Would you privately educate your children?

Oh and there is a lot of jealous, pretentious snobbery from a few on this thread who are suggesting private school students are some sort of rampaging subhuman race. I go to state school, but i have to say I have only ever met one "ok-yah" muppet from private school and I certainly wouldn't base the whole attitude of the private sector on him as everybody else I know who goes to/has gone to independent school is thoroughly pleasant and very real. Much more real than about half the people at my old school who couldn't tell you who the prime minister was.

Absolutely. State schooling is not an option for my children.

This box must be ticked before I can even consider having children, i.e. I need to be in a position of knowing that I will be able to afford to educate them privately.

I'd rather not have children if such boxes are not ticked.

I went to a state school before my parents moved me to a private one and I really value the difference private school education made, particularly as I'm not so bright.

Ive found that often, that when I attended a state school, a lot of people seemed to have a lack of an understanding about basic politics, economics and society- someone in my GCSE history class asked who Churchill was. My point being that there are sometimes significant gaps in knowledge in secondary education- which isn't the fault of the teachers or children- but a problem for a generation who have to vote 2 years after leaving school without knowing much. (This makes me sound against state schools, when I am overwhelming for them I just think the curriculum needs a major look at... by someone other than Michael Gove but that's a story for another time and thread XD)

No, I wouldn't want to put the pressure of paid for education onto my kids. I know I'd have felt like I'd let my parents down if they'd spent anywhere between 70k (for a local day school 11-18) and 200+ (for top publics) and then to see that someone outperformed me at the comp down the road (and there will likely be some kid with 8/9 A*s at GCSE and straight A*s at a school with 300+ students).

Also, I'd always worry that I'd just be spoon fed to wherever I'd have got had I been to private school and not feel like my achievements were truly my own, which is another reason (and also why I'd never pay for private tutoring for kids).

I realise my kids will have certain advantages in life others won't such as a home environment where education is valued, warm quiet place to work, read to when younger etc. that all make a big difference and that education is never a true level playing field, just paid education is the point I personally would have felt my achievements were less 'my own', though I do feel like they are less impressive compared to people I know with similar ones and who didn't have what I've just listed. Just my take though.

I posted before to say I went private - would send kids to state.

Engaging with you because you have a brain - unlike many in this thread.

I disagree that private means better or advantaged in terms of academic. As you said, the home environment is important. Few things you might not know being from state:

1) terms are shorter than state, significantly - and holidays longer
2) lots of homework after school - from age of 7 onwards - and in holidays

Most development occurs in private study/reading. Classes in private school are mostly pointless as they are in state except they are better controlled and no one acts up - to an extent, it's just an expensive nursery with sports, music and pretty buildings.

If you as a parent set reading as homework, have a disciplined household and get specialist tutors when the child is already at a decent comp, that child has an advantage over private school kids in terms of academia.

I think the idea of not feeling your achievements are your own is silly - you need to take advantage of everything you can get in life. But I agre 13k+ a year per kid for no tangible academic benefit is the real case and it's overkill. Kids don't do worse at grammar schools. Kids at good comps with pushy parents do well too. It's not always about the school.

I'm very bored, I'm sorry if I'm confrontational - I'm subconciously deliberately creating potential arguments to keep myself awake!

Although I agree that I'd go for private, state school kids can so well top, in fact there are plenty of good state schools around, it depends a lot on your area. And as a parent, if you value education so much you can instil the same values into your children.
Seems a rather extreme views to say you wouldn't have kids if they couldn't go to private school.

I see your point, but what about private schools like mine which have very challenging entrance exams? Everyone who goes to my school had to get in on their smarts, not their money, like grammar schools. If I hadn't worked my a** off to get a scholarship and a bursary into my private school, there's no way in hell I'd be there. I'm not lucky in that regard. Lucky implies that we didn't have to try.

I've gone to a state school in a deprived area of East London, and i would definitely send my child to a state school (preferably in a better area however)

after coming into contact with students from a private school i couldnt help notice how out of touch with reality they are. i'm sorry , but u cannot be upset when your parents bought u the latest Blackberry when u wanted an iPhone.

if my kids are hardworking and want to do well, they'll be able to do it wherever they go.
i'd send them to a state school so they learn about real life.

Say I had the choice to send my child to a private school, I'd much rather prefer to send them to a state school due to the experiences that I've had, and how I believe they are different from that of a private school.

I go to a fairly average school that achieves average GCSE and A Level grades, but I've learnt to deal with all kinds of people - not just those who can afford a better education. I've met all sorts of people from those who've worked two jobs part time to support his family whilst still achieving A*A*AA at A Level, to those who don't take the opportunity presented to them and go on to receive EEUU as well. I want my child to understand the different types of people him/her could possibly encounter in the future to best prepare him/her for life.

My child wouldn't need a private school education either, and could easily compete with one who has been educated at a private school so long as they tried their best, and for that reason, I believe state schooling is better.