Condimentalist Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Yes. I went to private school, didn't like it early on but got used to it, made a lot of good friends and didn't turn out a dick. I know the type, but I find that the 'rah' people are usually boarding school types. Either that or they were just destined to be a dick because of their parentage. If I could afford and thought it would benefit any child of mine, I'd definitely do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 Yes and I do currently. Why? because if you're an atheist like me, its really hard to find a decent school that isn't CofE or Cathlolic in Liverpool. All the no-dom schools are shit, they are the dumping grounds. And there was no way I was playing the pretend to go to church regularly to get my child into a school that my tax money pays for. Even the CofE schools required a letter from your vicar / priest stating that you regularly attended church and that was defined as 3 weeks in 4. Bugger that I'D RATHER PAY especially as my daughter has always been very bright and now at the age of 12 has an IQ in excess of 130 That's ridiculous. How can they justify discrimination like that when it's being paid for by tax payers money? Oh sorry, I don't believe in some imaginary bloke who apparently created the Earth and everything on it so I can't come to your school? I might set up a school purely for atheists, requiring a letter from all the local vicars/priests confirming you don't attend their churches. I bet suddenly the system might not be so accepting of discrimination. Luckily my secondary school was not at all religious. Don't remember ever having to say a prayer or sing a hymn. Did in first and middle school though. We used to have 'hymn practice', what a load of shit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I think the whole notion of a religiously alligned school is contradictory and hypocritical. We should encourage Children to think independently and make their own choices, not have religion shoved down their throats (I went to a CoE edit-first school, it was nigh on indoctrination). If that is the case in Liverpool Bickster, I don't blame you for sending your children private. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I think the whole notion of a religiously alligned school is contradictory and hypocritical. We should encourage Children to think independently and make their own choices, not have religion shoved down their throats (I went to a CoE school, it was nigh on indoctrination). If that is the case in Liverpool Bickster, I don't blame you for sending your children private. It seems to be quite prevalent in the North West as a whole tbh, I know that when I lived in Wigan and Bolton, a lot of schools were either CofE or Catholic. I went to a state grammar school, but sadly they're thin on the ground these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellyoakvilla Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 No, I wouldn't, there is a free service put in place and I think it is pretty good as I came through it with great qualifications so why not let them do it aswell? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Liverpool iirc used to full of decent grammar schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Mine are down to go to one when they are old enough , Had an assessment for the 4 yr old last week ... The school is fantastic and the sport facilities put bodymoore to shame You got your kids down for Millfield then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted December 8, 2008 VT Supporter Share Posted December 8, 2008 There was both a private and a state high school (both with good reputations) near me when my kids were approaching eleven. We COULD have stretched ourselves to pay the fees, but chose the state one without hesitation, for most of the same reasons others have already outlined on here - essentially I wanted them to be well educated, but not turn into little snobs, embarrassed by things like the fact I'd be turning up to school in a rusty old car when most other parents drove 4x4s with vanity plates, under peer group pressure to take skiing holidays that we couldn't afford, and so on. I got to know one of the other parents who had himself been to that very same private school, but sent his own kids to the state one. When I asked him why, he said "I wouldn't wish that place on them - it's nothing more than a 'crammer' for the thick kids of rich parents - no thanks". The girls seem to have turned out just fine, academically and as human beings. That said, we are lucky enough to live in a nice area where the local school was a good one. Were this not the case, I may have had more of a dilemma. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PauloBarnesi Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 There was both a private and a state high school (both with good reputations) near me when my kids were approaching eleven. We COULD have stretched ourselves to pay the fees, but chose the state one without hesitation, for most of the same reasons others have already outlined on here - essentially I wanted them to be well educated, but not turn into little snobs, embarrassed by things like the fact I'd be turning up to school in a rusty old car when most other parents drove 4x4s with vanity plates, under peer group pressure to take skiing holidays that we couldn't afford, and so on. I got to know one of the other parents who had himself been to that very same private school, but sent his own kids to the state one. When I asked him why, he said "I wouldn't wish that place on them - it's nothing more than a 'crammer' for the thick kids of rich parents - no thanks". The girls seem to have turned out just fine, academically and as human beings. That said, we are lucky enough to live in a nice area where the local school was a good one. Were this not the case, I may have had more of a dilemma. We have a different situation here in London; you have excellent private schools; some of the best in the country academically. And certainly some of the most expensive. You have a small number of grammar schools. And then you have in many places a huge gap to the state system; some better than others. Some so bad they are failing in every way; academically as well as from the basic point of safety. In the end their isn’t choice; its become a joke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 There was both a private and a state high school (both with good reputations) near me when my kids were approaching eleven. We COULD have stretched ourselves to pay the fees, but chose the state one without hesitation, for most of the same reasons others have already outlined on here - essentially I wanted them to be well educated, but not turn into little snobs, embarrassed by things like the fact I'd be turning up to school in a rusty old car when most other parents drove 4x4s with vanity plates, under peer group pressure to take skiing holidays that we couldn't afford, and so on. I got to know one of the other parents who had himself been to that very same private school, but sent his own kids to the state one. When I asked him why, he said "I wouldn't wish that place on them - it's nothing more than a 'crammer' for the thick kids of rich parents - no thanks". The girls seem to have turned out just fine, academically and as human beings. That said, we are lucky enough to live in a nice area where the local school was a good one. Were this not the case, I may have had more of a dilemma. That may have been the case for that individual school, but certainly from the school I went to I don't think it's entirely fair. In the end, the way you bring up a child as a parent will have far more impact on the person they become than the school they went to. There are dicks at every school, but to say that sending a child to private school will make them a snob is akin saying that you wouldn't send your kid to state school because they will turn into a chav. