[~ShellBell~]

Some really good points made by PPs ... it totally depends on your situation, your child, the schools available etc. I was always very pro public school & I sent my two eldest kids to public school up until the end of last year. I had researched all the local schools & believed I had made the right decision ... I had even spoken to a lot of the high school teachers I knew to see if they saw any difference in the primary school kids coming from the various public & private schools & they didn't see to see much of a difference. I just couldn't justify spending quite a bit of money on private school for the primary years when I'd rather use the money for extra curricular activities & later schooling.

But what I have learnt from experience is that sometimes there really is a difference that the money can make when it comes to a school. In our situation we had never ending issues at the public school. I laid awake worrying about my kids for quite a while before I eventually took them out & sent them to another school, which just happens to be private. The difference is quite remarkable, one I would never have believed ... from what I have seen, the extra money is definitely worth it. BUT that is just MY experience. There are definitely some great public schools around. The biggest difference I have seen between the public & private schools, apart from extra facilities & extra curricular offerings, is that the teachers really look like they want to be there ... they clearly love teaching & it shows in everything they do ... this was the biggest problem at the public school, the teachers just looked like they were going through the motions ... very sad ... but that could just have been an issue at that particular school & nothing to do with the public v private thing. The other difference has nothing to do with money but has turned out to be the biggest positive to the private school. At my girls' old school there was some very very difficult children. In my eldest daughter's class, kids were getting hurt, strangled, etc to the point where I was worried to even send her to school. Because the school was public, there was not much they could do about the situation ... they were trying, I am sure, but apart from the odd suspension, they do not have the power to expel a child absolutely as in the public system all children have to be accepted ... the school essentially told us they could not do much more about the situation (so I only going by what they told us). At the private school, they have the absolute power to expel & exclude a child if that child is a danger to other kids. To me, this is a huge thing. At least I can now send my kids to school knowing that they are in a safer environment. Like I said though, this was our experience only ... I know that there are some great public schools out there. Also I know that a particular class can just be a problem ... my younger daughter's class had a great bunch of nice kids & we had no where near as many issues with her.

So, you can only explore all the different options & make the best decision with the information you have. I found speaking to parents who had kids at the different schools helped a lot. Good luck with your decision OP

[Heather11]

Agree totally with Howdo.

You need to get first hand information. Visit the schools and have a look around and become involved in your community where you mix with parents who already have children in the school system. Going to playgroup, kindergym, local sports etc. where you can speak to other parents will give you an idea of what the schools have to offer.

We don't know what schools you have to pick from. There are some great public schools out there, in other places there are not.

Unfortunately for us we live in a low socio economic area and the behaviour and bullying that happens at the local public school was a real turn off. Also there were some parents who were just as bad as the children in this respect, seen this first hand.

Cost to attend private schools varies greatly too. You may have a $1200 a year Catholic Parish School or a $20000 a year Grammar School.

As a PP mentioned, uniform was important to us too. Some public schools have a strict uniform others don't. Some of the clothes I see the public school students wearing leaves a lot to be desired also I didn't want my children to feel pressured into having to wear certain clothes to be in the cool group.

[kmama]

My 4yo daughter goes to an ELC that she will continue with until the end of year 6 (we envisage) and we love it, the class sizes are small and they cater for children of all capabilities. If your children have learning difficulties then they have options for that. If they are bright then they also cope with that by not just having them complete the next year's readers or Maths problems but exposing them to different areas such as public speaking, charity work, robotics, working with disabled children etc and that was a big factor as even though we live in a reasonably good area none of the surrounding local schools could give me any real answers to what they would do with my daughter when she started in prep already reading which is what she has done on her own - we did no more encouragement than read copious books to her. Having said this, we also really like the headmaster, he is friendly and greets the children at a different gate every day amongst many other things. Private to us is a no brainier and we are very very pleased with our choice and my husband and my own schooling which was also private.

[roses99]

You don't need anyone here to convince you either way.

What you need to do is write a list of the schools in your area and then investigate them all. Check them against a list of what you're looking for in a school. Visit the schools. Talk to parents and teachers. Consider what's best for your child, though, and try not to be too influenced by the priorities of other people.

If there's a state school that ticks the boxes, then that's great. If you prefer a private school, then work out if you can afford it. Work out if it's worth whatever sacrifices you'll need to make.

Only then can you make the right decision.

Anyone who makes general statements about 'public is best' or 'private is best' is narrow minded and - I dare say - not terribly well acquainted with education.



This post has been edited by roses99: 16/04/2012, 09:16 PM

[Dinosaurus]

I agree...

But I would add that if you are seriously considering a private school in 2 years then you better start making calls now, some of them have offers out years in advance. I know some of the ones I looked at when I was pregnant with DS (thankfully told to by a friend) told me I should put the paperwork in as soon as he was born!

I'm not sure how true or widespread it is in real life, but of the three we put our sons name down for we received one offer and two wait lists (we later got a scond offer from our first choice and accepted it). My DS will start in 2015.

[rocknmum]

FWIW we chose a local catholic primary school, which we are very happy with. The public primary school would probably have been great as well.
But, the high school we are zoned for is awful so in our case sending our girls to the catholic primary school gives us better options for high school.

But you really need to visit the schools.

[April girl]

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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.

Err so because I don't pay for it does that mean according to your logic I don't value it? My kids aren't 'at the mercy' of the local school. My husband and I have paid a fortune for our house so we can be in an area which has the only ib school in town. Hopefully my kids will get the benefit of the capital growth in our house in the long run too. Regardless - saying that you don't value education unless you pay for it is a 'narrow view' on your behalf.
Op as others have said compare the schools in your area rather than private vs public generally.

This post has been edited by April girl: 16/04/2012, 09:59 PM

[April girl]

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It is all subjective though. From what April Girl said about the public school in her area I am fairly certain we live in the same suburb. We chose not to send our children to the local school - the reputation is good but it is not what I would consider to be a top primary school.

Ultimately people will have many varied opinions about the same school and the OP needs to work out what is most important to them about their child's education and pick the school that ticks the most boxes for them.

Moss - the point I was trying to make is a more global one that just because I'm not paying independent school fees for my childrens primary school doesn't mean I don't value education. However, i appreciate you taking the time to run down what I have chosen as the best option for my children having done that weighing up options activity you suggest.

This post has been edited by April girl: 16/04/2012, 10:38 PM

[April girl]

Moss you said 'the reputation is good but not what I consider to be a top primary school' not me.
I have expressed no judgement about anyone's choice at all. The previous person did not say 'many people are at the mercy of their local school' she said in her situation that she was. I expressed an opinion to the OP (who is asking for a cross section of views) that sending your child to the local school can be an active rather than a passive choice. I believe in the particular teaching methodology at this school and would have elected to go wherever it is used - public or private.

[Phascogale]

It really depends on the schools and your kids.

My elder two started off at a local public school with a really good reputation and fantastic programs but it failed my kids miserably and I'm still paying for it now. The school is great and there was nothing overly specific but it just didn't work for them. They are now at a smaller low fee paying (although not cheap by any stretch of the imagination) independant school and they are doing so much better.

So it's not just about private v's public but rather the school itself.

Go to some open days or just arrange a tour and apply for the private school/s you think you want your child to go to. Do the same with the public schools (probably won't be able to do this until the year before your child starts). This way you leave all your options open. As your child gets older and ready to start school you can then decide which school would suit him best and it's soemthing you may have to keep evaluating even after he starts.