Are Private Schools worth it?

Spendless

lindens wrote: »

I think it depends on the child. I went to private school because my dad didn't like the local comp. I hated every minute of it, it was a few miles away from home so I was alienated from my old primary school friends because i went to a posh school, and alienated from the "posh girls with their ponies" because we didn't live near each other.

I have seen this with children who have gone to a further away state school, don't know the local kids cos not at same school and can't play with school friends cos don't live near them. It was one of the reasons why I sent my son to the school on the doorstep rather than one in the next village despite being offered a place there. So no I wouldn't send my child to a private school even if I could afford it.

BTW-out of interest how much does it cost?

rls1973

hi, sorry if i'm repeating anything, haven't had time to read all this long thread:)

due to my parents moving around a lot (for no apparent reason, they just liked it:rolleyes: )

i went to loads of different schools: private primary abroad, state primary in england, another private primary abroad, private secondary abroad, state secondary in england, another state secondary in england

so i've experienced it all, lol

what i found was, it's not that the teachers are better: as has already been said, they all have the same training. it's just that , in a private school, they can get on with teaching, rather than having to deal with bad behaviour and not being allowed to control the class properly.

each time i went from private to state, i found that i was doing work that i had done approximately 1-2 years earlier at my private school (that was abroad though, so might be different) also, it's obvious that a school with more money is going to have more equipment, sports, resources etc. i know that's not everything, but it helps.

and i was always shocked to hear pupils saying 'no, i dont want to' when they were asked by the (state) teacher to read something out in front of the class for example - i hadn't been aware there was a choice before!:D

the private schools had discipline, work ethic, a 'common aim' of high expectations for yourself.

the state schools were more of the attitude that you were there because you had to be and that's all. the state schools were good ones in good areas, but i could still feel this difference. teachers and pupils alike seemed more jaded basically.

obviously this was all a long time ago, but now, all i read and hear about is the problem in state schools in this country of violence, no discipline, the good children who want to work, can't, the teachers can't teach: i don't know if it's really all true, but if it is:
i don't believe in paying twice for your children's education, in principle, but i've got to say that if i could afford it (which i cant) i'd consider it for mine now, because of the way things have gone downhill in the last few years.

Murdina

I think it is really important to understand that private schools vary a lot from area to area - in the south east where a lot more parents can afford private ed that drives standards up. In other areas where maybe only one or two fee paying schools they can be comprehensives for rich kids and some of those kids and their parents have no idea what education is about - they just pay for it like anything else - and those kids can be as disruptive and pull others down just as much as some kids in comprehensives. They may also have the money eg for drugs and may have parents who use money but not attention so they are as emotionally deprived as some kids on poor housing estates only have more money to play around with. The teaching can be great and you certainly get offered more subjects - but it can be dire too and no pressure to change. I certainly do not feel that the private education we have paid for for our children for last 5 years was value for money. Yes you got better facilities and some opportunities but you can buy a lot of tutoring/ballet classes/sports club subs for the cost of a year at a private school.

dora37

I don't think it is as simple as private v state as it all depends on the individual school.

DS1 is just about to complete his GCSE's at a state school and is predicted to get good grades (3A*,3A & 3B's) - there are some troublesome pupils, however the Head has said these probably equate to about 5%, whereas 95% are great children. The Head has also said that not all the problem/disruptive children come from deprived families, but many from more affluent ones.

DS1 mixes with a lovely group (mixed) who all seem to have a good work ethic - and I think this is what seems to matter - the group who they mix with.

I would say there are plus points for both private v state schools on an individual basis, however children from 'rich families' are not always problem free as we like to think.

Boudica

My daughter won a scholorship place at the local private school which is consistantly top of all the tables in the North West, and very well placed nationally, and has done very well there. She's now in 6th form doing her AS levels. She'll leave next year and has proected grade A results.

My advice would be to taker your child and visit the school at least 3 times. If they hate it, save your money. The school has to be right for your child. In my experience, the teachers at her school were fabulous, doing their very best for the girls. They were approachable and worked hard. I can't fault them at all. They brought out the best in all the girls.

My daughter is 18 in October and has a very bright future ahead of her. She is confident, ambitious, driven to succeed and will do well in life. She has friends who live in 6 bedroom detached house behind electronic gates and set in 3 acres of land. Her other friend lives in a council flat in the most deprived area in Liverpool. She isn't snooty but excepts people for who they are and their personalities

My son is going to the local comprehensive and I am apprehensive, although it is the best one in the area. I wanted him to go elsewhere but he didn't score high enough on the entrance exams. I can't afford to send him private so have had little choice. He is very different to his sister and I know he will do well where he's going. I may decide to send him privately for his GCSE's although it would depend on cash. I'm looking at needing £12,000 minimum for 2 years study so it's a tall order.

Bear in mind that, if your child is an achiever, they will do well anyway. What the government has not worked out is that parents do not want choice. They want the same level of education across the board as a right, not as a privilege.

Murdina

I agree totally with you Boudica about choice. I don't agree about achiever though. My daughter is bright and able (no not maternal pride - there is objective evidence) but her private school/getting in with kids whose parents had plenty of money/no interest in academic achievement has turned her off work totally (she is about to do GCSEs). It is really hard when your children are 11 to weigh up the right options for them. Worries me sick what to do about the next one having screwed up the choice with this one.

Boudica

The thing with my daughters school was that everyone had to pass the entrance exam, even if the parents were paying full fees. If the child didn't pass, they were not allowed into the school. There is an infant and junior school too and the rules were the same. Just because the child went to the junior school, it didn't give automatic entry into the senior school.

It's the fairest way of doing things. This also means that the girls kept the competative edge because they had to be competative to gain entry.

Jet

My Mum went to private school - left school with a typing certificate. My Dad went to state school - left school with a PhD.

From what I've seen nowadays in this area - if I had the money I would have sent my son to private primary school and then it would have been very likely he would have passed the 11+ and got him into grammar school.

As I don't have the money, he's at the local primary and doing fine.

buxtonrabbitgreen

black-saturn wrote: »

What is the whole point in learning Latin?

Certainly helps if you do crosswords

Sarahsaver

Or if you want to be a nurse, doctor, pharmacist, chemist, horticulturalist...
Difficult one this because it brings up many issues. Personally there is no debate as I just could not afford it! BUT what DO I do with a just turned 6 year old who is cognitively way ahead of his peers, whom the teacher stopped giving spellings before Xmas because he 'knows how to spell everything', and a 9 year old daughter who did a year 6 sats paper 'just for fun' and asked a teacher to look at it and she would have got through with flying colours. The state system will have them tread water for the next couple of years, killing time until they can be measured and guess what they will have done 'well enough'. There is not the time or people power for the more able. Other DS would like to spend all day talking on one topic, or making a model, or drawing pictures, and looks like he will be one of those who just doesn't 'fit' the system.
I try and fill in the gaps as much as I can at home. THey all know how to cook, are learning extra things according to their skills and likes. I could not educate them all at home all the time because I have 3 extremely different children, all very demanding educationally.
I do have a lot of time for state education. My parents left school aged 14 and 15 but thanks to state schools I got a degree, way too many GCSEs and worked as a teacher for several years. More kids need a leg up out of their social 'class' in state schools, this is an additional burden on the brilliant teachers who are dedicated enough to really make a difference.