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted December 8, 2008 VT Supporter Share Posted December 8, 2008 There was both a private and a state high school (both with good reputations) near me when my kids were approaching eleven. We COULD have stretched ourselves to pay the fees, but chose the state one without hesitation, for most of the same reasons others have already outlined on here - essentially I wanted them to be well educated, but not turn into little snobs, embarrassed by things like the fact I'd be turning up to school in a rusty old car when most other parents drove 4x4s with vanity plates, under peer group pressure to take skiing holidays that we couldn't afford, and so on. I got to know one of the other parents who had himself been to that very same private school, but sent his own kids to the state one. When I asked him why, he said "I wouldn't wish that place on them - it's nothing more than a 'crammer' for the thick kids of rich parents - no thanks". The girls seem to have turned out just fine, academically and as human beings. That said, we are lucky enough to live in a nice area where the local school was a good one. Were this not the case, I may have had more of a dilemma. That may have been the case for that individual school, but certainly from the school I went to I don't think it's entirely fair. In the end, the way you bring up a child as a parent will have far more impact on the person they become than the school they went to. There are dicks at every school, but to say that sending a child to private school will make them a snob is akin saying that you wouldn't send your kid to state school because they will turn into a chav.Peer group pressure is very strong thing at that age; it's a survival tactic. And getting on with your education is a lot easier when you "fit in". At the school they went to there was a very wide range of social backgrounds, which can only be a good thing, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 I say my school was fine. I've just remembered that my Mum started working there last year and after the first day came back and apologised to me for putting me through six years of that. There really were some horrible kids there. Didn't bother me, I still enjoyed it and did well out of it, but I suppose I never knew any different. Seems the behaviour of kids is just getting worse and worse. Looking back on it, if you weren't one of the popular ones, it could have been a nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Peer group pressure is very strong thing at that age; it's a survival tactic. And getting on with your education is a lot easier when you "fit in". At the school they went to there was a very wide range of social backgrounds, which can only be a good thing, IMO. I certainly can't disagree with any of that. Perhaps I was just fortunate. My mates are some of the most down-to-earth people you'll ever meet, and we were (without meaning to sound utterly ridiculous) the 'cool' ones. Some of us come from wealthy backgrounds, others of us have parents who have decided to live minimally because they believe that it's worth the sacrifice to get private education for their children. None of us are snobs, and in fairness I didn't see too much of it amongst the boys at all. The girls were a slightly different kettle of fish though, in fairness, so maybe it just varies. Having said that, I have met the detestable types at uni, but all I can say is that their schools must have been different to mine, and I think that's what it comes down to. Would I sent my child to Eton? No, but there are plenty of good fee-paying schools that I would send my child to if I felt it would offer them a better chance in life. Private education does not necessarily equal snobbery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RunRickyRun Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I was lucky enough to get an assisted place at a (day) secondry private school. I found the place far from snobbish. In fact 1/3 of the pupils attending were on some sort of financial assistance from the government at the time. My school was ethnicly diverse. I mixed with kids from Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Catholic, Protestant, Jainist, Buddhist and athiest backgrounds and who came from all over the Midlands. It's only later in life, I appreciate this because as kids we all mixed together without prejudice. The alternative would have been an all Catholic school with peers from roughly the same neighbourhood. I would happily send my kids to a private school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 My kids both went to a Comprehensive with an excellent reputation (still). Unfortunately good comps are a bit arty, farty and the familiarity between the pupils and teachers (first name terms!) is a bit much for me. They both did okay, but exam passes nowadays are a bit questionable. Better for me had they had a well rounded education, and you don't get that from a state Comprehensive. When my kids were starting out at school we had very little money. If they were starting now we would dip a holiday a year, make a few economies elsewhere and definitely send them private. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nrogers Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Nothing wrong with sending your kids to Private schools, in fact IMO, the smaller class sizes and emphasis on sport can only be good for your children, I went and I'll certain send mine should they wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thetrees Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Peer group pressure is very strong thing at that age; it's a survival tactic. And getting on with your education is a lot easier when you "fit in". At the school they went to there was a very wide range of social backgrounds, which can only be a good thing, IMO. I was gobsmacked when my daughter came home and asked if she could go on a school skiing trip. I said yes, expecting it to be one of those crammed in a minibus to the French Alps jobs, only to then realise it was to California! They had no trouble filling that trip, nor the summer one to South Africa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 Yeah when I was in NZ a school rugby team from St. Albans came over to play against the school I was working at's side. Their parents must have more money than sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic_bouma Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 i went to a private school in Sheffield......and no im not stuck up!... there is a big difference to the attitudes of those who went to private school in the north than down south....... out of the 100 or so people who were in my year i honestly couldnt describe any who could be described as stuck up...... although it was private it just didnt breed that type of person....and i think thats because of the city it was in 2 people in my year ended up in prison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largelugs Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I'm a teacher and i will gladly send any future offspring to state school. If I could afford private school, the likelihood is that I could also afford a house within the catchment area of a good state school. My experience with the private sector is limited, but I did spend a shared residential trip with my school and a private school and found the attitude of the staff and the children of the private school shocking. Our kids were from a challenging area but I wouldn't have swapped them for anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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