Private school fees (merged)

emsywoo123

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I would be slightly worried about the potential for a child's social skill development in a class size of 10. That is very small. Especially if it was a mixed school, although I doubt it.

Apparantly (I looked into it last week) there is no correlation between academic success and class size. In fact, larger class sizes (28+) have been shown to product better Literacy results in Year 6 specifically. I'm not sure whether I actually believe this, but there are 34 in my 8 year olds class (which gut feel says is too many) so I decided to see what information was available about the benefits of a class of say 24 (common in private schools for years 3-6.) All the data I found online told me I shouldn't worry.

In Kg my daughter had 20 in the class and she could not cope. I am very happy with the calss size that she has in reception.

pianeet

In reply to the ops original question when we decided to send my eldest to private school we started putting the equivelant of a months fees away every month a year before he went, this enabled us to get used to not having the money in our accounts,also handy as a fall back for extras.
Also be aware that all public schools offer bursaries and scholarships so if your child is especially good at anyone subject there could be help with fees.
Also like another poster said most private schools allow you to pay in monthly installments.
It may also be worthwhile seeing if the schools offer reduced rates for staff,As alot of private schools offer staff discounts on a prorata basis,

On a personal note my eldest has been at private school(66% staff discount) for 2 years now and the standard of teaching and the facilities available are outstanding.we know we are very lucky but you should not knock people for wanting to the best for their kids.

natalie1974

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

I would be slightly worried about the potential for a child's social skill development in a class size of 10. That is very small. Especially if it was a mixed school, although I doubt it

My daughters social skills are perfectly normal , yes it is a mixed school ( 4 females & 6 males in my daughter's class ) and lets not forget they do actually mix with the other children in the playground and outside of school .

Poodlecrazy

Just thought I would add my 2 penny's worth! My daughter (who is 4) was in a private school for a year and is now in a state primary school and is actually doing much better. True the class sizes are much bigger in state school (26 where she was in a class of 9) but the teacher in charge of the private school class was truly awful!

Since moving she has done better both academically and socially. I expect that this will change at secondary level but I am keeping an open mind. It really does depend on the schools themselves and I wouldn't make the judgment based purely on whether it is private or state.

Anyhow in terms of cost, I personally will be saving every year of primary with a view to paying for secondary if that seems the best course of action at the time. If not she will have a nice nest egg saved. Even at primary the cost was going to be around £10,000 a year and don't underestimate the extra costs such as trips and uniforms etc.

Good luck!

P
x

thanksalot

natalie1974 wrote: »

Yes they are . My DD1's school has 100% pass rate on the 11+ , most of the local state schools have approx 10 kids out of 60-70 that pass . All I know is that education wise I am giving her and will give DD2 as well , the best start in life educationally .

So are you telling us that all the privately educated children are academic and that all need to go to grammar schools?

It is high time people were a little bit less focused on results and a little bit more about the children's well being. Not everyone is academic; at what cost to their childhood do all the children pass?
There is nothing wrong with vocational training.

Let children be children; let them play and have fun. I would be much happier for my son to become a good plumber/electrician, etc... that struggle through Uni if it wasn't for him.

emsywoo123

Poodlecrazy wrote: »

Just thought I would add my 2 penny's worth! My daughter (who is 4) was in a private school for a year and is now in a state primary school and is actually doing much better. True the class sizes are much bigger in state school (26 where she was in a class of 9) but the teacher in charge of the private school class was truly awful!

Since moving she has done better both academically and socially. I expect that this will change at secondary level but I am keeping an open mind. It really does depend on the schools themselves and I wouldn't make the judgment based purely on whether it is private or state.

Anyhow in terms of cost, I personally will be saving every year of primary with a view to paying for secondary if that seems the best course of action at the time. If not she will have a nice nest egg saved. Even at primary the cost was going to be around £10,000 a year and don't underestimate the extra costs such as trips and uniforms etc.

Good luck!

P
x

Sensible, you did what was right for you. I personally feel that as long as I can keep my DD in private (upto yr 6 as a max) then that is what I want to do, as I feel it is worth it.

emsywoo123

thanksalot wrote: »

So are you telling us that all the privately educated children are academic and that all need to go to grammar schools?

It is high time people were a little bit less focused on results and a little bit more about the children's well being. Not everyone is academic; at what cost to their childhood do all the children pass?
There is nothing wrong with vocational training.

Let children be children; let them play and have fun. I would be much happier for my son to become a good plumber/electrician, etc... that struggle through Uni if it wasn't for him.

My opinion is that a private education gives children more of an opportunity to develop holstically, rather than solely academically.

OrkneyStar

Hi,
Just to say I don't personally agree with private schooling, however, that was not what you asked lol so I won't go down that route. I just wanted to make a suggestion......have you spoken to an independent financial adviser? Might they be able to help you decide how you save toward this, suggest the most tax efficient ways to make your money work for you etc? Just a thought from a newbie to this board, although not a newbie to saving money!

natalie1974

thanksalot wrote: »

So are you telling us that all the privately educated children are academic and that all need to go to grammar schools?

It is high time people were a little bit less focused on results and a little bit more about the children's well being. Not everyone is academic; at what cost to their childhood do all the children pass?
There is nothing wrong with vocational training.

Let children be children; let them play and have fun. I would be much happier for my son to become a good plumber/electrician, etc... that struggle through Uni if it wasn't for him.

Did I say all were academic and all need to go to grammar schools ? All I said was that my daughters school has a 100% pass rate and the majority of the kids that go there go onto grammar schools . My daughters well being is fine thank you , she does not suffer in any way whatsoever , she is a normal 8 year old girl who plays and has fun , she is not locked to a desk 24/7 . She does a variety of after school activities and I for one would not push any of my daughters into university , at the age of 16 they both can do what they want . Are people really of the opinion that kids who go to private schools are not allowed to do anything

emsywoo123

natalie1974 wrote: »

Did I say all were academic and all need to go to grammar schools ? All I said was that my daughters school has a 100% pass rate and the majority of the kids that go there go onto grammar schools . My daughters well being is fine thank you , she does not suffer in any way whatsoever , she is a normal 8 year old girl who plays and has fun , she is not locked to a desk 24/7 . She does a variety of after school activities and I for one would not push any of my daughters into university , at the age of 16 they both can do what they want . Are people really of the opinion that kids who go to private schools are not allowed to do anything

It would appear so...........sadly.