problems with secondary school

[marmalade4]

I have 2 children at a local secondary school which i feel have let my children down badly, i am now in a state where what ever they say would not be good enough, i have considered moving them but dont really feel this is an option, decided that my 4th will go to another school because of the issues i have with this school. i have considered sending my 13yrold to a private school as he has exceeded his targets in maths, science and geograpy, although i have asked him to be moved up in maths in particular i dont think he will be as the school is known for keeping children down to ensure they achieve their targets. I do feel i cant really go on with this school but there is no other option. Sorry for going on, just needed a rant!

keeping children down to ensure they achieve their target; I'm sorry but this will not happen as schools get a higher esteme from children exceeding their targets rather than just meeting them.

in what ways do you feel that the school has let your DC down?

marmalade4 - have you been able to go into the school and discuss all the issues you have?

I know that you feel that you cant trust the school right now but schools do change over time. How has the school let you down?

Sending your 4th child into a different educational environment is a huge financial commitment and will it also stir up resentments with your other children? The cost of sending one child to private school could benefit all 4 children in terms of extra tuition, courses etc.

gnome, my siblings and i were state or privately educated. Not once ever have i resented my brothers' private education from the age of 10 to 18 against my state education.

I have 2 dc in private and one in state. Each are happy in their own school.

30 years on from leaving education, i can honestly say it never crossed my mind about our different types of schooling.

Some families, maybe the siblings do resent it, but not in mine nor in my friends whose families did the same. We were all placed in different schools for different reason, mainly because we were suited to that environment, be that state or private.

DD'sTan the OP said that she feels that she has let her DCs down. The implication is that their needs arent being met. That is a different situation from children's needs being met by different schooling.

Any road up, the OP hasnt come back so I guess this was a rant rather than a request for help.

back now! thanks for your comments, the reason i am sending my youngest to another school is because he has speech and language delay and feel he would be better off in a different school as i dont believe he will get the help from the school the others are currently at, i dont feel i have let my children down, more the school has. i dont think the others are going to worry bout the separate schooling.

i feel the school has let my children down as dd has not received the support she was promised, i went to the school this time last year with concerns of sending her up only to be assured that she would get help, she didnt get it, i was told she didnt need it, but if you seen her maths you would think she was dyslexic in maths. primary school told them she had iep and needed extra help ie TA. I have been on to the school regarding moving my son up, no reply! the school has a reputation for not putting children up. parents complain about the lack of communication between teachers and parents, The head suspended my son (im not arguing with that) because she said he went 10 metres up a wall, i believed her, was telling my son off for 3 days only to go back and the deputy head saying he went 4ft up the wall! big difference! also the school now looks like an office block rather than a school and my youngest would feel overwhelmed and lost, also they have notebooks which apparently isnt meant to cover all lessons but they cant manage without them!

Sorry, I misread your post and thought you said that you felt you had let your older children down.

I cant pretend to be a fan of private education. If you can really afford it then that is fine but I know/have known many people who are beggaring themselves to buy something which ultimately they dont get. If there is a school which will meet your daughter's needs then go for it but be sure you are going to be getting what you pay for.

I just wonder whether you could use the money you are prepared to spend on private education to benefit all your children. For the same price as school fees you can buy an awful lot of extra tuition, special experiences, taxis to better state schools etc etc.

When you say putting your child up - do you mean to a higher set or something else? Setting is always rough and inperfect. For every child you have to move up, you have to move one down.

"I just wonder whether you could use the money you are prepared to spend on private education to benefit all your children. For the same price as school fees you can buy an awful lot of extra tuition, special experiences, taxis to better state schools etc etc."

Spreading the benefit across all the children could also be an option if you are in a position to home educate: if you can afford to send one child to private school, you could use that money instead for tutoring and extra activities for all of them. (That isn't to say that home education has to be an expensive business; many people like me do it on a shoestring.)

If you (and your partner if you have one) work full-time then you could have a nanny to keep an eye on all of them in the day. You could look for a nanny who is prepared to take on the home educating as well, or get separate tutors in (a few hours a week may be adequate), or teach them yourself when you aren't working.

i did mean to a higher set, but seems unfair to someone down in order to put someone up!, im not really in a position to pay for private ed, saracen, thanks for your comments your right really!

It may seem unfair, but what else do you do? Otherwise you end up with 60 in set 1. Parents are always keen for their child to move up but not down. You have to draw the line somewhere.