are at the top of the payscale because of their years of experience, 8 part time teachers and 16 TAs and LSAs (the government decided the special needs budget could fund the LSAs from 2009). It doesn't leave much for pencils etc, nevermind sport and music lessons.

We are a Catholic school, so the dioscese (sp?!) pay for some building projects but in 12 years that has been some new toilets and nothing else so far as I know. AND they charge the parents £15 per child per annum which goes into the Catholic School Building Fund, and if they don't pay it (about 1/4 don't) then the school has to make up the difference!! Most of it goes to schools in worse areas.

We are oop north. £3,000 a term down south you say? I might move... Very miserly here indeed, so even better value for money by the sounds of it.

Cheltenham Ladies College, I understand, specializes in plumbing. No gel leaves without the ability to plumb in a loo under any circumstances without chipping her nail varnish or showing her knickers.

I have numerous friends who did their gap year after graduating as engineers, teachers, doctors etc. Much better for the local economy to send skilled adults who then can help train the local population. It's a real bone of contention how useful pre-uni gap years can be, and even more so in the case of younger unskilled people who are unfamiliar with the location and the needs of the population.
Most of the complaints have come from the locals as to the pointlessness and irrelevance of many first world contributions in this area.
I don't deny that they have good intentions.

It always fascinates me how people seem to think that a 17 year old from a developed country must know more about ANYTHING than an adult in the developing world!

Particularly a posh 17 year old!

Blow me Wilf, your school sounds FANTASTIC

It IS, wonk. We are VERY lucky. Unfortunately, you will all have to move out of London and move to the arse end of nowhere to get a school like this.

Not true VulpusinaWilfsuit. Our SE London primary does all that too, the comp does even more.

And PLEASE remember that you get more clubs and stuff at most private schools than at most state schools because you are paying for them!

By seeker on Sun 11-Oct-09 11:29:25 Cheltenham Ladies College, I understand, specializes in plumbing. No gel leaves without the ability to plumb in a loo under any circumstances without chipping her nail varnish or showing her knickers.

I wish EVERY school did teach basic plumbing. And Plastering. All the plasterers round our way are related to Lord Lucan, am sure of it.

It always fascinates me how people seem to think that a 17 year old from a developed country must know more about ANYTHING than an adult in the developing world!

Anything? You obviously haven't met my mother-in-law. She's street-wise, but she's not educated, she wouldn't have the foggiest idea what to do with a computer, she's not really much good with a mobile phone, she doesn't understand interest or ROI or anything else.

Particularly a posh 17 year old!

Don't understand this comment. Exactly how would a ghetto child without 2 GCSEs to rub together be more useful than someone with 13 years of the best educstion money can buy.

Of course there may be problems with specific poorism projects, but things like setting up spreadsheets for businesses shouldn't be beyond the wit of a capable 17 year old.

The toilet comments make me quite . I suppose the poster has no idea what the implications of having people shitting directly into rivers that serve as water sources for thousands are. Sanitation is EXTREMELY important. And funnily enough, no, these things don't build themselves using local labour. Western development projects often serve as an opportunity for personal enrichment for the locals in any case - charity tends to mean looking after oneself and ones family.

I'm always stunned to hear the argument state equals diversity whereas private is limited to a narrow social band.

What about the scores of outstanding local state schools in areas such as mine where the local catchment is no less exclusive than the local independent intake?

Houses in my catchment go from anywhere between 500k and 1.5m. It is predominately white. I am in no doubt that at my children's independent school they mix with a far greater section of society than they would at our cosy little outstanding state primary.

This pattern is repeated in many areas around the country. It is certainly not the case that the social mix is always greater at state school. In some cases, sure, but the fact is that my kids have far more chance of meeting and socialising with less affluent kids at their current school through the scholarship scheme than they ever would at our local state.

BuchRogers - how many children are at your school on full scholarships which include uniform and sports kit?

Do you get free uniform and sport kit at state school then?

No, but it costs £5 in Asda if you need it to. Not ££££ in a specified uniform shop. One poster on here once spoke of her DD's regulation summer dress costing £33

I think my son's blazer was about £80.

The most expensive item of my dd's secondary school uniform is 18.99.

BuckRogers - how many children at your child's school have full scholarships?

Not many on full scholarships, no. Only a couple in fact, in the juniors. Mostly awards of 50%. However, my point is that Many parents could more afford 50% fees at our independent that they could afford a house in my local state catchment. That is not the same as saying that all parents could afford the 50% but IMO, it makes it less exclusive than this school area.

My point again is really that it's not the case everywhere that going to your local state primary ensures a greater social mix. In our case, quite the opposite.

Cardi, sweater and socks are bought from the school outfitters. DD1's gingham dresses are from M&S. Shorts/trousers are grey so again from M&S.

Though I do boak at the cost of cricket whites!

Just spoken to a friend who lives in Guildford. Her children go to their local state primary but she has just confirmed it's the same senario as here. The only thing differentiating the parents at her school gates from those at her local prep is ideology.

So where do the children from less well heeled families go to school? Presumably even in Guildford there are a few!