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

[minifingerz]

... 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?

Sorry - deeply entrenched structural inequalities in educational provision that perpetuate privilege and deprivation ARE something to feel angry about.

I'm not interested in being on the side of the angels like you. I won't accept or stop complaining about deep unfairness in our education system which affects the life chances of children - mine and other people's.

"But I don't think that's a healthy way to view them. "

And I think acknowledging and calling out unfairness towards children is DEEPLY healthy thank you.

So surely the wider the audience the better ?

If you search for a private school or reviews for certain private schools, Mumsnet is very high up on the search results. That is the reason a lot of people come on here to enquire further, as they know there are other users talking about the same schools. Simple.

mini very few people go to private school. Our state primary is sending 15 children out of 90 (16%) and it's a wealthy catchment. The rest will go to the 3 state comps. If you're going to take that stance then you should surely also be railing against the grammar system as they cream off up to 30%? So does that mean separating threads into selective education and non selective education? We're paying for secondary and went to state primary and I have benefitted from hearing about children (and from parents of children when I've posted) in all types of education. There are lots of commonalities. I agree with lurked people talk about lots of things that are either unattainable to me or of no interest and it's pretty easy to just skip over those.

And how is all this anger working out for you mini?

Anger can be useful if channeled towards positive actions. But mostly it ends up negative and corrosive, impacting on those nearest rather than the focus of our distaste.

Wow, Mini so you are angry with private school parents. I can see why you want to have a different board now so you can hide us. Quite an agenda.

Thankfully MN is an all inclusive site.

No, education boards are not dominated by questions about private schools. The traffic for questions about private schools increases this time of year due to the admissions calendar.

Discussions on these boards are generated by user interest. If you want different conversations, you have to generate them. There is no point being resentful that other people have different interests and are able to find other like minded people. There are loads of threads that don't apply to me or pique my interest. I just skip them, you should too mini.

2016IsANewYearforMe No, education boards are not dominated by questions about private schools. The traffic for questions about private schools increases this time of year due to the admissions calendar

OK, so state school allocations are a week away which means I will see the Education boards being dominated by posts about state schools, right?

mini the biggest inequality in education is the state system, not the existence of the independent system. And I'm not referring to state grammars, the huge gulf between supposedly comprehensive schools is something that really angers me. But I'm still not angered by threads or posts from those with good state schools, and nor do I wish to avoid them. I want all state education to be equally good, not everyone to be in the position of only having inadequate schools. It's the actual state system that should anger you, not the individuals that are lucky enough to access good schools, whether they be state or private.

"It's the actual state system that should anger you, not the individuals that are lucky enough to access good schools, whether they be state or private."
I don't think Mini has expressed any anger with individuals, has she- just with the system. The problem with not including private schools in a generalised dissatisfaction with the system is that they do a lot to perpetuate the inequality. Not least because they mean that the movers and shakers of the world have no motivation to change a system that suits them perfectly well. And little understanding of the way the system impacts on the rest of us.

MumTrying OK, so state school allocations are a week away which means I will see the Education boards being dominated by posts about state schools, right?

Probably yes actually.

• There will be threads from people sad their child didn't get first choice with all friends and how to handle it.
• There will be loads of threads about how to build an admissions appeal.
• There might even be threads about how someone only put down one school and now they are in dire school across town and what should they do.
• Also people on wait lists who don't understand how XX got in and they didn't.
• People asking on the chance of a wait list moving

I have noted that there are a number of people posting about schools on my local MN Regional board. I wonder why they are not posting on the education boards?

Lurkedforever1 mini the biggest inequality in education is the state system, not the existence of the independent system.

Really? I'm not sure I agree. Surely, if a parent finds their indie/private falling short of their expectations they can simply shop around and walk with their feet (that seems to be the advice given most of the time on these boards). However, a parent with a DC in one of the worst performing state schools would be unlikely to have that option? I think the freedom of choice is what makes for the biggest divide.

However, I do agree that you make a point that does intrigue me. Unfortunately, due to the shear lack of comparative data to enable an accurate comparison between the state and indie/private education sectors, I do wonder how valid a statement like this could ever really be.

The divide between the worst and best performing state schools is unlikely to be adequately addressed whist the indie/private education system continues to provide a haven and blinkers for those who have the ability to change it.

TeenAndTween Welll as a parent of state educated DCs, one of which is awaiting their offer, I look forward to seeing the many, many threads on those topic.

What I do wonder is, how many parents will be poking around the internet a day or two before they receive their offer, will see this site and all the posts on indies/privates and will stick around to see if anyone posts about state schools.

