Private vs State School

PandaGirl6

From the research and the conversations that I've had, I got an impression that a major benefit of a private school was the culture and expectation of performing well being perceived desirable by fellow pupils.

And it seems like in some of the state schools pupils brand well performing kids nerds etc.

Of course the facilities would matter to, but in the top catchment areas these might be somewhat comparable.

I am sure bright children will learn regardless of the circumstances, but if I have a choice, I'd rather make it an encouraging environment for the little one. Not sure if this is only relevant from the secondary school level onwards though.

JReacher1

If you can afford it then well worth paying for private school. You’ll get a better standard of education and will open up opportunities for your child/children. 

Of course there are also very good state schools but some can be hit and miss

Ath_Wat

I am not overly familiar with the Scottish education system but looking at this list I would think that you'd have to be down to the bottom seven or eight before I would really worry. Would all the others entail moving to a much more expensive area (all of Edinburgh really being quite an expensive area in the first place)?  Which of these would be your current destination?
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-schools-ranked-best-worst-24289607

DE_612183

I bought a small house in a good area and sent the kids to private school - they are both in their 20's now and always say how glad they are for the sacrifice that we all made for them to have a good start in life.
They spent a few years in state and a few years in private so they know the difference.

All bar about one friend they have from school are all from the private school they attended and have both helped in small ways with their futures.

Ath_Wat

zagfles said:

Neither. Don't make the mistake of judging a school by its raw exam results, private schools are generally selective ie they select the most able,

Again, no, not at all.  They  take anyone who is willing to pay.  Some will also take a few of the most able who can't pay on scholarships,  to help maintain charitable status.

silvercar

PandaGirl6 said:

Indeed.

I was educated overseas, so not too familiar with the system. However, a dear friend of mine is a primary school manager and has advised against state schools in general.

I am little bit torn, as we could either invest in extracurricular activities and tuition whilst daughter attends state school or we would have very little disposable income if she she went to a private primary.

The other option might state primary, private secondary? Does anyone have experience of going down that route, please? Are there any significant barriers?

We did state primary, private secondary for one of mine. No problem at all. The risk is that those coming from a private primary may have a better chance of getting into a selective private secondary as the private primaries really gear themselves up to preparing their pupils for entrance exams. You may decide that some private tutoring in year 5 and 6 is worth the money to help prepare for the entrance exams. 
Having started secondary school there was no problem is settling in as the school had a wide intake and all schools spend time in year 7 ensuring that the pupils all reach a level where they can continue their education comfortably.
My eldest went to a very selective state grammar school, there were a lot of pupils from private primaries and they started off clearly having had the benefit of those schools, but the playing field soon levelled, possibly as those from state schools must have had more natural ability to pass the exams.

JReacher1

Ath_Wat said:

zagfles said:

Neither. Don't make the mistake of judging a school by its raw exam results, private schools are generally selective ie they select the most able,

Again, no, not at all.  They  take anyone who is willing to pay.  Some will also take a few of the most able who can't pay on scholarships,  to help maintain charitable status.

That’s not true. A large number of private schools are selective and can be tricky to get into no matter how much you are prepared to pay. 

PandaGirl6

silvercar said:

PandaGirl6 said:

Indeed.

I was educated overseas, so not too familiar with the system. However, a dear friend of mine is a primary school manager and has advised against state schools in general.

I am little bit torn, as we could either invest in extracurricular activities and tuition whilst daughter attends state school or we would have very little disposable income if she she went to a private primary.

The other option might state primary, private secondary? Does anyone have experience of going down that route, please? Are there any significant barriers?

We did state primary, private secondary for one of mine. No problem at all. The risk is that those coming from a private primary may have a better chance of getting into a selective private secondary as the private primaries really gear themselves up to preparing their pupils for entrance exams. You may decide that some private tutoring in year 5 and 6 is worth the money to help prepare for the entrance exams. 
Having started secondary school there was no problem is settling in as the school had a wide intake and all schools spend time in year 7 ensuring that the pupils all reach a level where they can continue their education comfortably.
My eldest went to a very selective state grammar school, there were a lot of pupils from private primaries and they started off clearly having had the benefit of those schools, but the playing field soon levelled, possibly as those from state schools must have had more natural ability to pass the exams.

Brilliant, thank you all for input. I will do more research and ask my friend to do some more too (she manages over 60 teachers at two state schools now, so I think she's got a good understanding about what goes on).

The private secondary schools I've been looking at dont just admit every applicant... most of Edinburgh schools are bursting at the seams.

@Silvercar I like this approach. We might move to a slightly better area for the primary assuming that some monetary value will be preserved in the house equity and then make a decision again before secondary school. This could actually work.
Gives us some saving/investing time.

@Ath_Wat thanks for the input. As Ive mentioned, not a good catchment I'm afraid, unless we send to a Catholic school, which I don't feel very comfortable with (albeit was raised catholic... maybe one of the reasons haha).

silvercar

Ath_Wat said:

zagfles said:

Neither. Don't make the mistake of judging a school by its raw exam results, private schools are generally selective ie they select the most able,

Again, no, not at all.  They  take anyone who is willing to pay.  Some will also take a few of the most able who can't pay on scholarships,  to help maintain charitable status.

This isn't true. Near me there are some who have entrance exams and set the barrier particularly high. One that excels in sports and recruits on that basis. A couple of schools who are known for having a particularly nurturing environment. One that sets itself as getting outstanding results from middle level attaining children and suggests the solid academics go to the more famous school down the road. The more you investigate, the more you find.

tightauldgit

PandaGirl6 said:

Still, the question remains, as choosing a good state school would mean moving to a very affluent (and thus expensive) area. It would mean a similar financial commitment to moving away from the city and paying private school fees instead. 

I am not against state schools per se, just aware that the current catchment we are in is far from perfect.

If you look at it from a purely financial POV then you buy the more expensive house near the good school, because when you sell you will most likely get that back whereas school fees are spent and gone. 

There's lot of good state schools that provide a perfectly good education for kids. It's the elitist twonks that think private school = better education and smarter kid that partly drive the vicious circle. My sense on it is that having parents that can afford to send you to private school is a bigger factor on a kids future than whether they actually do send you to a private school. 

If your child was struggling at a state school, or had some special requirements that might need greater resources then I'd think about private school maybe.