Private or Public ?

[Aimz]

My best friend went to Private School and I can tell you its a lot more than $1000 a year!

When they are younger it's cheaper and the excursions etc are included but as soon as they hit high school the fees go up and the excursions head overseas - all of which has to be paid for by the parents. You will also be up for additional fees for sports and extracurricular activities.

My friend went to a exclusive Melbourne school and her fees were $10K per year for tuition and if she boarded it was an additional $13K. She also did rowing as a sport which was a further $8K. That was from years 10-12.

If you like the structure of a private school then go for it - but personally I don't think it makes much of a difference if they are public. I'm not sure which way we will go yet, when the time comes. We don't want to send our kids to a religious school but we love the idea of Montessori and Rudolf Steiner - so we would be willing to pay for that kind of education.

[2girlz]

My best friend went to Private School and I can tell you its a lot more than $1000 a year!

Sorry I ment we pay $1000 per quarter of the year so roughly $4000 a year for childcare but I am prepared to pay more for their education

I went to over 10 different public and primary and high schools (we moved a lot )
I like the idea of discipline and smaller classes and honestly I don't think it happens too often in public plus I know the class sizes are massive. This sounds horrible but I also think private schools are a lot better maintained and better equiped especially in my area. I know for a fact DF doesn't want to pay the money aaahhhh so hard to choose!

[Aimz]

It is a lot of money but you need to weigh up what is going to be best for your girls. As Leash said - it's not about public vs private - it's about what programs the schools run and what areas they specialise in (sporty, arts, academics etc). Some public schools are better than private in this regard.

Also, a private education doesn't mean a better life, a better education, smarter kids, better behaved kids or higher paid jobs in their future. Any kid can have all of those things whether they are at a public or a private school - it's how well they apply themselves that counts.

[Amaunet]

I teach in a Public Secondary school in NSW. We are very strict on uniform and behaviour and offer many opportunities to our students (including overseas trips). Our teachers are all qualified teachers (not always so in a private school) and we get excellent HSC results and do well value adding to our "struggling" students. I am not in an "affluent" area and yes we have to take everyone (something Private Schools do not have to contend with). I have also done some teaching in Private Schools and truly believe it is up the THE CHILD whether or not they will do well - with the support of parents and their school. I also know most Private schools are A LOT more than $4k per year especially as they get older - many are at least $8-9K plus books, uniforms and everything else. Some schools require you to purchase a laptop!

Choice in Education is a good thing - it makes everyone do their jobs better - but just because it costs more - doesn't make it better. Public schools are not filled with horrible children - but do reflect every part of society - a society we all have to live and work in at some point. You can also apply to Public Schools out of your area if you are not keen on your local. Catholic Systemic Schools (a great system) tend to be a bit cheaper but also tend to have the same issues as Public Schools as they are generally fairly open with their enrolments.

For what its worth the worst behaviour I have dealt with was at a private girls school (the rudeness and arrogance was unbelievable and they were supported in this behaviour by their parents)

I think - could i invest that $8k per year for university or so they could travel or buy a house?

This is just my experience and opinion - being a parent is a hard job and I wish you luck in making the best decision for your kids.

K