Private or State for your own kids?

[Bambambini]

Not a teacher but curious how teachers really feel about this. I've chosen state for my kids - one in yr 10 and one in yr 7. We can afford private but i was really torn and there's none in our town so worried about kids having a slightly longer day on the bus and having no friends locally.

As teachers who really have much more insight to education. Would you choose private or state if you had the choice forvyour own kids and cost wasn't an issue. No grammars here so local schools are very much a mix of abilities and backgrounds.

Worrying that i made the wrong decision, husband was for private.

if you think state schools are good enough to teach in but not good enough for your own children

No one has said that. We want our children to attend the best fit school for them, just like anyone else. That's why we choose certain state schools over others, private over state.

It was my PGCE tutor who said that, not anyone on this thread.

I teach in private and will send my children private (when I have some!). Part of the reason I chose to work in the private sector is the fee remission most schools offer to the children of staff.

I'm not a teacher but my two go to a prep school and I was surprised how many of their peers have parents who teach - both st their school (hefty reduction in fees) or other schools

Private and DS is at private as I get a good fee remission.

I've always looked at all the schools and made the choice based on each child, at that time and the need of the rest of the family (work commitments etc).

DS1 will probably stay in state at secondary. He'll like the local schools I think and they'll fit his personality.

DS2 I hope to find a small secondary and round here private is the only option for that at secondary.

I've worked in both sectors. Some schools in both I'd rather home school my own DC than send them there!

State comprehensive schools because I think it's immoral to pay for rich average-to-clever kids to get the best education. A controversial position, I know.

Yes, i guess it is immoral that money can get you a possibly better education and leg up - but we can suddenly be immoral when it comes to our own kids.

That applies to many good state schools though.
I teach in a wonderful state comp, most over subscribed in the area, and houses on the same road as the school, ie a guaranteed place, go for a massive price premium, double what a similar house would fetch in the next nearest town.
Many of the kids i teach talk about moving into the area next to the school so their parents could be certain of a place. Our results, our progress 8 etc etc are massively better ( we are well above national average, they are well below national average).
Money is buying those kids a much better education,albeit money ploughed into their parents homes rather than directly to the school.

I agree Rosie.

The cost of that premium when we were applying for primary schools where we used to live was around 50k to get into 'the' primary. It's probably more like 80 now.

Then those parents would congratulate themselves on going state.

I don't congratulate myself. My kids go to pretty average state schools. One of them was in requires improvement for a while. I've often felt pretty conflicted about my choices.

I do however believe that the perpetuation of a two tier education system is bad for society as a whole and I want no part of it.

As for the whole premium for some state schools thing, well I think that's a load of bollocks too and a product of this stratified system. Moreover, I really believe (having taught in one for 7 years) that the kids who do well there would do just as well anywhere. It's often more about the catchment than the teaching.

As I said before, I don't really expect to convince people. I think it's the truth though. If I could wave a magic wand, I'd turn all fee-paying school's into state schools. I think the standard of education across the whole country would rise immeasurably if those in power couldn't by themselves out of the mess state education is allowed to founder in.

bambambini

True - even if every school was state - the students would still benefit from wealthier parents. Not all state schools are equal - money will out.

State comp for mine, good teaching, making good progress, happy.

We could afford private but see no point.

Rosie's point is exactly right. Middle-class parents just pay in a different way for an excellent state school - by buying very expensive housing.

In the city I live in, there is one brilliant state secondary and pretty much all the rest are between mediocre and good with a few very poor ones. This oustanding secondary school is a couple of kilometres away from us but we are not in the catchment - the houses in this area are 700k plus - out of reach of most ordinary people. Unsurprisingly, this school gets outstanding results.
Theoretical, as my children are still pre-school, but if they were secondary age now I'd have a better chance of paying the monthly school fees for a local private school than securing a mortgage with affordable payments in this area.

No some middle class parents pay some housing premium to get them into the best state schools.

Lots of well educated, middle class parents put their kids in normal state schools. They do fine.

Perpetuating a myth that the only 2 schooling options worth considering are private schools or a school where houses in catchment cost 700k is hysterical and unhelpful. What do you think most people do?

LOL, My Dc are in a good comp. it certainly is not predominantly middle class and might even be described by some MNers as 'scary'.

But it is actually my contact with teens in schools that reassures me that very few young people are actually 'scary', and that where they are they may not present as such to adults who expect what they see, and they come in many forms and places, including private schools.

There are fewer issues with alcohol and drugs in the state school I work in than private schools of my experience.

I agree with posters who say the important thing is the individual child and individual school. All I am saying is, look beyond what you think you know.

Yes bambambini of course the world isn't equal, of course parents of wealthy children are advantaged. That's why it's not good for the country or for education to perpetuate an education system that is essentially a race where the fittest and most advantaged get given a massive head start.

It is so unjust.

I'm not a teacher. My DC go to our local primary. We could afford private if I went back to work. It does though totally depend on the school and the child. We pay a premium to live in our area. Many of the teachers who teach in the school send their kids to our school (I'm hoping this is a good indication of its teaching). They're a great bunch of parents of varying backgrounds and everyone seems to get on well and the kids all have lovely class birthday parties where everyone gets to catch up. Finally a friend whose children were in a prep school in another area moved here specifically for this school. Said the school isn't as good as her prep school but it's not £20ks worth of difference and feels the school is doing its job. Her kids are happy. She does extra curricular with them and uses the extra £20k to help!

Bambini, both my DC school and the ones I work in have almost double the national average of Pupil Premium, but both have good value added / Progress 8, and good overall results.

Schools cannot magic away the inequalities for children, but plenty of good state comps make a positive impact.

Also, many schools are not remotely what they were in our day. Very few are 'no go zones' like some notorious comps of old.

I wouldn't rule out a choice to send my children to private school but our choice for state is working well for them.

Thanks folks. I'm just thinking of the school i went to in the early 80's in a deprived area. I'm trusting their school is a lot better than that. if i thought it was like that I'd definitely have gone private.

if you think state schools are good enough to teach in but not good enough for your own children

Why is that position so terrible? Many people do this across many sectors. You may be a brilliant teacher and feel yo can really make a difference to kids' lives in a particular school. That's a professional decision. But why should you feel obliged to make the personal decision to send your own child there? The career decision you make as a professional probably should be wholly separate from the one you make as a parent.

In a similar vein, I know NHS doctors who pay for private medical insurance, investment managers who don't invest in their own funds and a low cost airline pilot who will only fly BA with his family. I think the same applies!

I think it's perfectly acceptable for teachers to try to support state education as best they can, whilst accepting the current position as utterly woeful and not something they wish upon their own DC.

GetAHaircutCarl 'utterley woeful' really?