Independent schools topic?

[Clymene]

Hi MN

I wonder if we could create an independent schools topic? There are many (many) threads about this school vs that one, interview prep etc.

Im sure they're hugely interesting to the people who choose to send their children to fee paying schools but for the 93% of us who don't, they're irrelevant.

And more importantly, they push all the other threads off into the nether.

When this was discussed before, it had very little support.

I continue to think it's a bad idea. People are often asking about both sectors, so there would nit be a natural home.

Interestingly, the question came up before about this time of year - it's the peak of the offers round, so lots of threads. When it is national offers days for state schools, these will be the threads that are most numerous. It's just the normal ebb and flow of the school year

Hi there, we'll pass this on for discussion at MNHQ.

@AnotherNewt

When this was discussed before, it had very little support.

I continue to think it's a bad idea. People are often asking about both sectors, so there would nit be a natural home.

Interestingly, the question came up before about this time of year - it's the peak of the offers round, so lots of threads. When it is national offers days for state schools, these will be the threads that are most numerous. It's just the normal ebb and flow of the school year

Well maybe things have changed. I find the independent chatter exclusionary and I think it puts a lot of women off posting. It certainly has that effect on me and I'm sure I'm not alone

Thanks @EstherMumsnet

Hello again. Any more thoughts? There have been loads more new threads since my request last week and they are pretty much all about private schools.

It's honestly hugely off putting to me and I can imagine it is to most parents of secondary school children. It also makes MN look like a massively middle class mainly London bubble.

Yes, right now they will be about private schools, because it is the height of the admissions/offers season.

Once it gets to the national offers days for state schools and, later, the application deadline, the boards will be full of state school threads.

It's not a permanent domination, and that hasn't changed one iota

@AnotherNewt

Yes, right now they will be about private schools, because it is the height of the admissions/offers season.

Once it gets to the national offers days for state schools and, later, the application deadline, the boards will be full of state school threads.

It's not a permanent domination, and that hasn't changed one iota

You made your point before @AnotherNewt. The fact remains that most secondary schools are state and most MNera have children in the state system. And this isn't reflected in this topic.

I'm really not sure why this is so problematic to you

And if it is just a 'this time of year' thing, maybe it could be a private school admissions topic.

And then I, and the thousands of MNers who are not interested, can hide the topic and secondary education can get back to whether it's better to take French or Spanish at GCSE.

"can get back to whether it's better to take French or Spanish at GCSE"

And is that different between state and private?

Can’t you just scroll past?

@AnotherNewt

"can get back to whether it's better to take French or Spanish at GCSE"

And is that different between state and private?

Yes absolutely! Which is why if we put private school admissions in a separate topic, we can have threads about stuff that affects everyone.

@JayAlfredPrufrock - at the moment, it's like The Litter Tray is 90% threads about dogs. So no, not really.

at the moment, it's like The Litter Tray is 90% threads about dogs. So no, not really

Not really, it's like the Doghouse is currently 90% about cost of lockdown puppies but threads about other dog issues are still there and will be in the ascendancy in other seasons.

And the question about French/German could just as well belong in a 'private education' topic as it's relevant to both sectors.

I don’t understand your comment about litter tray.

Hi MN

Its been a while since I posted on here and haven't heard the result of your deliberations.

Secondary school is STILL enormously dominated by which private school should I chose?

I appreciate a PP's POV that this was about admissions but it's still going on.

My point about French vs German was that it's a topic that potentially affects all children.

Apart from anything else I think the optics are horrible but maybe it's a good look for advertisers.