[wrong]

Can someone please list the benefits of paying the $$$ and sending a child to a private school instead of public?

If you weren't aware, there was recently a good piece in the SMH Sydney magazine:
http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/forums/ind...howtopic=970712

[Pearson]

The private primary schools in our area have less facilities and more complaints about their teaching and other issues than the state schools. The state schoools have fantastic reputations, whereas the private schools have an increasing dropout rate.

[lsolaBella]

I am happy to go to local State/Catholic (as DH and I are Catholic so local Catholic school for us) for Primary school.

Secondary school we will be going Private. It is what I did as a child too.

[*dreamer*]

more complaints about their teaching and other issues than the state schools.

I'm really curious as to how you know this?

This post has been edited by *dreamer*: 11/04/2012, 05:37 PM

[trishalishous]

we've chosen our local public school (which is great) and will put the extra cash towards extracurricular activies, depending on our kids interests.
if they are interested we might consider private secondary, but tbh i noticed that the private students performed rather poorly in 1st year uni (for the classes i tutored anyway) as they lacked self motivation, and were enjoying the 'lifestyle' at the tavern most of the time.

[**Mel**]

...
if they are interested we might consider private secondary, but tbh i noticed that the private students performed rather poorly in 1st year uni (for the classes i tutored anyway) as they lacked self motivation, and were enjoying the 'lifestyle' at the tavern most of the time.

I wrote this in my first post but deleted it due to lack of references to cite.

I 'know' that one of our local Uni's did some studies on it and concluded that more private school kids get to uni, but more private school students drop out in the first year of uni

I am going to keep looking for this research

[**Mel**]

from what I recall about the research, the findings concluded the higher drop-out rate was less to do with partying and more to do with the inability to take a lead role in their own learning

[LockedKey]

Honestly? I just like the uniform.

I guess the extra curricular options are better, gets them out of the house on a weekend and active which is always a plus.

[howdo]

You cannot compare private and public schooling. You need to compare schools.

[LucidDream]

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.

I also have DS1 in a Montessori school cycle 1, and the more I look into the way children learn, the more determined I am to keep him in for the whole of primary school. DS2 is starting cycle 1 next year, so that will be quite a bit of money going on school fees. Can I justify it? Absolutely. I am so happy that I am giving my boys an inspiring learning experience at the very beginning. I just wish every child could have a Montessori start in life!

This post has been edited by LucidDream: 16/04/2012, 09:43 AM