prep school cost

i_am_a_happybunny

both my daughters went to Downey House and you do not get a better class of people there, just alot of people who thought that they were better than eveyone else. at fun night the kids ran wild, dropping litter and the parents gathered in the wine/beer tent for most of the evening .

niceday999

i_am_a_happybunny wrote: »

both my daughters went to Downey House and you do not get a better class of people there, just alot of people who thought that they were better than eveyone else. at fun night the kids ran wild, dropping litter and the parents gathered in the wine/beer tent for most of the evening .

Do you not think your children benefitted from a private education then ?
I know mine did. Maybe they would have done just as well in a regular primary school but I dont think so.Also the classes are smaller and the teachers were lovely also.
They are also very strict where manners etc are concerned as I am also at home........
you are always going to get people who dont agree with it...SO WHAT !!!!

caz2703

I didn't go to a prep school but I did go to Strathearn. I would honestly say that the vast majority of those who excelled at GCSE and A-Level were those who came from the prep school Penrhyn. I went to a local primary school where the norm was for only one person to receive a grade sufficient to attend a grammar school.

Yes I got above average GCSEs, yes I passed 3 A-Levels and yes I have a degree but could I have done better had I gone to the prep school - I think probably. Mind you, in the years since I was at primary school things have changed a lot. My step-daughter is in P2 and instead of playing in sand-pits she's learning about the human body. The things she knows at 5 years old scares me and it's certainly not what I was getting taught. Thing is, she's not in a prep school so I've no idea how much more she'd be learning if she were.

To anyone who can afford a prep school, good on you and if you decide to enroll you child there then you have given them the best possible start in my opinion. Those who would criticise are entitled to their opinions but if I am in the same position whereby a regular primary isn't pushing my son enough or won't take him on until he's 5 (born in August) but a prep school would take him on at 4 then I will do what I can to make that happen.

pelirocco

drew2k9 wrote: »

its a complete rip off!!!

plus it doesnt give children any advantage over other children in my opinion.

not the most "moneysaving" of choices either!

'Money saving ' as per this site isnt about saving money as such , its about choosing where to spend your money . I'm sure you spend money where others wouldn't .

Private education tends to mean smaller classes better facilities , so yes it does have advantages over schools who have larger classes and poor facilities .

pelirocco

36square wrote: »

Then why couldn't she just phone up the school and ask?

If everyone phoned , used google or whatever there would be no posts on here to read !

SuperMum2008

QUOTE:
"I didn't go to a prep school but I did go to Strathearn. I would honestly say that the vast majority of those who excelled at GCSE and A-Level were those who came from the prep school Penrhyn. "

Grr - I hate this kind of generalisation. Did you check the result of every Penrhyn student -v- every non-Penrhyn student in Strathearn and all the results of your ex-peers who went on elsewhere? The area around Strathearn is blessed with AMAZING "riff raff" primary schools producing rounded, educated pupils with outstanding school and life experiences, contributing as much to the grammar school as their counterparts from Penrhyn and excelling just as highly.

I would say, place your child in the school which you feel is the absolute best for them, whether that is a prep or a "riff raff" primary (GRR again!), and nurture them to within an inch of their lives They will then excel in their own way at what is their special area of interest - wherever they have been schooled.

caz2703

SuperMum2008 wrote: »

QUOTE:
"I didn't go to a prep school but I did go to Strathearn. I would honestly say that the vast majority of those who excelled at GCSE and A-Level were those who came from the prep school Penrhyn. "

Grr - I hate this kind of generalisation. Did you check the result of every Penrhyn student -v- every non-Penrhyn student in Strathearn and all the results of your ex-peers who went on elsewhere?

Funny a generalisation is exactly what I was getting at. I said "the vast majority" which would imply that there were non-Penrhyn pupils who did as well & better than the prep-school pupils. Having attended the school I feel I am in a better position to make these comments and what I said did not deserve your sneering. Of the 100 or so pupils in my year, those who grades stand out from the rest attended Penrhyn. Those pupils are ones who went on to be doctors and academics. So is there a particular reason you didn't like my comments - ex-Penrhyn who didn't make the grade or ex-Strathearn who stole the show coming from a 'riff raff' primary?

As for my peers from primary school. Well of those who were in my class, I think 5 or so went to grammar schools. Of those, none went straight to university that I am aware of although one did attend after a couple of gap years. The rest of my peers - well strangely enough I don't know most of them now but most went on to work in supermarkets or banks or shops or in some cases they didn't go on to work at all.

SuperMum2008

Cazzo, I was just posting my thoughts on the situation, didnt mean to offend in any way and certainly wasnt sneering so apologies if that is way my message came across :-(.

I come across sweeping generalisations all the time about prep schools supposedly providing a far better education than state primary schools and I find it very disheartening because it is as if those who cant afford it are having to settle for second best and should feel eternally guilty that they cant afford it.

My own personal school experience is a broad one of prep and non prep schools of all denominations and sizes and yet I ended up at one of the top UK grammar schools, and with a university education under my belt. Sadly Im not a heart surgeon or a barrister as a result, but Ive done ok! My own children have all attended local primary schools and are all educated to a very high standard and have had school experiences that I would never have dreamed of - performing at the ulster hall, waterfront hall, turning on city christmas lights, meeting royalty (!). I suppose really I want to reiterate my point, that you should place your child in the school which you feel is the absolute best for them to get the broadest range of life and educational experiences - this isnt necessarily a fee paying school or a non-fee paying one, everyone is different, and its unfair to generalise based only on your own experience.

caz2703

Apology accepted :beer:

I was never sure on what was the best to do for my kids. I think back in my day (80s) a prep school education surpassed a regular primary education but as I said before, seeing what my step-daughter is learning in P2 makes me wonder if there is such a gap any more.

So this thread got me thinking so I thought I'd have a look at Rockport. I know of two people who attended this school - one was doing the same job as me, the other is a whizz kid academic - but I didn't know what the cost would be. I had a flick through the schools website and was very impressed by the school ethos etc. Finally I found the school fees and after reading them it made me realise why they weren't exactly prominent on the site - "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it". Presuming you don't take advantage of the pre-school options, the cost to educate a child from P1 to GCSE (5th form) is ............







£100,000 in todays money! :eek:

How can you justify this? I thought normal prep schools would be dear but I had no idea there were any schools in Norn Iron who charged this much.

tara747

What a thread! Education stirs up such heated emotions here.

My tuppence worth is as follows:

If you want to pay for your children to go to prep and/or grammar school, you are free to do so as we live in a free country and you are entitled to do what you feel is best for your children. I certainly wouldn't judge you, and I'm sure (as another poster said) that there are others who prioritise other things above private education - or maybe they are just lucky enough to have found a great non-private primary school.

The number one factor in the academic success of a child (relative to their ability of course) is the attitude and support of their parents. Some parents really don't give a stuff about their children's education and you can see that in the children. Others go to the opposite extreme and pressure their children so much that end up miserable. Others create a balance between the two.

My mum was at home with us when we were little, and she took the time to teach us to read, write, spell and count. She demonstrated that our education was important to her, and she was always ready to encourage our curiosity. My dad also encouraged us, and they both did everything they could to support us at school and in extra curricular activities. They also passed on their love of reading to us. They brought us for walks and taught us about nature, the weather and the world around us. They gave us their time.

They stressed, however, that they would be proud of us no matter what we ended up doing and that their first priority was our health and happiness. This created a nice balance and prevented us from feeling stressed or valued only for our academic achievements. Result? Academic success all round and emotionally balanced adults who are deeply grateful for everything our parents did for us.

And that is more important than what school you go to.

The end! Sorry for the long post.