Has this board always been dominated by questions about private schools?

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... and the Education board?

I'm sure I remember this board being relevant to most parents even as recently as last year.

Wouldn't it make sense to have a separate board for private education, rather than having these ones silted up with queries about fee paying schools, given that it's of no relevance to 93% of UK parents?

Wasn't there a survey that showed that 50% of mumsnetters use private schools?

That wouldn't surprise me bert.

The sponsoring that MN attracts indicates a wealthy demographic.

Until the scotsnet thread appeared, it was fairly pointless any Scottish mner going on any of the education threads at all. Have no idea what Year X means age-wise as we don't use that categorisation, and have no angst about applying and being selected for particular state schools. Our dcs just go to the local one as the accepted norm. It's very easy. If you do want to go out of catchment you have to apply but the vast majority of people don't bother and just go to the nearest one. Sixth form college is another thing we don't really have - our secondaries or high schools ( no, its not an Americanism, they have always been called high schools in Scotland) take students from first year to sixth year. They don't need to leave and go anywhere else for their last year. I don't really understand that one.

Really?

A secondary ed thread to complain about a secondary ed thread?

Perhaps I'm a little sensitive as I started a specific London private school thread yesterday afternoon, but this feels a little petty.

As a long time (11 years and counting) MN -ab-user I've never grumbled that 99% of threads have nothing to do with me, and so should be segregated.

I'm sorry that my request for help and comment has somehow caused the op so much angst they needed support and counselling to deal with the appearance of a secondary school specific post in the secondary school specific board.

Entirely my mistake - I'm new on this board and thought it operated under the normal MN rules of "post what you like in the relevant area and if someone wants to respond, they will". Silly me.

Next time, I'll ask the ops permission first.

demented

In England we have a 2 year 6th form. Not all schools can offer all options. So although in many areas schools do have 6th forms, they tend to only offer A levels (similar to Highers). However kids wanting/needing to go down a more vocational route go to colleges to do BTECs in e.g uniformed public services, childcare, animal care, hair and beauty, business administration, catering or whatever.
In Hampshire in particular none (except 1 or 2 outliers) of the comps have any 6th forms, so everyone has to make an active choice as to what they want to do next. The colleges offering A levels can then offer practically every combination under the sun, and there are next to no timetabling constraints or courses being cancelled due to insufficient demand. It does have some drawbacks, but seems to work well, and is a great stepping stone to university I think.

It did seem a little odd, I think it was yesterday, that there were three threads about LEH - but maybe that reflected admissions procedure and the time of year? Generally, though its quite easy to avoid these threads if you want to so I don't really see the issue.

"I'm sorry that my request for help and comment has somehow caused the op so much angst they needed support and counselling to deal with the appearance of a secondary school specific post in the secondary school specific board."

Might you be over reacting just a tad?

as someone who just added another one, sorry. I agree it's the time of year, in the run up to January it was about applications and preparation, January exams and now it's offers time. 1st March will get busy again but with state offers and appeals. Agree demographic seems to be weighted to London and surrounding areas.

On a broader point, I do actually think there is an issue with the disproportionate number of private school parents on here.

Hang on a minute while I dig a trench and find my tin hat- OK, I feel a bit safer now.

I think that there is a bit of a tendency to assume that private education is accessible to anyone and that it is what everyone wants. And that state education is substandard and really a bit crap. People say outrageous things about state education, state school teachers and state school pupils and are very rarely pulled up on it - but the slightest disobliging comment on private schools and the wrath of God descends. The critical mass of private school users tends to skew the discussions in a way that must be very unhelpful for a new parent looking for advice on either sector.

No I don't agree on a separate board. Many people look at all options and I think it's better to have the whole inclusive topic.

Good point Bertrand . In my social circle and that of pretty much everyone I know, there are only 2 people who send their children to private schools. One of these is someone who would never normally have contacted with socially,but we met at a rather highbrow work thing and hit it off so maybe I can't really count him! I read the private school posts out of interest, but really just because it intrigues me to hear about this very different world to mine!

Bert I'm delighted to affirm that I do not assume that private education is accessible to anyone.

Nor do I assume that it is what everyone wants.

