In what respect is Private better than state education?

[halfrom]

Reading many of the posts I came to the conclusion that Private wasn't always better than state.

My main reasoning is A) If an entrance exam i.e 11+ is passed and the teachers at a particular school are supposed to be brilliant teachers, then why are some under performing students asked to leave. Surely the teachers can teach them to their required level. B) Some teachers are hand picked for ability as was my dh as a leader in a very specialised subject has visited most private/ Independant schools when required. However, he has also taught joe bloggs from down the street. Hence the children had same tutor, gained same results. Joe bloggs paid far less as a school didn't charge more. A friend has dd who has private Drama and speech coaching on saturday, does exams through I imagine same board as Private schools, and is a fantastic public speaker. So how do Privately educated children gain?

Whose comment happy? Mine or hers?

Day schools don't cost anything like £33K pa of course.

I still can't quite get my head around one child at the £33K school and one at a comp but you clearly have very good reasons! (just curious).

yellowtip
my kids are at a comp. just a very good one.
happy
the OPs comment included day schools - and just to pick a school that has had threads about it lately www.stdunstans.org.uk/fees £15,000 a year is well within the budget of many London families

It depends entirely on the individual school.

'private' is not better than 'state'.

A private school may be better for a particular child or family than a state school. A state school may be better thsn a private school for a particular child/family.

My dds school is worth every penny for the 8 hours plus in house sport each week alone. Other parents wouldn't care or need that. Horses for courses and all that

Talkin I don't see how you know that level of detail about the finances of parents at a type of school your kids don't attend.

It's far too sweeping a generalisation, made worse by MN. The reality is somewhere between your view and that of your parents. Of course since grammars are intended to be inclusive, the middle classes have every right and reason to take the test and attend.

yellowtip your comment re middle class families being able to afford indie but choosing grammar I too just don't buy into that line.
TalkingPeace2 but two children at £15000 PA = £30 000 and three....

In answer to the OP: Not having to mix with rough/poor kids.

Everything else is window dressing.

"ThisIsNotMyLife" in what way is it window dressing? And what is actually wrong with mixing with poor rough kids? They don't have life threatening infectious diseases as far as I'm aware.

Thisisnotmylife
That is such a crock of shit

"I'm even going to comment what ever I say those deluded soles in state ed.will continue to tell me that whatever my DS receives at his top boarding school their DC's receive at their state comp. And when all else fails will resort to criticising me for boarding my DS."

I'm a bit disappointed to read this, happy gardener - I thought we had had a vey interesting conversation on the subject yesterday or the day before which didn't read like that to me at all- I thought it was friendly and civilised. What a shame you feel the need to characterize it in this way.

I think the biggest difference between state and private is the parental input. Most private school parents want results because they?re paying for their child?s education.

Actually, lots of the top indies have really good scholarships and bursaries up to 100% to help bright and able children from families who would not afford it otherwise. So a private education is NOT out of reach of the less well off at all. You just need to know where to look and how to go about it.

ThisIsNotMyLife - My DH is an immigrant from North Africa, most of his friends are immigrants from North Africa - most of them live in social housing and receive benefits .

Should I ban my privately educated children from mixing with them and their children?

Oh hang on DH was poor and foreign when I met him, should I put barbed wire down the middle of the room so the boys can't get near him in case they catch forrin off him!

Sorry seeker we did have an interesting conversation on it yesterday and I too thoroughly enjoyed it and of course I also love writing controversial views (I'm sure you've already worked that one out). But I do get fed up of people criticising those of us who choose to board our children and I also get fed up when some people stereotype me as much as I get really cross when others steryotypre the "great unwashed and the "rough/poor kids" I also do accept that it may not have been you I haven't actually looked, x

Idratherbemuckingout I couldn't agree more there are lots of bursaries out there but in this day and age of economic down turn more and more parents are chasing them so inevitably not all will get them. Also 7 yrs ago bursaries were virtually unheard of now so many know and more apply and again more will be disappointed.

happy
Slightly aside question
various friends whose kids board near to their homes (for the away working husband reason) joke that they spend as much time driving to the school to watch sports and arts fixtures as they would doing the school run. How you get round that one with one foot in each system?

My fee paying school never told any of the parents that we were all bunking classes - they just kept taking the cash up till half of us failed our A levels.

Well, I live in an area with very good comps but a very high proportion of parents still send their dc's to private schools.

So this suggests it's not necessarily the quality of state education that's the issue - there are other factors at play that include tradition (parents went private so send their kids private)/they can afford it/idea that if you pay for it then it must be better/superiority (sorry this does apply in some cases)/facilities/smaller classes - all sorts of reasons; some nice some not so nice.

My dc's go to good state schools which I know are looked down on by some. But you see, I just don't 'get' why some of my acquaintances rave about the private schools they've chose. Sport? well, my kids aren't sporty. Drama facilities? Um, they do drama at a local arts theatre. Loads of homework? No, I don't think that's a good idea. And so on ...

Horses for courses

Grunge
What do you class as "very high"? The highest I'm aware of (from checking stats for DH as he journeys around the country) is Ealing with over 40%. Here in Hampshire its nearer 3% (because a lot of the kids at the boarding schools come from outside the county)

I dont know percentages (not giving away where I live!) but in the primary schools in my town, which is commuter belt, I'd say abour 20-25% go private each year for secondary. Obviously there are more who are in the private system from 4yrs and stay there.

That's probably not a statistic for the county/LEA as a whole though

hmmm, that is pretty high!
it interests me because when DH gets a booking we have to use information on the interweb thingy to try to work out what sort of school it will be and Ofsted often gives little clue! He's been to some REALLY rough schools in the most unexpected towns and some gems in others.

I went to one of the top ten private schools in the country and did very well academically - because I was terrified not to. I was in the top 3 in every subject in my year, every single year.

It was shit. My high exam marks were so not worth it all.

I have nothing against poor kids - I was one.

I still stand by what I said.

LOL Talkinpeace2 - a couple of years ago I witnessed some parental fisticuffs at gates of a local v posh establishment and police were called to break it up

Which kept us all entertained for some time

I've just been trying to find a breakdown by LEA on the percentage that go private and found this instead .....
www.isc.co.uk/Publications_ISCCensus.htm
very interesting actually
and may help people to judge WHERE their school fits in to the whole scene

Hullo, I'm ElaineReese, I just got tired of the name - wouldn't want anyone to think I was hiding though

I think it's tolerably clear that I'm not keen on private education, and I've said why a fair few times. It would be nice if being ideologically opposed to it didn't get translated as being poor, or having a chip on my shoulder, or being jealous, or stupid, but it's par for the course with something so contentious I suppose.

God will enjoy striking me down with a thunderbolt if I win the lottery and send my kids private - I disagree with it in the same way I disagree with many things - and agree with many others, obviously - but sometimes it seems that that isn't allowed to stand as a viewpoint, however wrong some people may think it is, without it being attributed to stupidity or jealousy.

Elaine/Original
Which bugs you more - fee paying or state funded selective?