Glasgow Private Schools

[ThisBlueDeer]

Just wondering if anyone has any experience of Glasgow private schools? For both primary and secondary. Closest is Glasgow Academy but would look at others.

Our closest school for secondary is currently Hyndland which I saw just got awarded excellent status in its recent inspection.

Grandparents have offered to pay the fees so I almost feel like I need to justify not doing it if that makes sense?

So does anyone have any experience - good bad or indifferent?

Hopeful bump!

One of my DC went to GA, the rest of them all went state in East Ren.

I don’t regret sending her there as she had a good experience but I probably wouldn’t do it again as I don’t think it was worth the money in comparison.

Exam results in her peer group were much of a muchness with my other kid’s year groups.

There were more music and sports opportunities but she wasn’t particularly interested in either, she played hockey for fun but could easily have done that to the same standard in our local club.

The downsides were she doesn’t have the same local friends/belonging as the others and a lot of time was spent travelling to/from school.

I don’t know how valid this is now but at that time GA, HSoG & Hutchy were the more academic schools with St Al’s more classics/sports oriented.

Kelvinside didn’t have a great academic reputation, again I don’t know if that’s changed, they churned out Athletics/Rugby stars by the dozen though.

Your parents have made a really generous offer, personally though unless you feel your child won’t succeed at a good state school or needs extra support then I’d ask them to invest it to help with getting your child on the property ladder when they’re older.

Really the gap between good states and privates setting Glasgow really isn’t that high and it’s nowhere near as much of an advantage as it was in the past (thankfully).

Thank you. I didn’t go to private school (they didn’t have that kind of money then!) so not familiar with it at all but that’s very helpful. I don’t want them to lose out on an opportunity but it’s hard because you really just need to choose a school and hope for the best!

I think you also need to consider how detrimental it might be to your dc if they want to go to a Scottish uni to have attended private school. I am in England and have various friends who despite themselves coming from v deprived backgrounds and working their asses off to do well have had their own kids penalised for having been to private school by snp policy. I don’t know how much is home postcode & how much is school tho.

Hopefully the shambles that has been the SNP government will come to an end at the next election but that’s very much off topic.

It’s an interesting point you make, however (and not to show off) I breezed through school, was far too easy for me and I didn’t put any effort in at all so underachieved. I can’t help but feel that I would have done better in a more competitive environment but it’s impossible to know for sure.

Not slagging off my state school at all it did an excellent job and I have no complaints.

If it's Hyndland I wouldn't do it - did they not just receive all 'excellent' for a recent HMIE report?

This is surely nonsense

Not every kid in a state school will qualify for contextual offers, mine certainly didn’t and we don’t live in a particularly affluent area

privately educated kids being denied uni places is a non problem

TGA (Newlands) is such a lovely setting and friends love it

If their local high school is Hyndland I think they’ll be at the main GA campus rather than Newlands

Depends on the subject you want to study and if you want one of the traditional well rated unis. Not a single non deprived Scottish kid gained entry to Edinburgh law for a good few years on the trot. Not sure what the current position is.

I think they should then apply this policy to all the parents who ‘buy’ a state place in east ren schools as well.

that would soon end an unfair policy.

enhancing students from deprived areas is great but is not the same as denying private school students or those from good socioeconomic backgrounds at al.

Or - let them pay the fees. It’s the low fees that the Scottish government pay for Scottish students to the unis that mean Scottish places are limited. Better have middle class Scottish parents pay Scottish uni fees than English/ elsewhere as happens now - especially because these kids -!likely higher rate tax payers - don’t return to Scotland after their English uni experience - and their tax revenues are sorely needed.

I personally love KA but it’s not for the typical academic so GP’s may be disappointed if child chooses something alternative in the future to study/do.

GA is the more classic choice and I’ve known plenty happy there.

HSoG I know the least about but sports wise is pretty good I believe.

Hutchy seems to have a split between alt and classic students from those I know personally.

St Al’s is more if you’re happy for there being a more religious element. I know a few from there and they give off a very traditional vibe.

All depends on the end goal really. Might be worth sending them to Hyndland til they figure themselves out and save the money for the exam years if something in particular becomes apparent?

There’s also Fernhill which seems to be making a come back from nearly closing

according to someone i spoke with in clearing this also wasn’t an option. Even if offering to pay fees the Scottish student limit had been reached and could not be admitted even if paying!!

Yes I know. It’s not currently permitted. . That’s why I say they need to permit Scottish students above the quota to pay.

I know its not what you asked but I’d just send them to Hyndland!