[Guest_Dinah_Harris_*]

I'd also like to add that you need to consider your child's ability to cope with changing schools, having to make new friends and the power of a peer group (particularly in adolescence).
Changing school three times would have been a disaster for me as I'm introverted and struggle to make new friends.
My DH moved to a new school in Year 4 and promptly fell in with some kids who were the 'bad' kids. In reality they were just kids who had terrible home lives and this spilled over into their schooling. However, DH got caught up in their activities which included stealing, risky behaviour etc from the age of 10 on. In hindsight, he says he was so eager to have friends and be accepted that he simply became friends with whoever showed the most interest in him.
I am not sure this should be a public/private school debate but rather finding a school you can be happy with for the totality of your son's schooling, and where you can provide stability for him.
For the above reasons, I think changing schools more than once without need is pointless. Of course some kids cope very well with changing schools and friends. All I'm suggesting is that you take this aspect of it into account, too.

[Guest_Descentia_*]

They are appalling stats.
Is it the only school in the area?

No there are a few but sadly all are similar. We considered moving to a different area but due to a mixture of reasons including my business, finances etc, and the fact that there is an awesome private school only 20 minutes drive away that takes from prep - 12 we decided to stay in the area.

These are the results of the other schools near here:

Senior secondary certificate awarded 95
Completed senior secondary school 192
Post-school destinations
Students at university 17%
Students at TAFE/vocational study 34%
Students in employment 24%

Senior secondary certificate awarded 48
Completed senior secondary school 78
Post-school destinations
Students at university 11%
Students at TAFE/vocational study 36%
Students in employment 28%

Senior secondary certificate awarded 54
Completed senior secondary school 131
Post-school destinations
Students at university 20%
Students at TAFE/vocational study 21%
Students in employment 26%

You have results like that where only 67% of kids are going from high school into work or further study. It is appalling.

This post has been edited by Descentia: 19/02/2012, 09:34 AM

[Guest_Dinah_Harris_*]

Descentia, are you in Brisbane? Can you give basic whereabouts? Am I right in my hunch that you're south?

[Chchgirl]

Simple. If your local public school is feral, then send them private. If it's not, send them public. Or do what others I know have and use that money to buy a better house where schools are not feral. Look at myschools results and note it's not all private that achieve good results. Ignore other parents, there will always be ones that whinge and complain. Realise the ones that do probably have never set foot in the school you are looking at.

Good luck! I know it's a hard decision sometimes..

[soontobegran]

I think you really need to get a better understanding of the schooling system. Assuming public schools kids don't think study is the norm, and the the worst performer at a private school is better than the average at a state school is just so wrong.

This ^^^

[Guest_Descentia_*]

Descentia, are you in Brisbane? Can you give basic whereabouts? Am I right in my hunch that you're south?

Yes spot on.

[redkris]

There are crappy private schools just as much as there are crappy public schools OP. The private school that we want to send DS to is more focussed on the academic side of things, and is not particularly sporty (although the arts program is good). It is also not massively pushy in terms of religion while some of the other schools in my area are. I've also talked to (and work with) a few recent graduates who are now at uni, and they have all said that this school is big on fostering independence in study, which is just what I want.
I'll quite happily admit that there are good public high schools, but not anywhere near where we live, and they are in areas that are massively out of our price range. The local public primary, on the other hand, is fine from what I've heard and seen and I have no qualms about DS going there for primary and then switching to private for highschool (as many of his classmates will....the private school is one suburb away, so he will have classmates coming with him)
Oh, and I went to public primary, then private highschool. It was mainly an economic decision on my parents' part as we were not well off until mum went back to work fulltime when I was 10, but TBH I am happy that I experienced both types of school and didn't have any problems with the transition.

[GaugeousBosons]

:-)

This post has been edited by Quill: 11/04/2012, 05:22 PM

[runlikethewind]

OP, why do you think he will get better results than at a public school? Just asking because many parents seem to think private school= an increase in their childs intellectual ability. Am curious to know why, not being rude so hope you don't take it that way.

[Gangnam Style]

The mythology is that the only parents who will send their children into the private system (especially those who do it in the primary years) are excessively wealthy, deluded fools who are simply doing it for the snob factor.

The annecdotal stories of such and such who was a private school Paris Hilton who hit Uni and the bottle simultaneously *may* have had some substance in our generation (80's and early 90's) - however I think it's an absolute red herring in 2012, and I think the reason why these stories keep circulating is because those are the stories that stick out - it completely negates and devalues the hard workers and quiet achieving students like my son - and I certainly don't think it's a credible argument when discussing children who won't hit Uni until 2018 or later.

Are we reading the same thread? Backs away slowly...

This post has been edited by Vaginosaurus-Rex: 19/02/2012, 10:49 AM