Who can afford private schools in the UK?

[wjchoihk]

Hi. I am not sure if this is an appropriate question to ask here. But I have always wondered how rich you should be to send children to private schools in UK. Fees are anywhere from 3000 up to 10000 per term. Even allowing for wide gaps in income, thinking of 'avearge' UK wage of 26,000 pound, math simply don't add up for a normal life with such high fees. I also know only 7% of children go private though.

How much of private parents live on "inherited" wealth and how much on simply superior current earnings? I have my kids at SW London privates but I wouldn't be able to afford this without current int'l expat package. Some parents at my kids' schools LOOK and ARE very very rich but most of them LOOK quite down to earth. But I can't ask....

Diane Abbott will never go back to the state system, she will claim it is better and suitable for us ONCE her son has gone to uni......

Diane Abbott's son wanted to go to the private school to which he went.

I would have done the same in her position, in all likelihood.

Neither do I.

I don't agree with private education from a societal perspective. Just as seeker doesn't agree with grammar schools from a societal perspective. We both ended up sending DC to them though.

I just wish people could be more honest about this. And not invent convoluted reasons why they had no choice. As education currently stands, I refuse to sacrifice my DC's education in order to maintain a consistent political position. I think most people who care feel the same.

Of course Diane Abbott's son wanted to go. It wasnt Diane's idea at all. At 10 whatever you children want to do you will give to them. After all they know best! She preaches about labour values and then takes her son out of the state system and pulls the race card. Something about saying white teachers dont relate to her son. Well in private schools you will see few black teachers.

All complete nonsense.

I have a son at private school, with fees knocking on £16k a year, and we really struggle. Our joint income is in the region of £95k, but there's no way we could afford to send the rest of our kids private. We never go on exotic holidays, and are lucky if we manage a fortnight in France once a year. We drive a clapped out old car, and really have to count the pennies. We rarely eat out, and are permanently on the brink of going over our overdraft limit, so god knows how someone on the average wage (£26k?, must be more in London) or even on benefits manages to pay school fees. Interesting how few people on this threat actually reveal what their actual income is.... that very British thing of not wanting to talk about money I guess......! But with the anonimity of Mumsnet, why not?

Because we will get flamed for stealth boasting arnie or for rubbing it in the faces of those on lower incomes.

By the way, I completely agree with marni23, I completely oppose private education, despite having a child at private school. I think it's socially divisive and only perpetuates the class differences that are still alive and well in today's society. But like marni23, I simply wasn't prepared to send my child to the local comp which is dismal in so many ways. In an ideal world, private education (along with private health) would be abolished, and all ALL parents would have a vested interest in the improvement of state education. At the moment, it's still very much them and us, sadly.

Realistically there is no way that anyone on benefits can afford school fees. And £26k is not enough. Realistically £80k+ plus as a minimum unless you are getting some help with the fees

Totally BS; just being honest about your income isn't necessarily boasting - after all that's what the first poster asked - how much do you need to earn to afford private education. If you've got two kids and live in London and like to eat out occasionally, take a couple of holidays a year, drive a decent car and keep your house in a halfway decent state I think you'd need to be earning £150k+ at least. Or maybe I'm just shit with money........ waits to be shot down in flames

By the way, I completely oppose private education, despite having a child at private school.

That's quite cute arnie.

I dont opposed private education neither do I oppose grammar schools. Its the people that dont agree with them and then send their children to them that I have an issue with. It will never be the right time for them to go back to the state system. to use the NHS as opposed to private. Of course for the rest of us the state system should be used at all times.

They have a 'yes but, I am different and an exception', My circumstances are different'.

Arnie, I think you can do it for less tbh. I have two DS's one at a senior boarding school and one at a prep school. My DH and I both work . I think it also depends on your mortage. A £250k mortgage is obviously going to be considerably different to a £50k one. Also, do you have to run two cars, are your travelling costs expensive, do you have maintenance payments for previous relationships etc.

It does all depend...

maisiejoe123 I agree I hate this Im different so different rules apply to me. Its pure hypocrisy.
I believe in independent ed and know at it's very best it is better than anything in the state sector. I'm not ashamed of my views but also admire and respect those who genuinely feel differently; not people with chips on their shoulders making ridiculous unfounded assumptions or people who say they believe X but in their circumstances it doesn't apply but those whose principles mean that stick by them come what may.

I despise Diane abbot for what she said, and what she did, and what she says about what she did. I think she's a ridiculous woman, despite being a labour voter through and through.

Please don't assume that anyone who purports to have principles is the same as Diane Abott. One of the reasons I loathe her is that she's given people a reason to buy into that line of argument.

Happy.

Whoa you go girl, get them told . I love your principle speech btw.

maisie (a long way back but I'm picking this up as I plough steadily through): 'There will be little time for extra activities as the top grammars are obsesses with results. Plenty of friends children go to them and that is their top complaint!'.

maisie all my kids go to a really top grammar and my top observation (since it's not a complaint) is that they watch far too much tv, spend far too much time on fb and far, far too much time on the x-box. And that's because there's plenty of spare time even after the slightly more conventionally healthy extra- cs.

are obsessed. Sorry, my mistype.

Happy - anyone who doesnt believe in selective education surely cannot expect to be taken seriously when they come up with such nonsense. Seeker has clearly never seen or been around a private school and neither has Russian, they just bitch about the rest of us paying for what they see as privilege.

Of course they themselves can use selective education. Its different for them.

Yellow - would you really listen to someone who competely opposes something (presumably for the rest of us!) and then uses it themselves.

Surely if it good enough for them we should be able to have a peek too..

The only way I could "not" use selective education where I live is to home educate! Weird, huh? All state education is overtly selective, all private is either overtly or covertly selective.

So seeker - you were forced to use the grammar's.... I have heard it all now! And of course you cannot move so you are stuck!

happy with respect the best in the state sector can most certainly compare on the educational front to the best in the independent sector. The playing fields might be less showy for sure, but those don't really go to the essence, do they?

As an aside, and if you feel prepared to answer this, then I'm really curious: how on earth can one of your DC go to the school he does while the other goes to the local, albeit very good, comp? I can't quite get my head around that, though you've clearly thought it right through. It's just such a gulf: how does that work in terms of sibling equity etc? Sorry, nosy.

I was forced to use the selective system, yes. And I am not going to tell you why I can't move. Because it is personal. And you would be, I hope, embarrassed for your disbelieving quotation marks if I told you. Believe me, if I could move, this county would not see me for dust.

Nobody is forced to use selective education! You could just use one of those perfectly good secondary modern's you were trying to convince me would be as good as private school for my single dd I had because I wanted to save for private school rather than have 2 or more dc's. But you chose the state funded grammar school which is probably very similar in the league tables to my dd's private selective school! And criticised me for choosing selective!!!! [shakes head in disbelief]

Getting a bit tired of this thread, all this people using the selective systems for their own ends and claiming for all sorts of reasons that they have been forced into it!

Yellow, we have some friends who use a private for two children and a grammar for the oldest. The oldest is hoping to study medicine. She was a clear grammar school girl and it doesnt seem to have caused any jealousy or issues at all. They are just one of the couples who have not been happy with the grammar and the out of school actitivies in particular.

Still, apparently despite the fact she is still there I have been misinformed... And the other friends have also misinformed me....