Private school fees (merged)

Tim_L

Mado wrote: »

Well, I disagree.
Point me to a time in history where more children were educated, and all was well...
The problem is that a lot of parents have given up educating their children and rely on the State (which they are always quick to criticize for everything) to do the job for them.

I could restate this, but I don't disagree: the problem is that the parents who do educate their children are worried that the effort expended to educate the children of those who don't do likewise will diminish the educational opportunities (and then life chances) for their own offspring.

And on the first point, I think I got a better education in the 1970s from the state sector than is available now for anyone. I see no qualitative difference between the education in the Secondary Modern one of my close friends had and the education her equivalent would have today in the sort of comprehensive she'd get a place in.

setmefree2

Tim_L wrote: »

The problem is that the state system is crap. .

Hi Tim,

I appreciate the time and effort you spent on your post and the many good points you have made. However, you spoiled it all IMHO by saying that the state system is crap.:rolleyes: You seem to base this opinion on your experience with your children's state primary school. Maybe your children's state primary wasn't very good. However, this is not my experience of the state sector - my kids' schools (primary & high schools) have not been crap. Indeed, we had many good states to choose from. My children are having an excellent education and I would not change a thing and, no, if someone offered me a place at a private school I would not take it, even if you paid me a million pounds;).

All the Best

SMF2

Rikki

Mado wrote: »

Well, I disagree.
Point me to a time in history where more children were educated, and all was well...
The problem is that a lot of parents have given up educating their children and rely on the State (which they are always quick to criticize for everything) to do the job for them.

This something that has been going wrong for a long time and is is why so many parents are leaving the state system and choosing to go private.

Many children can and will do well in the state system but are finding it harder and harder because of unruly children. It shouldn't be like that.

Parents move into good school catchment areas making it more difficult for many children to get into their senior school of choice. Its parents using money for their child's education.

setmefree2

Tim_L wrote: »

The old Grammar school system did work very well..

Sorry - educational apartheid can't be the answer. For whom did they work well?

Tim_L

Well setmefree, if that's true, then let us all know where you're living - I think you can expect a massive influx of parents.

In Brighton, it's crap. Two decent schools out of about seven total, massively oversubscribed, open warfare between groups of parents in the urban centre who feel they have a poor choice and who are trying to have admittance rules changed in their favour, and suburban parents feeling they are being squeezed out.

There are probably islands where this sort of thing doesn't happen, but I think it's the norm.

And spare me the emotive rubbish about apartheid. Apartheid was evil - separating people by race as an instrument of state policy, many of the victims of apartheid were murdered or tortured. There is no equation at all with a streaming system, which is what Grammar schools provided.

Get used to it: the world streams you by ability. Grouping all children together and attempting to educate them equally may be great from a lofty egalitarian view, but the practical result is that the able children get held back and are bored, because disproportionate resources are spent bringing the rest up to a minimum standard.

Dick_here

There is a single-sex, state comprehensive here that applies those sort of rules too though. It promotes the fact that it got the best A level results for a comprehensive in the whole country (neglecting to mention the fact that not everyone is allowed to stay on to sit their A levels there). Are people opposed to private schools opposed to this too ?

Why pay for a private school when you can get it for nothing ?

Rikki

setmefree2 wrote: »

Sorry - educational apartheid can't be the answer. For whom did they work well?

Why not?

Not every is university material.

The brighter children went to grammar schools and then onto university the more practical children went to comprehensive school and onto apprenticeships.

Rikki

!!!!!!_here wrote: »

There is a single-sex, state comprehensive here that applies those sort of rules too though. It promotes the fact that it got the best A level results for a comprehensive in the whole country (neglecting to mention the fact that not everyone is allowed to stay on to sit their A levels there). Are people opposed to private schools opposed to this too ?

Why pay for a private school when you can get it for nothing ?

Not everyone has access to the best state school and in those cases many choose to pay for private instead.

Discodee

Mado wrote: »

Well, I disagree.
Point me to a time in history where more children were educated, and all was well...
The problem is that a lot of parents have given up educating their children and rely on the State (which they are always quick to criticize for everything) to do the job for them.

Totally agree

I remember one girl at school moaning her child was struggling and saying she doesn't expect to have to do anything with her kids because that's why she sends them to school!!

Also many mums work these days and just don't have time. Education begins and continues at home.

My mum always did lots with me as do i with mine

My friend with a son at private school likes to leave it all to the school as she is "paying them to do it"

Discodee

Rikki wrote: »

Not everyone has access to the best state school and in those cases many choose to pay for private instead.

you'll usually find one within reach

The primary my kids were at had terrible league tables. That said, they were both doing very well. I do believe bright kids who are supported at home will excel in any environment.
However my daughter was bullied because she was clever, didn't swear, went to church etc etc and I moved them to a school 3 miles away and WALKED THERE WITH THEM EVERY DAY!!! Still do with my son. I had the luxury of being able to do that as I don't go out to work.

That's the reason i chose to send my daughter to grammar school. I was truly shocked when i realised it wasn't full of exceptionally bright kids