Parenting
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Possibly off topic but can anyone tell me what advantages someone going to a private school has over someone going to a state school ?
I know two brothers who went to Scots in Wellington and judging from their spelling, grammar and punctuation English was not a subject that was taken too seriously there.
Contrast that with the list of subjects my oldest boy is taking at his ( state ) school this year. Forensics looks fucken awesome, where was that when I was a lad ?
Opposite side of the world but I have a fair bit to offer.
Views on private schools are the same as anything these internet infested days. Take your position, and you'll find supporting evidence of that. Somebody above said it's all about networking, meeting CEO's etc etc, that is undoubtedly true of a few schools, but certainly not the majority. We have everything at the schools our kids attend. CEO's of M & A houses, Hedge Fund Managers, Actuaries .... Plumbers, Teachers, Nurses. Everything. I would guess your average would be VP level in a bank in a tech job.
We do have a very good look into the state sector though due to the sporting clubs our kids attend, and the distinction is pretty clear on the main differences. Private school is almost a lifestyle, state school is where your kids go to school. Key teaching difference is class size, where as my kids have about 15-17 in their classes, state sector has 30 ish. This means a lot more 1-1 learning (when needed) as well. It's very academic where I am though, which means my kids are unfortunately a bit behind the curve. The UK has an aptitude testing system where by children do tests on Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning & Non Verbal Reasoning. 100 is the average, 141 is the top - mine are around 120 which puts them in the lower sets.
The second thing where private schools are different is the extra curricular. They play sport against other schools every Wednesday afternoon as a minimum, quite often there are others as well. Then after school it's a range of activities to choose from - pretty much so all sports (right up to Fencing), as well as things like drama, coding etc etc. Then from a parents point of view we have multiple things - dinners, balls, fund raisers, golf days etc etc. As I said, it's a lifestyle. The children also have insane levels of trips. Last year, my son went to Isle of Wight (outdoor adventure), Paris (Disney + others), Holland (football) & will likely go to St Lucia for cricket next year.
This obviously makes it fucking expensive & outside of a lot of peoples means. However, the UK is turning & turning quite fast on private schools. Despite all the talk of levelling up, it's really about levelling down. Your grades get marked down now for university entrance, Labour are talking about charging VAT / Tax on it (which is insanely fucking stupid but is likely to happen - imagine paying a tax to save a government money) & there is a lot of looking down on it. Gone are the days where everybody could do it if they wanted to ... well, they haven't really, but gone are the days of people thinking working hard to achieve more is a fair way of living. Reality is that I wouldn't live here without it.
The state sector, like anything in the UK, gets a bad wrap in the press, but I don't know anybody whose unhappy with the service they are getting at the schools. Tutoring is very accessible so if you think your kids are struggling with something, the cost of a private tutor a couple of hours a week is affordable. If I was in NZ, I think I'd be going state for sure and then the tutor route if need be to top up.
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@MajorRage said in Parenting:
Your grades get marked down now for university entrance, Labour are talking about charging VAT / Tax on it (which is insanely fucking stupid but is likely to happen - imagine paying a tax to save a government money
Am I right in saying there is no government allocation to private schools at all in the UK?
Contrast that to Australia, where there is a lot of contention about how much government funding goes into schools outside the public system, and what forms it takes (grants, direct funding etc)
Gov funding for private schools up $3338 per student vs $703 for public schools
School News is the definitive portal for the education industry providing a valuable and informative resource for decision makers in Primary, Secondary and Intermediate Schools throughout Australia. The print and digital edition is delivered directly, on a quarterly basis, toover 17,200 key...
I don't mind a system where tax money is evenly distributed e.g. regardless of what school a kid goes to, they're supported by appropriate state/federal tax money to the same degree. If you want to pay overs, then you pick your school and pay the difference.
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@MajorRage said in Parenting:
Your grades get marked down now for university entrance, Labour are talking about charging VAT / Tax on it (which is insanely fucking stupid but is likely to happen - imagine paying a tax to save a government money
Am I right in saying there is no government allocation to private schools at all in the UK?
Contrast that to Australia, where there is a lot of contention about how much government funding goes into schools outside the public system, and what forms it takes (grants, direct funding etc)
Gov funding for private schools up $3338 per student vs $703 for public schools
School News is the definitive portal for the education industry providing a valuable and informative resource for decision makers in Primary, Secondary and Intermediate Schools throughout Australia. The print and digital edition is delivered directly, on a quarterly basis, toover 17,200 key...
I don't mind a system where tax money is evenly distributed e.g. regardless of what school a kid goes to, they're supported by appropriate state/federal tax money to the same degree. If you want to pay overs, then you pick your school and pay the difference.