We're awaiting our offer too, but it is a shoe-in for us (unless something has been messed up), so I'm not worrying. I've been on these boards 3 years or so now, and there are usually loads of posts after allocation, so I expect there will be this year too. Only a week to go, and we shall see ...

TeenAndTween Out of interest, which of the recent private school threads has been of most interest/use to you. After all there are a number of posts that seem to suggest that, despite the posts being about a specific private school and experiences therein, they are of interest and use to the majority of MN users.

They might be put off by threads like this one though (Secondary Allocations) which finished only a few days ago - posters here waiting for grammar/super selective grammar/outstanding catholic school/free school/semi-selectives pretending to be comps with nearly 70% 'high attainers' (MumTryingHerBest whom I believe has been paying for an 11+ tutor for a year) and music scholarship/sibling place at a comp with a banding test out of school hours to ensure totally feckless parents don't send their dc there (minifingerz).

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/2564883-Secondary-allocation-day

Someone has already pointed out that other boards have a separate independent school forum. The elevenplus forum has one and yesterday there was a minor spat - op posted on the very separate independent school board and got the usual 'why don't you apply to your local state school' which was obviously not what she was asking and then they took offence to her reasons why she wanted a private school.

I don't bother with any of the posts that name random London (or elsewhere) schools, I just ignore them. I do look at the Winchester ones as I live in the area.

I found the thread about the person choosing between 2 schools one of which had a Saturday school very interesting just to see what other people consider reasonable travel for an 11 year old. (We are 15 min walk from secondary. I wouldn't even consider commuting an hour for work, let alone have an 11yo do it).

Similarly we live in a fully comp area. I therefore generally ignore threads on 11+, though occasionally dipping in to remind myself how lucky I am to have accidentally ended up living where I do for schools.

Sometimes I read a thread where it turns out the child is at a private school, and I wonder why on earth the parent is paying for an education that is below the state schools we have here.

(And actually at the moment you could ask why I am on this board at all, as I have one DC at primary, and one at 6th form college. I'm just keeping my hand in really. )

Clavinova I can quite see why parents would be put off by one thread, was this just one example of many? Perhaps you can provide links to maybe 5 recent threads along the same lines of the one you have identified.

MumTryingHerBest whom I believe has been paying for an 11+ tutor for a year Oh right, I wasn't aware that children weren't tutored for indies/privates. Oh wait, yes they are:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/2574592-Private-tutoring-4

Yes my DC was tutored but then given the local preps. are heavily targeting the local state secondary schools and are coaching DCs in the 11 plus exam which local state primaries are not supposed to do (many are starting to now due to the disproportionate number of children from prep. schools gaining selective places at the local secondary state schools). The elevenplus forum makes it quite clear that a DC does not need to attend a prep. to get into a top ranked secondary school nor does a DC need a private tutor. However, it does make it clear as to what material a parent should use if they want their DCs to have a fighting chance of getting in. The local private preps. have a massive hand in ensuring an unlevel playing field.

I have only linked to one thread because it is current and the irony is fresh in my mind!

Clavinova

Out of interest, is this the big spat on the elevenplus forum you are referring to?

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=45947

Does anyone know how many areas still have grammar schools? It is not many really is it? Yet reading these boards one could be forgiven for thinking that 90% of the country still has a grammar system.

So thinking about it, instead of a separate private board, if you were going to differentiate (which I don't think is necessary) it might be better to have a separate 'selective education' board which could encompass private schools and grammar schools. (Especially as people also do private prep in order to get into state grammar).

Clavinova Tue 23-Feb-16 11:31:30 I have only linked to one thread because it is current and the irony is fresh in my mind!

I think you've linked to the wrong thread, from what I can see pretty much every type of school is mentioned on that thread. Where is the irony?

If you are questioning the selection criteria of the various schools mentioned on that thread, what fair selection criteria would you suggest a school uses in the event of oversubscription, wealth perhaps which is what all indies/privates use?

TeenAndTween Tue 23-Feb-16 11:41:48
Does anyone know how many areas still have grammar schools? It is not many really is it?:

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=64

TeenAndTween Yet reading these boards one could be forgiven for thinking that 90% of the country still has a grammar system.

lol, what based on the many, many threads regarding Grammar schools. Where are all these threads?

Not many at the moment I admit, they also go in waves, and maybe more on Primary. Often asking about tutors. And often mixed in with private. e.g. If my child doesn't get in to XXX grammar, which is better Y-private or Z-private.

Maybe I'm not correct though, as some private schools seem to have 'Grammar' in their name which is just plain confusing! And perhaps there are more grammar based areas than I realised given I am based in lovely comprehensive Hampshire.

I don't pay attention to the details of selective education threads, just let it all wash over me really. Doesn't worry me in the slightest.