Private school VS public..?

Question

I live in the United Kingdom. If you had a choice for yoursel or child would you choose a private school or a public school?
I would like people to not make a decision on the money side. Say it was on offer either way and would not cost you a penny, although would for everyone else.
Which would you choose, and why would you choose that school?

Answer 1

I put my daughter in private school and next year she is going to go to public! The public school in my area are great! I feel that the private school gave my girl a good study habit but did not really challenge her in social skills, real to life ..... all kind of people the good the bad and the ugly! To prepare her in life I want her to be scholastically and people smart! If you have a good school in your area start her in private school and then move her to public!!

Answer 2

State, not private. (For some mad reason in britain we use 'public' to mean 'incredibly expensive private.') As a Socialist I think it is immoral to pay for what ought to be your right as a citizen (this is also why I disapprove of paying for healthcare except when absolutely necessary); on a less principled but more personal note, my mum went to a private school and hated it so much that she went on hunger-strike until she was taken away, and maybe I just know the wrong people, but I've only ever met one person who had a good experience of private school. I would eat my own leg before I let any child of mine go to a for-profit school.

Answer 3

I would have to say private simply because the standard of education in public schools especially in inner city sreas is very poor. I attended an inner city school and children who do want to learn are inhibited severely by a number of factors such as an increase in violence and bullying and the inability of schools to control this. the influence of drugs is also common place.
When i went to school it was hard enough to get through the day without being beaten up verbally abused or even stabbed, it was all about surviving not education.

Answer 4

I agree with myspace. Having been to both in the UK. State Primary and then Public School what I think you are calling Private school, i.e. fee paying.

Both my schools were great for me. I had to pass an entrance exam to get into my senior school as well as it being fee paying.

What is important is that the school is matched to the child's requirements.

Some schools are so exclusive if you came from the wrong background it would be difficult to get on. This can apply at all ranges of the spectrum. Rich and poor, highly academic or more hands on.

I went to a very mathematical theoretical universtity again some people prefer a more practical hands on education.

I tried to apply this with my own children. No one has all the answers, you just do your best.

I would have paid if they had wanted it or needed it. Apart from a little bit of private coaching and the normal ups and downs of school life the local schools were fine. Especially the senior school which highly regarded.

I also translated my own experience, although my senior school was excellent I spent a lot of time travelling and we also went to school on Saturday mornings. This set me apart from other children where I grew up and you have to balance whole life development and education. Boarding school is even more extreme and could be good in some instances but needs to be carefully considered. I speak as one who never boarded but went to a school where some did and I know some of those in later life who have reflected on the pros and cons.

So I believe we did best for our children.

My daughter was a typical acemdemic even more so than myself. the local school suited her right up until university.

My son wanted to follow IT and was more hands on so we supported his decision and extra cost to travel to the local technical college to study IT between 16 and 18 before he also decided to study Computer Science at University.

All I can say is know your children what their dreams and needs require. Try not to impose your own dreams and desires on them they have enough to cope with growing up without the pressure of your dreams also.

Try to find the education to support their individual needs. Hopefully you can support this financially and in every other respect. Money alone will not support your childs education. They need your time and support in every respect.

Each child is different what suits for one will not suit another.

Good Luck !

Answer 5

Depends on the quality of public schools in your area and whether the private school is associated with any particular religion. In my hometown, the public schools are well-funded and offer many extracurricular activities, but the private schools are all Catholic (I am Protestant) and only offer classes through middle school. For my fiancé, it was the opposite; the public schools were old and dangerous because of inner-city gangs, but the private ones were wealthy and some were not associated with any religion.

Answer 6

It depends on the school and how they develop them socailly and emotionally and thats more important then acedemic.

So not stuck up, bullying, bullied, sheltered etc. So they can mix socially and as they grow up this includes good development of things like relationships and boy /girlfriends etc suitable for age.

And help with relationships etc so their first experiences are positive. This includes when in 6th form and they become sexually active. Support not attacks...

Then worry about their teaching and how well they do that. Problem solving and realisim not just grades (you want them to cope well in life).

With students who want to learn not disrupt (I expect some naughtyness thats natural. But overall want to learn. And make them keen and able to look after themselves.

Its a complex thing you look at as a whole.

Notice I never mentioned Private or Public.

Answer 7

It all depends on the school. I went to public schools all my life here in America. I went to good schools that had good reputations. With good grades, you can go to the top public schools and not have to go to private. There's really no difference between private or public. It only comes down to quality of education and whether or not the school is good.

Answer 8

i live in the united states, in new york. and let me tell u that private schools have longer hours, but taking people money. i had a child in a private school that costs me over 10,000 a year. i couldn't afford it no more, so i decided to put him in public school, can u believe that my child wasn't ready to learn in a public school, he had low standards.. so my choice is public school.

Answer 9

as a 16 yr old i Would rather go to my public school because it's still possible to gt Good grades and u get to meet so many different types of People that you wouldn't meet in a public school. but if the school had a very very bad reputation like stabbings etc then i might not be so keen to go there.

Answer 10

Private school