No, zero. But they have charitable status which means they don't pay tax. It does mean they can channel funds more efficiently, which I have no problems with a crack down on (i.e - rich guy donates 2mill to a charity, it's a tax write off etc), but the idea of adding VAT is absurd. This also removes the requirement that the schools do things with the communities / state schools. So if 20% is added, the schools will immediately remove everything they don't need to (saves about 10%) to keep as many students as they can.
It doesn't fucking help that Starmer straight up lies when he says the Government is giving them money. It's bullshit. They are just not demanding they charge VAT. The even stupider thing is which subset of parents do you think will no longer be able to afford private school due to this ... Certainly not the CEO's, HF managers Actuaries ....
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@MajorRage said in Parenting:
@MajorRage said in Parenting:
Your grades get marked down now for university entrance, Labour are talking about charging VAT / Tax on it (which is insanely fucking stupid but is likely to happen - imagine paying a tax to save a government money
Am I right in saying there is no government allocation to private schools at all in the UK?
Contrast that to Australia, where there is a lot of contention about how much government funding goes into schools outside the public system, and what forms it takes (grants, direct funding etc)
Gov funding for private schools up $3338 per student vs $703 for public schools
School News is the definitive portal for the education industry providing a valuable and informative resource for decision makers in Primary, Secondary and Intermediate Schools throughout Australia. The print and digital edition is delivered directly, on a quarterly basis, toover 17,200 key...
I don't mind a system where tax money is evenly distributed e.g. regardless of what school a kid goes to, they're supported by appropriate state/federal tax money to the same degree. If you want to pay overs, then you pick your school and pay the difference.
No, zero. But they have charitable status which means they don't pay tax. It does mean they can channel funds more efficiently, which I have no problems with a crack down on (i.e - rich guy donates 2mill to a charity, it's a tax write off etc), but the idea of adding VAT is absurd. This also removes the requirement that the schools do things with the communities / state schools. So if 20% is added, the schools will immediately remove everything they don't need to (saves about 10%) to keep as many students as they can.
It doesn't fucking help that Starmer straight up lies when he says the Government is giving them money. It's bullshit. They are just not demanding they charge VAT. The even stupider thing is which subset of parents do you think will no longer be able to afford private school due to this ... Certainly not the CEO's, HF managers Actuaries ....
It’s somewhat related (and somewhat not) but Gladwell’s story about private HEI’s in the USA suggest that they are truly fucking the government and their students.
He wrote about (edit) Princeton (fees 80k a year) having returns on their endowments actually covering costs and then some.
I’m not suggesting that private schools in the UK are in that boat, but if I were in government I’d want to see that they were using their tax status as intended.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Parenting:
@barbarian said in Parenting:
@Rancid-Schnitzel I don't actually think my parents will really mind. My dad just has a very deep connection to the place - he went there, he taught there for the vast majority of his working life, he coached sport there, he practically lived there. Still works there now in his retirement.
So saying we're taking our son elsewhere may come as a blow, but we just can't afford it. Which is almost a luxury because if we could afford it I'm not sure we'd want to send him there either, and THAT is a much tougher conversation...
It's definitely worthy of a cost-benefit analysis. You can go on one hell of family holiday for one year of school fees.
Some places you can buy a house ...
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Parenting:
@barbarian said in Parenting:
@Rancid-Schnitzel I don't actually think my parents will really mind. My dad just has a very deep connection to the place - he went there, he taught there for the vast majority of his working life, he coached sport there, he practically lived there. Still works there now in his retirement.
So saying we're taking our son elsewhere may come as a blow, but we just can't afford it. Which is almost a luxury because if we could afford it I'm not sure we'd want to send him there either, and THAT is a much tougher conversation...
It's definitely worthy of a cost-benefit analysis. You can go on one hell of family holiday for one year of school fees.
Some places you can buy a house ...
Yeah, but Palmerston North has some downsides too
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@MajorRage said in Parenting:
@MajorRage said in Parenting:
Your grades get marked down now for university entrance, Labour are talking about charging VAT / Tax on it (which is insanely fucking stupid but is likely to happen - imagine paying a tax to save a government money
Am I right in saying there is no government allocation to private schools at all in the UK?
Contrast that to Australia, where there is a lot of contention about how much government funding goes into schools outside the public system, and what forms it takes (grants, direct funding etc)
Gov funding for private schools up $3338 per student vs $703 for public schools
School News is the definitive portal for the education industry providing a valuable and informative resource for decision makers in Primary, Secondary and Intermediate Schools throughout Australia. The print and digital edition is delivered directly, on a quarterly basis, toover 17,200 key...
I don't mind a system where tax money is evenly distributed e.g. regardless of what school a kid goes to, they're supported by appropriate state/federal tax money to the same degree. If you want to pay overs, then you pick your school and pay the difference.
