Stress of secondary school choices

Person_one

ibizafan wrote: »

I totally agree with Maman. If only all schools were as good as each other, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Like most parents who value education, I did the best I could to give them the best chances available. If this offends some peoples' sense of "fairness" then so be it. In our area, plenty of children do not take the 11 plus, so everyone has a choice.

All schools will never be as good as each other until we get rid of the ones that select, by whatever method.

Vicious circle, innit.

Person_one

silvercar wrote: »

Who are these "people like you"? People who care enough about their children's education to research the options available?

People who move into the catchment areas of grammar schools to get their children into them, of course. Didn't you read the post?

bylromarha

Haven't read the whole thread, but saw this on BBC the other day

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-24334356

bylromarha

And FWIW, I worked with a teaching assistant, married to a factory line worker, who lived on the bare minimum to put their (only) lad through private school.

They felt it was the right place for him as he was a quiet mouse, top 30% in primary and they felt he'd get bulled and his learning would slip in the 2 state schools.

They somehow managed to buy all the uniform, send him on a couple of the school holidays to far flung places and are so proud of the fact he's just graduated from Nottingham with a 2i.

You do what's right for you and yours. This final primary year is short in comparison to the entire secondary education of 7 years. Short term pain = long term gain.

Person_one

Not to diminish the young man's accomplishment, but does a 2:1 from Nottingham really justify all that money that could have been spent on other things? Loads of people get a 2:1 without an expensive private education!

maman

EmmaBridgewater wrote: »

What is good gcses anyway? You only need eng and maths

That may be true in RL but in schools they have to have at least 5 'good' (for that read hard, academic and traditional by Gove's standards) GCSEs from A-C to give them any chance of competing in the league tables.

Person_one wrote: »

All schools will never be as good as each other until we get rid of the ones that select, by whatever method.

Vicious circle, innit.

Person_one wrote: »

People who move into the catchment areas of grammar schools to get their children into them, of course. Didn't you read the post?

That's confusing me. I'm no great advocate of grammar schools but I thought they selected on who passed the entrance exam (after private tuition of course;)).

silvercar

That's confusing me. I'm no great advocate of grammar schools but I thought they selected on who passed the entrance exam (after private tuition of course).

Correct. Grammar schools select on ability. Some decent state schools are desirable because of the sort of pupils they attract, which in turn gives the catchment area added status, this creates demand and pushes house prices up.

I have seen "moral" arguments against sending to private schools and against those that push house prices up by moving to the catchment areas of good schools.

Seems morally wrong to not give your children the best education you can, just because you have adopted these moral values.

silvercar

EmmaBridgewater wrote: »

Sorry but I have to agree, many people get 2:1s and 1sts without a private school ed...

But on an individual level there will be some students who only managed to get to university because of the private/ grammar school education they had.

Person_one

maman wrote: »

That's confusing me. I'm no great advocate of grammar schools but I thought they selected on who passed the entrance exam (after private tuition of course;)).

They have to pass the entrance exam and live in the catchment area though. Why the confusion?

wiogs

Person_one wrote: »

Not to diminish the young man's accomplishment, but does a 2:1 from Nottingham really justify all that money that could have been spent on other things? Loads of people get a 2:1 without an expensive private education!

An interesting point.

There are 3 private schools near me and one prides itself on developing the "whole" person and not just concentrating on academic achievement.

The other two schools very much focus on academic success.