Private vs public for primary schools

[Miss.September]

DD is only 19 months old, but we learned today that the school we want to send her to is already taking enrollments for 2015!!!! It's a P-12 Anglican school. While neither DH or I are particularly religious, we like this school.

But I'm wondering if I'm better off sending her to the local public school. It'll be brand new next year, the school itself is moving into a new and bigger premisis. Both schools are close to us. Is the private school education better for a primary school student or does it really not matter? I didn't go to private school, so I don't really know what the difference is. I wonder if we should send her to the public school for prep to grade six, and then into the private school for her secondary years. Both are good schools according to their reputations.

I can't believe I have to be making these decisions now!!!! TIA!

[glenny_c]

Hmmm, hard one. I'm a primary teacher and I've worked in private and public. I personally don't think it makes that much difference in primary- you start to see the big differences in public vs private education once you hit high school. My DH and I have already said that we will prob do public for primary and then go private.

[Phteven]

The public schools around here are wonderful.
I think that the money spent on private school fees is better spent on overseas holidays.

[toomanyshoes]

Our plan since having kids has always been public for primary and private for high school. Which is what I did.

Although I am willing to check out the public high school in the area closer to actually having to make that decision. DH went to the high school near us and from what he said it doesn't sound good, but things change, we also might move between now and then.

I think it's important to go look at the schools for yourself, lots have open days and see what is on offer to children.

[berrme]

Personally I don't think it matters whether you go public or private for primary, but definitely check out both schools properly before making your decision.
You can always put your name on the list for the private school and make a decision closer to 2015, just because your name is down doesn't mean you have to take the place when it is offered.

[grub17]

our first bub is only 11 months old but we're pretty sure we are doing public for primary and private for high school.
I believe it is truly how much time you spend with your child reading, writing, helping with maths and incorporating maths into their lives that makes the difference in primary school. I reckon if the parents are willing to put in the time and effort with a young child it doesn't matter overly much which school they go to for primary.

but private for high school for the choice of subjects and more optional extras you get.

but if your choice school does p-12, then lucky you! no major upheaval when they change to high school!

Would you have much luck in getting your child into the high school classes if she didn't go primary there?

[ladybird11]

Last year I enrolled my DD and DS into private primary school - purely because I knew that if we wanted to send them to a private school I wanted to secure a place.

So we looked around (public and private) and I liked the 'feeling' of the school we selected the most. Given that things can change greatly in short period of time if the 'feeling' has left the private school prems and lies with the public school when time comes, we've lost $100 - no biggy considering its holding two places for my kids for our (current) first choice school.

I've heard from a colleague who just went thru the process of moving his kids into private school from public, that compared to the public school his kids were going too the kids at the private school went thru double the amount of workbooks in the same period of time (but remember, I'm talking about individual schools here - doesn't mean at all this is the same across the State, or country for that matter ;-).

[Amaunet]

but private for high school for the choice of subjects and more optional extras you get.

I work in a public high school and we offer and run more senior subjects than any other in our area and many more than the private schools We actually offer every HSC subject ( except languages, we have French and Japanese and others via distance Ed and religion) and run most. Subject offerings are often dependant on size, bigger the school the more subjects. They also do a history tour of Europe every two years and have a partnership with the local uni and some students have begun undergrad studies.

On the subject of primary schools, I think the individual class teacher makes a huge difference and this obviously changes from year to year.

I know kids who have succeeded in public and private and kids who have struggled in public and private. It often comes down to the fit between the school and the child.

It's also worthwhile remembering that schools change as staff and students come and go, what you like now may not be the same in a few years.

Goodluck with your decision

[Lulu]

I agree, DD's public school runs an amazing curriculum and I sent her there well out of the area because it was better than all others around.

It can be very hard. Initially I was going to send her to the private school I went to, but when I went back for the open day I changed my mind. Urgh, I dunno...and reports from those local to the area weren't good either. I just went back for my 20 yr reunion (5 years after DD started state school) and it seems to have pulled itself back out of the mire. It changed heaps for the better.

