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....

Can't those who are obsessed with seeker see how thoroughly they are embarrassing themselves? Digging and speculating about the details of her life is pathetic.

@pugs I'm not sure how wide your experience of Oxbridge types can be if you think it is rare to find socially confident extrovert characters at either university. When I was at one, you couldn't move for bumping into them!

Sorry, as the parent of very socially unconfident DCs and being socially rubbish myself I understand where you are coming from - but it's just not true that most highly intelligent people are like us. I think it might well be true that a very high proportion of AS or dyspraxic people are very highly intelligent - but there are scads more highly intelligent people who are also highly socially competent. Sad (for us) but true.

However I would point out that being gorgeous and being socially unconfident are not mutually exclusive

(I'd also point out that I myself have always been evidence to the contrary :( but my DDs put that theory to bed).

When I was at Cambridge I had variously Blue hair, Black hair, and a full Lieutenant Ilia (or as the non geeks might say, a full Sinead). This however did not make me an extrovert or socially competent. It just made me someone who was running away from being ginger and curly.

Of course not all clever people are socially awkward, but I would be willing to bet that Oxbridge houses more students with ASD traits than say, Leeds Met.

Russians Absolutely! but of course they wear glasses and their hair scraped back in an unflattering style so their true gorgeousness is not appreciated

And my experience of Oxbridge types is very wide. It is rare to find socially confident, extrovert characters in these situations!"

really? most of the "Oxbridge" types I know are socially confident almost to a fault!

Sorry that sweeping generalisation was addressed to your previous post, not your DDs!

I am infuriatingly married to an Oxbridge grad & there were very few socially extrovert in his year I can assure you!

copthall, I wasn't critiscizing parents who go private in Richmond . Just pointing out that you couldn't do a straight comparison between Richmond and Kingston for instance if you wanted to compare a borough with and without grammars, even though they are both green and leafy.

DS started his education in Kingston.. For some parents, the year he started reception, the answer to boschy's question would have been " I am choosing a private education for my 4 year old because it is now June and the council haven't offered my child a place in any school anywhere, not even a sink school 5 miles away".

There's nothing wrong with glasses. Or with scraped back hair. When I was a kid I wanted to be Joyce Davenport. Sadly I never did turn into her.

seeker Yes that is my sweeping generalisation of choice / to satisfy the requirements of the chip on my shoulder. ALL Oxbridge types are arrogant arses, unless of course they aren't..................

I think the student body is a mixed bag - as one would expect.

Obviously they are heavy on the public schooled, who tend to be on the upper end of the confidence scale.

That said, I think the system fosters confidence even in those naturally at the lower end. The tutorial system is very bolstering, I think.

"I am infuriatingly married to an Oxbridge grad & there were very few socially extrovert in his year I can assure you!"

They were probably all out partying and he didn't realize they were there! You do realize that David Cameron, Giles Brandreth , Stephen Fry, Hugh Lawrie are all "Oxbridge grads"- to use your terminology?

@Pugs so you knew everyone in his year did you? At both universities? Blimey. I felt like I knew plenty of people (I did know plenty of people) in my year but everyone? No way. And I knew very few people in my year at the other place. Sadly. Because otherwise I might have met Sam West and my life might have been Very Different (unlikely I know. But still).

So are eton types so self assured because they aren't actually in this 5%?

What subject did he read pugs..... I'm guessing Maths or Physics maybe? (sticking with a safe stereotype:)). But actually, year? Yup, another sweeping statement, rendered valueless by its sweepingness. Maybe not many in his college in his subject were hugely outgoing but I refuse to believe that an entire cohort was afflicted by social awkwardness and immaturity, it just doesn't happen.

No way do you know a representative selection of your OH's year. Plenty of extroverts in my year, for sure (including Matthew Pinsent, briefly, until he dropped out to row) although I can't speak for the Fenland lot

I think if you read Maths or Physics, you'd get a fair smattering of aspies.

Wahey, this thread has got totally derailed. Again.

Why hasn't Totally got a view on Oxbridge types?

And again, I htink the college system is brilliant for aspies.

Yellow ahem Most of the mathmos were very in-yer-face at my place. And the mathmos I have come to know subsequently (through work mainly) who went to your place are also a confident bunch.

Go on pugs, please, indulge my need for a stereotype: which subject?

Quite hard to get through the selection process without at least some self confidence!

Hester - a bit late to the party since the seeker bashing has largely gone quiet but I'm sure seeker appreciates your support albeit a few hours too late

And why are you infuriatingly married btw?