Private or state school?

I went to a state school in a good area but came out without a grade above a D GCSE. My little sister goes to a private school and loves it. Yes her friends parents have much more money that my parents but they never look down their noses at her and she is invited to sleepovers every week and is never left out. I suppose it is just depends on what the pupils are like when your child attends. I would say go for the private school if you can afford it you can always take them out if they don't like it x

I went to a state nursery and primary school and then went on to a private high school. I found both great! The only thing I'd say is that in my private school I got better reports and picked up in my grades because i had more attention from the teachers and more help if needed as the classes were smaller and not so many people attended making it easier to consentrate. Saying that i found state school fun and great and i did well academically! x

I don't think I would ever send my kid to private school even if i could afford it! I couldnt stand it if my kid turned out to ba a snotty nosed snob (hope i dont offend anyone here) There is a really good school in my area where my mum taught and she said that it was horrible the teachers, the children, the parents were stuck up and thought they were above everyone (not all of them of course) I also worked with a women whos daughter went there and she said the same. And this isnt even a private school just in a very good area. I'm certainly not posh but i have been brought up with good values, manners and am down-to-earth! Which is what i hope for my child and feel they will achive this quite easily in main stream average joe school! I know I can't generalise all private-educated people but based on experiences i have heard of etc this is my veiw! x

Is there another local school which you feel happier about? I am REALLY lucky as my house backs onto a very good infants and junior school and the local high school which was poor in my day has improved and is now better than the school I went to!! I would only go private if it was not a struggle and if the local schools werent good, you will need to save for further education which wont be cheap - your child will probably benefit from this more than going to a private school especially in teh earlier years if you have to choose where to spend your money x

i feel the exact same. i really want my daughter to go 2 a private school but cant afford. i feel some children and public school have been dragged up not brought up and i wouldnt want that influencing my child. my OH thinks all kids are the same whatever school they go but i disagree x

Ok heres my view, i wanted to send my son to private school, i was sent to state school, and i attended Summer school at private school. When i explained i wanted my son to private school i was laughed at! and once i understood why they where laughing i realised it didnt matter what i wanted, if your face dont fit your on a loser straight away.
When you go toprivate school, you are judged on holidays, clothes, after schhol activities, cars, homes, streets the list is endless. Now i was prepared to "bankrupt" myself to pay fee's but do i really want the kids laughing at him when he shows up in my car? when they parents have 6/7 to choose from? When we holiday at Haven in Devon and they holiday 4 times a year throughout the world, who's getting to get laughed at? My son, personally im not bothered to what people think of me, but i cant bear to think of my son being taunted. Therefore what im saying if you dont mix in these sort of social circles, u will be cast aside, and therefore, id rather my son mix with his own class and get a decent educuation in a state school then being picked on coz he wont get a good eductaion being picked on he would hate it!

I went to a private secondary school and it was the worst thing ever, but that's just my opinion. My parents didn't have loads of money and sacrificed a lot for me to go there, but most other people were from rich families, and had no time for me. Also where I was performing near the top of the class in state primary, i was suddenly at the bottom in a bunch of overachieving rich kids, not great for self esteem. Just thought I'd chip in to this thread.

Ahh its so hard isnt it, you want to give them the best start in life, but at the same time you dont want to push them soo much that it becomes too much pressure for them.
I know in private primary schools its very much homework from day 1, and long school hours whereas in state primary schools the first year is mostly playing, even though they do do reading and writing etc its much more laid back.
However i do think the maybe this would get the rivate schooled children ready for secondary school more, maybe not.

Me and my husband thought we would like our girls to go to a private primary school but have now thought against it, those first years should be so much more fun than homework etc!
However we are definitely sending them in secondary school, my younger 15 YO sister has recently moved from a state to a private and from what shes told us the state she went to was appalling and she said that private was so much nicer and people actually cared.

Its quite a hard decision and i think it compeltely depends on where you live, you could spend £15,000 a year on a secondary private school and have all pupils getting worse than the local state school. It all depends on where you live.

Kate x