[~Katia~]

I'm doing my research for DS who will be going to school in 2014 - both public and private.
Can someone please list the benefits of paying the $$$ and sending a child to a private school instead of public? We're are a middle-income family and obviously will have to budget for it, so I need to be kind of convinced That DS will be much better off in the private system and the $$$ will pay off

Many thanks

[liveworkplay]

Its not that simple a question. Not all schools are equal in either system and not all students need/will respond to the same environment.

Very very generally speaking you tend to get more "extras" at a private school, less need for classroom behavioural management therefore more quality teaching time and they tend to be better resourced. But that is a huge generalisation.

You need to just visit schools and see what you think without the bias of whether it is public or private

This post has been edited by liveworkplay: 11/04/2012, 08:37 AM

[Apageintime]

I agree with the PP, its not just about the money.

I went to Catholic school which my parents were happy to pay for because they really valued the extra religious instruction.

You might want your child to go single sex, which may involve private school.

Your child may be good at tennis, and the local state school may have a program for elite sports people.

You may want your child to row, which may only be available at a private school.

You may need to option of boarding later on.

You may love the local state school.

The state school may be closer to home/work and therefore make drop offs more convienient.

Basically you need to work out what is important for your child and family, and work out how much you are willing to pay for those services.

[ali27]

It is a very complex decision to make, especially when your son is so young.
All schools are different, be they public or private and it's hard to decide what will offer the most positive expereince for your child.
Many private schools are extremely expensive and the drain on family income impacts into many aspects of the family - lessening your ability to provide other experiences outside the school environment.
Personally, it's not something I would do in primary years, because of the cost and more importantly to see how your son progresses with his education and where he would gain the most beneficial expereince.

[**Mel**]

I agree with most that has been said.

It depends what schools you are talking about.

I live in Adelaide. If I lived in certain suburbs I would consider both the private and state school options.

In other suburbs I would choose the state school easily rather than the private school.

I am a public school teacher and believe in a public system.

I have taught in private schools where the curriculum/choices are so narrow, only a small portion of kids would fit in.
I have taught in public schools where they cater for everyone.
I have heard of the mysterious private schools that cater for everyone - I have yet to see it.
I have also taught in state schools that don't cater to everyone as well.

Philosophically, I don't like the idea of my child going to any school where the cohort is homogenous and they churn out they same kids at the end.

[MakeLoveNotBacon]

Mel, that's a pretty narrow point of view. I also find it hard to believe you taught at a school that catered for everyone. I wonder if the parents felt the same way.

When people talk about private schools they tend to forget it's not just the religious schools. ds attends a Montessori school and if anyone comes close to catering for everyone, it would be a Montessori school because that's part of the whole concept. The child learns at their own pace and interests - child led learning.

We consider education to be extremely important and I spent a lot of time looking into different systems and Montessori really appealed and match our own ideas of child raising, so for us, it's worth the extra money. We are hardly rich but this is really important to us. I want ds' education to be inspiring and exciting, not lacklustre and "adequate" as mine was in the public system. I know not all public schools are like this but I didn't want to be at the mercy of whatever local school we were given according to the area we lived.

[mumto3princesses]

It would depend on where you live and what the public and private schools are like in your area and your child/children and what you want to get out of the school. For primary it would be a hard decision as they are so young and really don't know what they want or what they really like yet. High School is easier because by then they know what their interests are.

With DD1 for example, I couldn't justify spending the $$ on a private school after looking into our options. We found that the public girls school we are zoned for suits her perfectly and I honestly couldn't see any real benefits by sending her to the private. But if we weren't zoned for that school or couldn't get in out of area, then yes it would be a better option that the other local school.

Plus each child is different. My twins are just starting to work out where their extra curricular activity interests are. DD2 loves gymnastics, dance and singing while DD3 really loves swimming and team sports and is really liking basketball which she had never tried before. They both might do ok at DD1's school or DD2 might suit a creative arts school and DD3 a school that has a lot of sports. That's something we need to look at in a few years time.

Or if I had a boy, I have heard that the absolute best option is a private school if you want him to go anywhere near home.

[**Mel**]

MadameCatty, I wasn't trying to be narrow (and DD was bugging me for breakfast ).

A more fuller answer would be that there are so many schools that all do different things that to ask whether private is worth the $$ is to not be asking the right question necessarily.

I do agree with you with Monte - but have actually seen some awful Monte's as well, when looking for pre-school options for my own daughter,

And that's the point - treat each school on it's own merits.

As for teaching at a school catering for all - I take your point that it probably didn't. It did, though, cater for a wider spectrum of students than any other school I have taught at/visited/workshopped with.

It had an extensive Special Ed dept. - with classes at different levels depending on the tier - SMD classes, SWD classes, NEP classes, combined with mainstream, not combined...dependant on individual student needs. It had a separate school leader heading this up, specialised teachers and trained SSOs.

The same school offered intensive University pathway classes with access to Uni lecturers/post-grads and had a high percentage of kids in a Vocational pathway (paid for by the school) studying a range (30+) of nationally accredited industry certificates as part of their school certificate (not instead of)

No other school in my experience has come close to that range of choices for kids

FTR - it was a state school in a low SES area

High SES state schools here do lip-service to trade pathways and their Sp Ed dept is non-existent. It's largely Uni all the way.

Private schools tend to be the same - or the trade pathways are fully paid for by the family. So, you send your kid to a high fee paying school, then when they work out they want to be a plumber, you pay for that too. Which is ok if you can afford it - it's not particularly equitable though.

[Tea~for~two]

I agree with a PP that it is really difficult to make the decision this far out as school standards can change so quickly. So while I can understand the need to be prepared in advance for potential financial and enrolment reasons, I'd keep an open mind and re-assess in 2013.

For example, a massive shift has occured between two schools in my area (north tas). One school, a catholic private school became renowned for its excellent co-curricular program's and student-staff ratios. Fast forward five years and the demand to go to this school has increased so they DOUBLED the enrolment quota. Now the school is chronically overcrowded (some classes are being taken in the staff room as they just don't have the space).

Another school on my area, a public one with an appalling reputation, took full advantage of the recent schools building stimulus and now have a fantastic early learning centre and have worked really hard to address concerns parents have had.

But recently I heard that the first school is in the process of building a new wing to deal with the over crowding, so in five years time it could have changed again!!

Good luck with your decision!

[opethmum]

Seems OP we have similar aged children at the moment. We have decided that my DD will go to a small private non denominational Christian school down the road. Not for the brag purposes but we feel that they have the right attitude towards education and our values coalesce with theirs.

For choosing any school public/private I think that these at a bare minimum needs to be taken into consideration.
1. Their policy on bullying and challenging behaviour in the classroom and at least having a proven record that they take this seriously and that any challenging behaviour is dealt with and is minimised.
2. That they have a good track record academically, does not have to be the best in state but confident enough that your child will be taught the basics and that they have programmes in house to help your child whether they are super bright or need that extra little bit of help to make it.
3. That they have the physical facilities that you are happy with and making sure that you know that your child is going to be in an environment that is conducive to learning and that they have a bit of space to burn off that energy. It again does not have to state of the art but adequate enough to ensure that comfort is taken into consideration.
4 That the administration of the school is sound and not ruled by few and that you as a new parent have an equal say in the running of the school as a parent who has been there since the dawn of time. It is important that the parents and the community have a sound relationship and that it is supporting the children at the school no matter what their parents do etc.

I hope that has helped.
Good luck and I hope you find the right school for your child.