No, zero. But they have charitable status which means they don't pay tax. It does mean they can channel funds more efficiently, which I have no problems with a crack down on (i.e - rich guy donates 2mill to a charity, it's a tax write off etc), but the idea of adding VAT is absurd. This also removes the requirement that the schools do things with the communities / state schools. So if 20% is added, the schools will immediately remove everything they don't need to (saves about 10%) to keep as many students as they can.
It doesn't fucking help that Starmer straight up lies when he says the Government is giving them money. It's bullshit. They are just not demanding they charge VAT. The even stupider thing is which subset of parents do you think will no longer be able to afford private school due to this ... Certainly not the CEO's, HF managers Actuaries ....
It’s somewhat related (and somewhat not) but Gladwell’s story about private HEI’s in the USA suggest that they are truly fucking the government and their students.
He wrote about (edit) Princeton (fees 80k a year) having returns on their endowments actually covering costs and then some.
I’m not suggesting that private schools in the UK are in that boat, but if I were in government I’d want to see that they were using their tax status as intended.
Yeah, Gladwell has a point. But as you say Princeton is hardly representative of the wider private education sector.
Private schools in the UK are much much wider than Eton & Harrow. There are 600,000 students in them all across the country. I doubt anybody would have even heard of where my kids go, where my son is applying for senior schools & any of the schools we attend for sporting. Hell, up until a few months ago, most people in the UK wouldn't have either. With the royals going to Lambrook, that has changed somewhat, but I suspect most would be very very surprised at what Lambookr is like. It's a very down to earth, boring looking school. Certainly none of the pride and prestige you'd expect from Royalty.
Reality is that almost all private schools in the UK are 5-600 student schools with fees around 8-9k per year (junior) to around 18-20k per year (senior). The ones that get all the coverage are the 50k p/year, 1000 students plus, which in reality, are nothing more then a small minority.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Parenting:
@barbarian said in Parenting:
@Rancid-Schnitzel I don't actually think my parents will really mind. My dad just has a very deep connection to the place - he went there, he taught there for the vast majority of his working life, he coached sport there, he practically lived there. Still works there now in his retirement.
So saying we're taking our son elsewhere may come as a blow, but we just can't afford it. Which is almost a luxury because if we could afford it I'm not sure we'd want to send him there either, and THAT is a much tougher conversation...
It's definitely worthy of a cost-benefit analysis. You can go on one hell of family holiday for one year of school fees.
Some places you can buy a house ...
Yeah, but Palmerston North
has someonly downsides tooFixed
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@MajorRage said in Parenting:
Private schools in the UK are much much wider than Eton & Harrow.
Just to confuse matters, these 2 fee charging, independent schools are known as Public Schools aren’t they?
Correct. Them and a few others are a subset of independent schools, which is the UK terminology for private schools.
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@Rancid-Schnitzel said in Parenting:
Just further on my son's ex. She is apparently now a they. She changed her name from Oceania to Tobias. What the actual fůck?
Guy at my mate's work has a wife.
Wife has decided to become a man.
A cock is being put on in a few weeks.
Weird thing is, he is still committed to her.
Fully supports it apparently. (love transcends physical boundaries or some shit)
I don't believe it.
Deep down, I bet he is thinking WTFThat's the most beautiful poem I've read in a long time.
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@mariner4life said in Parenting:
I didn't think the stickadicktomy was a real thing
It is , sometimes it takes a couple goes before you can one that takes and doesn't rot off . In fact you can hedge your bets these days and keep the taco and add a hotdog.
See how much of this article you can make it through , I'm sure you all miss me sharing this kind of quality content.
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The Boy just got dumped. First gf. He's taking it hard so I had a chat to him after he drank a suitable quantity of bourbon while I enjoyed a rum and related my experience of getting the arse at that age.
I look forward to Mrs TA getting indignant over any or all of the following:
- that he's using alcohol to get over it (her Dad is an alco and she's a total bloody straight about that stuff)
- that someone had the temerity to dump her little boy+
- when I point out she has no useful advice to give, as she's never been dumped in her life.
+Despite him being somewhat of a neckbeard, with a weight problem and an unwholesome addiction to the zone immediately between the PS5 and the couch.
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@mariner4life said in Parenting:
I didn't think the stickadicktomy was a real thing
It is , sometimes it takes a couple goes before you can one that takes and doesn't rot off . In fact you can hedge your bets these days and keep the taco and add a hotdog.
See how much of this article you can make it through , I'm sure you all miss me sharing this kind of quality content.
Jesus, perhaps you need to go into isolation again. Fucken hell pal
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So, when to get kids first phone?
My son turns 11 this week and that is sort of the “standard” where we live. I’m a bit dubious as he’s quite a young 11. And he hasn’t asked for one much either (he really wants Jordan’s which makes me proud). A few of his buddies have them, maybe 30%.
When did others take the plunge and any advice?
Just talking boys here, I suspect girls is a whole other ball game ….
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My Penis, a Love Story
