.

[Phinners]

Yeah we were looking for our LO. My OH was a prep/public school boy and I wanted this for our boy too, but looking around they are about 20K a year and I'm not looking to go back to work so we've decided we can't afford it afterall.

 

[Sovereign]

I went to both a private school and a state school and I have to say that the state school taught me a lot more and brought me out of my shell so much more. I am so glad I went to a state school too.

 

[FBbaby]

My man is a prep/private school boy and although he had a great time during his youth years, I am shocked at the level of education he received. I went to a very average public school and my general knowledge/spelling/grammar/maths skills etc... are certainly superior to his. Fair enough, I was a good student, he wasn't!

He stopped after his 'A' levels, I did a Masters, so in the end, our education in total probably cost about the same, and the result is that we both have pretty good jobs (different sectors) and earn about the same!!

His mum is very keen on my sending my children to private schools too. I don't see the point at all. They currently go to an excellent primary school, i couldn't ask for better education and social environment. My daughter is very advanced, evaluated at 2 years ahead, but she is never bored and is challenged at her level. My boy is doing very well too and the little shy boy he was when he started has now become a confident pupil with many friends. The secondary school they will go to is excellent too according to all the people I know whose kids go there and OFSTED report classes it at very good.

If the local schools were clearly a problem or my kids had special needs that required more individual attention, I would probably consider funding private education, but as it is, they are happy, learning as they should and well, I much prefer spending the money on our family holidays than for them to go to private school!

 

[HCB]

We live near to some outstanding primary schools so we're not worried about that but secondary schools are awful, well below average for practically all of them, so we had considered sending our child to a private school for secondary even if it was going to stretch us. There is an excellent state boys school (it is actually our nearest secondary although is still difficult to get in) but obviously only any good if you have a boy. However, we have now found out that we're expecting twins and can't see how we could afford for them both to go private so we're dreading the school decision making. Got plenty of years to go yet so let's hope the schools do something about it in that time!

 

[trainingdoc]

We're planning on having 5 kids, so private school from nursery may well be prohibitive even on my doctors salary, but I think we may well be looking at a good state school for primary and then private for secondary.

Both myself and OH went to private school, and while mine was very academic (and given the local schools and my personality, if I hadn't gone, there's a good chance I'd have been a pregnant drug dealer at 16) my OH's focussed more on sports etc, and didn't have a great academic record. I think if you're going private, you have to pick a school that really does have a lot more to offer than the state schools in the area.

Also, if parents have time to teach their kids with some one on one time that can actually make a bigger difference than moving into the private sector. I went to secondary school with a boy who's mother had taught him trigonometry and algebra at age 9. Not surprising that he passed the entrance exam then!