[kylie]

The answer to high private fees is at public schoolsA recent BankWest study found that nearly one in 10 families sending a child to a private school spent more than half their take-home pay on the children's education.

Read the article about the rising cost of private education and some thoughts on a solution here and discuss below.

[niksia]

Our fees aren't to bad. We send DD to a catholic school up here in NQ and our fees are about 2.5K/yr. I know what some people are paying down south and OMG we would definately struggle.

What we pay is all inclusive of books, excursions etc so the only thing we have to fork out for is uniforms etc.

[sabella]

That is such a sensible essay. Reality rather than ideology - lovely.
Can I send a copy to my MP?

[Gin and Tonic]

I cant see how the government could possibly offer the same facilities as private schools unless they have some corporate or community sponsorship.

The extra funds and contribution of time to fund raising that are expected of parents at my childrens' private school over and above the tuition fees could never be matched in the public sector. Our donations are "optional", but pretty much expected every term. We are also expected to participate in fund raising events, raffles, school fairs etc. It is the school community that raise most of the money for the "extra" facilities that make private schools (in my view) worth the extra cost.

Perhaps the community needs to get more involved with its local public schools. The Parents, local businesses, corporate sponsors will be the way forward in improving their local school facilities.

Like the article says "in the long run we are all dead" so if you are sending your child to a public school why would you risk waiting for the government to improve the service? It is the parent contribution in terms of time and money that will make the difference.

ETA to answer the question...yes we can afford private school because we go without other things. Our kids' education is a priority for us over and above everything else. We feel our kids are best served at a private school.

This post has been edited by Gin and Tonic: 03/02/2008, 10:00 AM

[tle]

I can afford to send my children to a private school but I choose not to. I have much more faith in the public system.

When looking for a school for our kids we found the class sizes in the private schools around here were much larger than the public schools (e.g. kindergaten at private school had 32 kids per class whereas the public school had had 20)

I also like the fact that the public schools have a wide mix of students covering all races, religions and academic ability. They represent the way the "real world" is which helps to instil tolerance and acceptance of differences and makes the transition from school to work and/or university easier.

I'm curious to know what extra facilities most of the private schools have that the public schools don't. Maybe it's just the area I live in but the private schools around here don't have anything that the public schools don't.

[MothershipConnec...]

Maybe it's just the area I live in but the private schools around here don't have anything that the public schools don't.

Same here. The teachers and culture of the school, as well as, opportunities is what is most important to me. I have several friends that live in different areas, who have their children in private school, and truly believe that because they are paying for the privilege that their children will be better educated. I think for some people it is more of a status symbol than anything else.

This post has been edited by Autumn74: 02/02/2008, 12:09 PM

[belindam]

Our daughter will be starting at a coed anglican school in reception next year. The fees are extremely reasonable - a fraction of what I currently pay in childcare because I am ineligble for anything other than the minimum childcare rebate. So the answer to the first question is yes - we can afford it quite easily in comparison to childcare. The schools fees for primary school (it is a very large school set on a number of campuses are less than $2000 pa). The school has far more facilities than any public school in our area. I did not want my child to go to a school where there was not a large mix of students from various backgrounds and the school has a larger than average for private schools number of students on school card (in part why the fees are so low because its how govt funding is determined towards private schools). It is also a very strict school in terms of behavioural standards, educational standards etc and has an excellent reputation.

A previous poster asked why send your children to a private school - because when I graduated from university with an accounting degree - not a single one of the 'big 6' firms would even interview anyone that graduated from a public high school. Only those students who came from private schools and who incidentally had much lower academic results were interviewed. It hasnt hurt me in the long run - I have had a great career which started in government and I'm sure that I'd have no trouble getting a job with them now given my experience but it really did make me realise that as much as I hate it - where you went to school really can matter and I want to make sure my DD has every opporunity that I can.

[justoneson]

Yes we can. I think everyone can afford things that they want in life. If you really, really want something in life you go out and make it happen. If it is not deep down a true desire, you are less likely to truely do all the best that you can to achieve it iykwim.

All private schools are obviously different to each other, as with the public schools system. The one that we have DS booked into is co-ed and Anglican. It really comes down to personal preference. We don't look at the opportunity of one day sending DS to a private school, as a "status symbol" as someone else has said. Rather, we look at it as, something that we are working hard to try to achieve for him. We call it an "opportunity", because it is simply that...a chance to give DS an education, end of story. The way in which every one chooses to educate their children is entirely up to the individual. I went to an all girls private school and DH went to a state school. We have seen both sides ( many years ago! ). We also work in the profession, so might have different views on certain things in the schooling system. I am not the type of person to say - " I went private, so DS will go private ". It does come down to what schools you have in your area, and what you are comfortable with for your child. There are many fantastic teachers out there in the public system, that do a great job. There are many out there that don't. You have the same issue in the private schools, but possibly not at the same extreme iykwim.

We are yet to start on the school part of DS life ( Prep next year in Qld )yet, but are slowly heading in the direction we need to, to make it all possible. We are always open to the public option too. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. DS might not do well in the school that we have in mind. He might do better in a public school - who knows?!

Lou

This post has been edited by justoneson: 02/02/2008, 02:52 PM

[just-call-me-mar...]

We will save for it. My daughter has been booked into an independant catholic school when she was a baby and we will do the same for our children starting from year 7 and attend local catholic primary schools. It certainly won't cost us half our salary only our mortgage can do that

Both dh and I went to single sex catholic schools and it is what we want for our children. There are lots of opportunities, extra -curricular activities, extra discipline, charity groups and for us I want our children taught with catholic values....it is very important for us. I loved the education I received, the fact that religion was a part of everything we did and this is very important to us and our family.

I have to say that when I graduated from university and firms were recruiting, my friends ( who all studied economics, commerce or law) were interviewed and selected irrespective of where they went to school with the focus on grades, tertiary entrance scores, year 12 results and extra curricular activities. Both dh and I attended top universities and were accepted into graduate accounting career programs with top firms with a mixture of private and public school students and this was back in 1996 so I have to say that in general you are selected based on merit and your achievments rather than where you went to school. DH still works for the largest accounting firm with plenty of public school people so perhaps it just appeared to be the case that only private school people were interviewed!


Corrie;)

This post has been edited by just-call-me-martha: 02/02/2008, 03:30 PM

[alchemist77]

We do not have a private school in our town however will send our children out of town to attend private boarding schools because of the social issues in this town. For many years the MAJORITY of parents who care about their childrens education send their children out of town to ensure that their child goes to a fully staffed school. We now have no choice but to do the same as the children who are left behind to complete their high school in town are the children of parents who do not supervise their children as well as they should, prefering often to throw money at them. I dont want to send my children away to school however have no choice at this stage.