Private v State Education

[UglyFace]

Bearing in mind the massive investment required to educate children privately, does anyone know of a website where you can easily compare the performance of state with private schools head to head? There are league tables for state schools and league tables for private schools but it would be handy to see them compared directly so parents can get some idea of whether or not it's worth the money!

[WoWo]

Sorry don't have any tables, try the Times website. But what I would say is private education is like any other industry, if its not delivering high standards and good results then nobody would pay for their kids to go. Like Isay don't have statistics but would imagine that any comparison would put most state schools to shame.

[andy hughes]

State versus private educcation comes down to a simple choice - is it right for your child? Not in terms of 'league tables' - this is education, not football - but in terms of what each type of education offers. If your child is bright but low achieving, a private education may bring out the best in him / her, but it can't put accademic levels where none exist, a common myth among fee-paying parents. Check out your options, let your child visit, go with your gut instinct, and take into account what your child wants - he or she is the receiver of education, not parents, never mind what the government says. make your decision carefully, and then concentrate on helping your child to enjoy school, keep the pressure off, childhood is to be enjoyed, it doesn't last!

[Yinzer]

You could pull up the league tables online and just have them in two separate windows, side by side. It also depends on which state schools and which privte ones. A public school in ny own city has some english teachers who call it a "liBARy" Another has higher success with class sizes and student progress than the lowliest private school. Of course privates can afford the better teachers, but they still can't weed out the bad influences. They can only prevent them from having blue hair like in the publics. Like andy says it depends on what's right for your kid.

[The Ponderer]

I would say private would provide a better education purely because the vast majority of the kids who go there want to learn whether it be from natural inqusitiveness or purely parental pressure because of the fees paid. If I had the money I would definitely send my kids there but sadly because i don't they'll attend their local comprehensive. Luckily my kids are still at primary just now but i must admit i am dreading the thought of them going to high school with the recent record of our local high school. Also I think teenagers in general are now out of control and this spills over into the schools as well. The worst problem when I was at school was bullying and not only has this got worse but there are now extra problems of drugs/drink/knives being taken to school. In my day it would have merited an automatic expulsion but nowadays the worst they will get will be a weeks suspension ususally because the parents of the particular perpetrator claim he/she is misunderstood or is having problems at home etc. Bring back the eleven plus to let the clever children thrive in a decent environment and also to let the not so highly achieving children learn a trade to fall back on. God knows it would help help with unemployment and a whole lot of other problems in the UK!!! Rant over sorry folks.

[norfolk boy]

I went to private school.My children go to state school.Private schools are only better if parents can't be bothered to spend time with their children,and thus take the easy option and bundle them off.My children are the top in their respective classes and this is through help, encouragement, and love from my wife and i. As far as league tables are concerned they're a waste of time and effort if you have offspring from the local druggies in the school.As we know to our cost they disrupt the classes and make teachers lives hell.As time is spent on these social misfits, the children of law abiding parents have to suffer in this climate of pc!!!!

[Gef]

Well said Andy. Private schools get the "best" results because they tend to attract more of the cream. WoWo and Yinzer are just perpetuating the old myths.

[flashpig]

ansteyg, I think you might have been conned. State education costs much less than private education. I have been working at one for a few days and was astounded to find out that it's over �20,000 for a border at the school. That is more than my parents earn, yet they could afford to send me to state school.