[Solved] Thinking of sending my son to a private school

Hi there,

Grammar school are for children that are generally higher achievers I think that children usually sit an entrance exam to be considered for a grammar school place. If a child is very bright I think there may be scholarships available and help with school fees.

I dont know what level 5b is but if your son is struggling it might be better to get him some extra one to one tuition.

I was a private school teacher until the summer- when my school folded. I also attended a private school for my secondary education. All in, i've spent fifteen years in private education in one way or another, and now I have three young children.

In my experience, private education is often no longer worth it. Back in the 80s my parents got a great deal, as the fees went towards recruiting some awesome minds to teach us. For example, my ICT teacher back in 88-91 went on to become a major person in HP- that's how good his skills were. His pay in teaching made a shift to commerce not a brilliant move, but one he eventually took for his own reasons- probably to gain more family time with no marking or planning!

Nowadays, however, private school pay is the same as a 'normal' teacher + 10%, if you're lucky. Most of the remaining privates are run by 'for profit' companies that cut costs whenever possible, and the main one is often by going for cheap teachers rather than the best. My school was one of the few charity privates, and as such was not pressed to turn a profit to be taken out of the business. This meant that the other local privates were pushed to pinch our pupils, and often did so by offering free places for up to three years. Our numbers went down and down- due to parents being offered savings of 10k-30k, not because of the facilities or teaching, and thus we ended up folding.

The two local competitors are often in the local paper. One has an overdraft of a million quid, and the other is always being shopped in for cutting corners, firing domestic staff, etc. Neither are likely to be around in ten years, and neither offer good value for money from what i've seen. They charge a top-whack fee for an average education provided by average teachers.

So what you'd be paying for is two things: quieter classrooms, and better behaved classmates. Is this really worth £10k a year? I was able to teach double the usual content each year due to well behaved pupils and freedom to set my own lessons and curriculum. I could take an average child and turn them into a [censored] good child in just a couple of years- filling in the things they've missed and gaining their interest. If that's what you're looking for, it might be worth doing.

For me, i'm not sending my children to private schools. My local primary has 10x the ICT budget of my last school, and let's face it ICT is a key part of our children's futures. There is no snobbery, and its a nice easy walk to school for my children, not half an hour on a bus each way. The money saved is already earmarked for providing advantages; my eldest loves his rugby lessons, and is likely to go to karate in a year or so. My children will be offered music lessons, dance, drama- whatever they want- and i'll continue to take them on ace day trips each weekend, not just a stroll to the shops or sitting in front of the telly.

My long-term issue will be the bad behaviour and chance of being led astray that the local secondaries will possibly offer. I'll counter this by continuing to work on projects with my kids at home- my eldest has already done lots of woodwork and diy with me and has loved it- and with other members of the family who have skills. I'll talk to them about the importance of school, and hope to have each child know a few of the things they might go on and do by the time they hit their early teens, so that they have a focus. I hear it a lot when I visit secondaries- there will be a kid working hard and the teacher will describe him or her as driven, hardworking, and keen to build a career in whichever discipline interests them the most.

If you do choose a private school, look out for a few things. A beautiful building will give them an experience they will never forget; ask other parents if they have had problems from pupils whose parents are super rich; see what optional activities are included in the fees. Schools willing to reduce fees usually need to prove that you're worth taking on as a few years of reduced fees will end up in more years of full fees being paid, so when discussing money if you can say that you will have paid off the mortgage in two years or are anticipating a promotion that will result in an increase in wages, they are more likely to offer a good initial reduction. They may well phrase this as a scholarship so that existing parents do not get annoyed by 'these newcomers getting cut price fees', but it is all linked to money nowadays, the true full scholarships are few and far between and 99% are preplanned by primary heads recommending truly gifted children to schools years in advance of them hitting 11.

A lot of brilliant minds come from private schools. A lot of brilliant minds come from modern secondaries. What they all have in common is caring, thoughtful parents who have actively helped them to focus on their dreams and support them in achieving.

Oh and no great surprise, the level thing is absolute nonsense, so easily fixed by heads to show non-existent progress. The marking schemes are so wooly that I could mark a piece of work and justify if as being anything between a level 5 and a level 7 by bodging the criteria. Do you think your son is bright? If so he is, you're as good a judge on this as his teachers- but you are not hampered in making a statement by Gove's bureaucracy!

Good Morning

TeacherUK - Thanks very much indeed for the detailed reply.

Good Morning Folks

My wife and I have found a private school near by where we feel our son would be happy. It is actually a college and take all kids between the ages of 5-18. I contacted the school who said bursaries are available and they have sent me the relevant forms to complete for the bursary.

However, it is 10 pages long! Who is the best person/people/organisations to go for help in completing this form? Are there any good websites available who give some sort of guidance, in making sure we have the best chances of getting a bursary?

Thank You.