Nor that state education is substandard and really a bit crap.

But I have this ridiculous idea that knowledge is - useful, enlightening, some other word meaning the same as "empowering" but not quite so crappy. So I'm happy to share such knowledge as I have of routes to accessing independent education for people who might want it. Just as I'm happy to point out instances where people might be seeking a certain type of school for the wrong reasons - probably because they have been misinformed.

And as for making assumptions about one sector or the other - I doubt that any two children's experience can ever be the same, given the infinite variety of contexts, so all assumptions are pointless.

Gruach- you did notice that I said "a bit of a tendency"? Obviously it doesn't apply to everyone and I intended nothing personal. But if the actual % of people using private schools is 7, and on this site it is about 50, then this site is not representing real life. I am sure you will agree!

Bert over-reacting a tad? Definitely!

To be clear, I don't and didn't make any assumptions about anyone else's choices. But I hoped that some (maybe 7%, maybe 3%, maybe just 0.001%) of the MN population might be able to provide some much needed insight into the specific question dh and I are facing, so I asked the question.

Didn't mean to cause any trouble, officer

Didn't take it personally (stating my position allowed me another 5 minutes in bed) - but really, if the site is not representing real life what d'you want to do? Make everyone fill in a diversity form and impose quotas?

I think that posters who send their children to state comprehensive schools feel like they can't post on here.

Unless they are the rabid state school parents who like to rip the shit out of those tho chose private education. Those ones have no issues posting whatsoever.

We use a state comp and I have no problem posting here. We could afford private and I have no problem with people who choose to do so.

Love and peace.

Ask about whichever schools you want. Can you imagine if private school MNers asked for a separate section with no posts about state schools? Trenches and tin hats would be useless in the face of the barrage of abuse they'd get.

I don't believe understand why anyone would hesitate to post about state schools on here, and don't buy the 'board getting clogged up with threads that aren't relevant to the majority of posters ' argument either. MN has a lot of boards, most of whose threads are probably irrelevant to many people. For the record, I went to state school, as do my dc and I am a teacher.

And if MN doesn't represent 'real life', then that's just the way MN is! Reorganising it by forcing everyone into labelled boxes in order to hide the sections of MN society that don't fit your world view isn't really going to change that.

I thought that Mumsnet was supposed to be about support and empathy. As I posted before a lot of these threads are started by London parents with children in state primaries who because there are a shortage of school places, have seen parents left with only the offer of a state school place in a RI school, perhaps several miles and a difficult journey away or no offer at all. Believe me that is a miserable and upsetting experience whoever you are, and parents understandably then turn to other options to avoid it. Many boroughs actually relie on parents to be deterred into private education by regularly leaving parents without school places sometimes until September, it allows them to operate with zero spare capacity. Hence the high proportions of children -30% plus in private education.

These parents are simply trying to access the knowledge of the process for securing a good school place that parents in private preps would get from their schools. Indeed if you read the threads, many are not even from the UK in the first place let alone with access to that sort of cultural capital. I would have thought it was a good thing that for a few weeks a year Mumsnet is a source of support and help to the disadvantaged in this process.

"Didn't take it personally (stating my position allowed me another 5 minutes in bed) - but really, if the site is not representing real life what d'you want to do? Make everyone fill in a diversity form and impose quotas?"

No, of course not. I'm fine with how it is now. I was just pointing out a difficulty that I have seen. One which I think people should be aware of because of the way it skews perception.

"Unless they are the rabid state school parents who like to rip the shit out of those tho chose private education. Those ones have no issues posting whatsoever."

Ah. I suppose it all depends on where you're standing, doesn't it.

Good lord what a thread!

FWIW I found this board invaluable when my son in a state secondary was having a dreadful time. I had great advice from other parents of children in both State AND Private schools.

DS is now in a special school for children with Sp,L and Communication issues

This board kept me sane when I was on the point of falling apart.

Peace and love to all....no matter how or where you educate your child.

If you are going to have a separate thread for private where do you stop? Separate for grammar and 11+ as well? Someone the other day wanted all boarding school topics to have a separate thread .

In many cases people are choosing between state and private, which thread would they post on?