Private school vs state school

Spendless

Is getting them into a good state Primary school an option whilst you spend the interim years saving for private in Secondary and possibly late Primary?

Rikki

kendun wrote: »

Thinking of making overpayments to pay off the mortgage in the next 4/5 years so that I can start saving for private education after that. Initial plans are that I try something like 95% of my pay after all the direct debits for utilities/expenses etc to go into the mortgage.

I havent looked at offset mortgages yet, will have a read tonight.

If I had to choose to only pay for one part of my children's education it would be secondary 13-18. You must remember all the extra's which you will have to pay for on top of the fees. A big expense to factor in is the cost of exams GCSE's AS and A levels plus any remarks.

cheepskate_2

A lot of people will not put their children into Independent primary school, due to the extra money for 7 years and a view that primary education can be taught at any school, etc

they then put them into independent schools from the start of p7, but mostly from Senior 1. P7 gives them a year to get settled before the main work comes.

this is another option to think about

Rikki

cheepskate wrote: »

A lot of people will not put their children into Independent primary school, due to the extra money for 7 years and a view that primary education can be taught at any school, etc

they then put them into independent schools from the start of p7, but mostly from Senior 1. P7 gives them a year to get settled before the main work comes.

this is another option to think about

This is what happened with some of the children in my son's school. When they finished junior school at eleven they went to a Preparatory school for the two years before starting the senior school.

The Preparatory school would be an introduction to the workings of an independent school as it's a very different environment than a state school.


Definitely another option and probably a better option if you can afford it.

kendun

Thank you all,
I will be looking at saving up for secondary school and will also search re preparatory schools in Bolton.

lunamheir

I sent my daughter in private school. So far, there is no bad comments in her school. If ever there is, i will transfer my daughter in any boarding schools. Actually, my son is now in boys boarding school and so far so good my son is comfortable there. I heard some private schools has a bad feedback from students and parents. I don't know if my daughter has experienced any problems in school but I'm sure she is fine there.

Rikki

kendun wrote: »

Thank you all,
I will be looking at saving up for secondary school and will also search re preparatory schools in Bolton.

Look into the cost of boarding too. Flexi boarding, weekly.

There are a lot of activities that go on in the evenings with private schools it's nice to have the option of them being able to sleep at school.

A big advantage is all the clubs they join are included in your fees. Sports play a big part in school life.

neverdespairgirl

kendun wrote: »

The worry about private school is the 'keepin up with the jones' mentality and whether we could cope with this. Probably need to read up about how this could be addressed maybe.

I think a lot of that depends on the actual school. It can certainly be an issue at private schools, unfortunately, but isn't always.

I went to two private secondary schools - the first, a boarding school, had the exact opposite of the "Jones" issue - among the girls, the older and shabbier and cheaper the clothes you wore at weekends, and the muddier the car your parents drove, the better.

At my later London day school, it wasn't a big deal. About a third of the girls were on assisted places, which was a tehn-scheme to pay the school fees of children whose parents couldn't afford it.

neverdespairgirl

cheepskate wrote: »

Going to Independent schools is not just about the academic, but is hugely about the networks that they make and networks that become available to them because they are seen as " in the same class" .
One of our friends was studying law, on a train one day he got talking to a guy, who's dad ran his own firm of solicitors. Upon hearing that they both went to the same prep school, he was told there was a job there for him once he qualified.

This is very common place within these circles.

It's really not that common within these circles. Rare, actually. I speak as someone who both went to those schools and is a lawyer!