So IF you had tons of wong, would you send em private?

[Hullygully]

Enough wong that you barely noticed the outlay and could still have hols etc?

seeker - I asked you the exact same question a few months ago and you said
not under any circumstances, that your principles would mean this was something you would never do.

What's changed?

Mutt, enjoy your curry.

But the point I am making is that it is easy to be sanctimonious about your choice of a state school, if it's not a failing inner city comp, with crumbling classrooms and no playing fields, etc, etc.

You want to choose a good school, and if that happens to be free, well all to the better.

Fair enough. I have the same view. But I don't try to dress it up as some kind of egalitarian principle. I just want the best for my DC. Selfish as at may be.

... As long as they don't have to do holy pop and call the masters by their first names, huh seeker?

Who are you, and what have you done with seeker?

Oh, I get it, she has been taken over.....

Watch out everyone, if Seeker has abandoned her principles, there is no hope for anyone. She'll be having dinner with Dave & Sam next.... you watch.

Glad to see you're awake

Only if they are madly trad TOSN!

Sorry I cannot stay for what I am sure will be a lively debate from now on.

Adios!

No, I don't think I would. Unless we were in a really dire situation where this was the only way e.g. special needs could be met.

We did give up on our principles about car ownership when dd's disability deteriorated. But wouldn't have done it just for convenience.

I really, really, really want tons of wong. And I wouldn't spend any of it on private education.

Can someone please remind me of these specific Principles involved in rejecting private education out of hand. Ta.

Before I had DC I would have said hand on heart I would send my kids to the local comp, whatever it was like. I believed that we have a duty to improve the state education system for the benefit of everyone, and that needs things like committed, educated people to be on the board of governors etc etc etc..... Now I have kids, not so sure.... Some of the schools round here are truly dire. Would I be failing my kids to send them to a crap school because of my principles? I suspect I would....

@Hully, if its that much Id get them a private tutor in Hawaii!!

I don't know what the principles are in 'rejecting it out of hand' - don't remember being offered it to reject, to be honest! I know what the principles are in being opposed to it, if that's what you mean.

But that's what the OP os offering...enough wong to go to any private school you fancied.

Ah yes, true, I didn't think of it in that way because captainbarnacle's post seemed slightly detached from the argument. Suspect if you have no idea what the principles of such a position might be, you may not be open to hearing them anyway - I think most people who are in favour of private schools do at least know why some other people are not, even if they think those arguments are rubbish.

Anyway, I guess the point I'm making is that it's not 'out of hand', which suggests it's not been thought through.

I once met a nice guy who told me he was a teacher at a private school."Oh", says I, "what subject do you teach?"

"Bagpipes" says he.

Don't think I would pay extra for bagpipes.

Normally, one hires a piper when needed- one does not play the pipes oneself..........

though one does, of course, get to call the tune....

No. Just because I could afford it doesn't mean I would. It depends entirely on the situation.

I can afford to send them privately but am not planning to. DD1 is going to Tiffin so why would I shell out £15k a year to send her to a school that may not be as good or as rounded as the one she is going to?

If she didn't get into a school she liked or was right for her academically or sportily (is that a word????) then I would consider (and did consider) sending private.

Never say never when it comes to your kids and education.

In a heartbeat. I had a good quality state education but looking around at the state schools on offer now I don't think my DC can have the same quality of education unless it's paid for. In our area anyway.

Ye ken a've made th' grade a'm a tap class fellow
Ah dinnae play th' piano 'n' ah dinnae play th' cello
But dinnae disrespect mah musical knowledge-
Cos a'm th' bagpipe teacher at Eton College.

No I wouldn't. However if the state schools were as poor as the one that I attended I would pay if I had the means.

I would - because there's a Montessori near me and I love their ethos and the fact that they don't force all manner of god stuff into their pupils' faces like the state school they're at!

I would do it in a heartbeat. I'm already going to send DD to private secondary, but would also do nursery and primary etc if I had loads of money :)

(mostly because I'm finding the idea of getting into a primary school very stressful!!)

Having said that, most of my friends went to private school, but the one that didn't is the one who has two first class degrees, a distinction in her masters degree and achieved the highest GCSE results ever recorded at her comprehensive. So stress aside, it largely depends on the child.