Conversely - I first sent DD to another state school I went to (after the private because it didn't offer the subjects I wanted) because it was one of the top schools back then. It was a horrific schemozzle by the time she went there. Urrgh again.

There is a very "highly rated" private school not far from here.....and all the local drug lords send there kids there. They can afford it though

The public versus private debate will continue forever.....but if you base your decisions purely on if it's public or not you are doing yourself a disservice.

[~Kim~]

If you take away the fees, does it offer what you want for your child?
Regardless of the payments, does it offer the ethos, the teaching philosophies, the environment etc that you want your child to go to every day?
We live in a weird little microcosm, so for us the choice was more about where it was going to be the 'easiest' for DD to go to school. Her dad is one of the local coppers, and there are lots and lots of people that he comes into contact with, so we are sending DD to a school where lots of cops kids go, so she won't be singled out and out of place IYKWIM? but we are also sending her there for the ethos, the tiny family environment (there are only 10 classes and the school goes all the way to Yr9) that will mean she won't slip through the cracks. If we lived back in country NSW where we had invisaged she would start school the local primary school was the best for her.
Different strokes for different folks but if you strip it all back to the basics it's a bit easier we found.

[Schmickers]

We've gone private for primary. We cop a lot of criticism for it, actually.

The thing is, the private school is walking distance from our house - the public is four or five times that far away. The public school takes in from lots of low-rent public housing in the area. I'm sorry, I'm not being elitist, but I went to a bad school, and it really affected me. I don't want my children to go through that. It's not even so much that I think the private school offers more opportunities - although in many ways it does - it's more that I know that by constributing substantially to the cost of their education, I am also entitled to more of a say into the way that education is conducted. I remember at the height of my issues in school, my parents were powerless to do anything about it until my mother (a teacher at another school) pulled some strings to try and get things changed. Most other children didn't have that option.

We don't spend heaps of money, but if there is only one thing I am happy to spend a lot on, it will be education for my children. I don't object to anyone I know sending their children into the public school system; so it surprises me that so many people consider it appropriate to judge me for sending my children through the private system.

[Lulu]

But does having kids from a low-rent area make the teachers any less passionate?

ETA - not being smart. Right now my son is at a school I would not usually have chosen for him. Quite frankly he had to go to the local school because they are legally obligated to educate him (that sounds terrible, read his blog if you want the background people), and I have never been so touched by a bunch of people so passionately dedicated to helping him. Silly me for assuming otherwise!

[Jennifer13]

Onyx - there's a private school on the northern beaches that was a boys school and girls school amalgamated. In high school, most of the classes are co-ed, but for some subjects the girls and boys are split (maths and science I think are split, for eg). If we were closer and I thought the school was good (haven't visited) it'd be on our list for sure. Seems like such a simple solution!

[Lulu]

I went to a girls school to start with, then changed in Yr11 to a Co-ed. It totally blew me away how much time everyone spent on the BF/GF thing. Got crapped on for asking someones BF where the Lab was, asked someone elses exBF for a light yadda yadda. There was far more cattiness in the Co-ed schools I went to and far more attention to hair and makeup iykwim?

[Jennifer13]

I think it depends on your area and it depends on the schools. We didn't want single sex for as much of her schooling as possible for our DD and as most of the private schools in our area are, we looked elsewhere.

I'd go along to both and check them out. No harm in putting DS's name down if you've been to the private school and you like it (there is a fee). It's also worthwhile leaving your options open, you won't have to confirm your enrolment until much closer to school starting for him, so talking to other parents (who are and are not sending their kids along) about both schools might help.

We ended up choosing the public primary school, it's a bit closer (we can walk to it), it's co-ed, we liked the other families we know who are going there and I was totally impressed with most of their facilities. The turn offs for the closest private school was single sex, didn't like the 'feel' and the cost. Hard to put your finger on, but you really have to look into your options yourself.

We are planning on a private high school. It's very common in our area for families to do what we're doing, which is why there are so many public primary schools and less public high schools than private schools.

Oh and FWIW, I went to public schools all the way (who score very badly on NAPLAN now, I might add), in a regional area and I have since completed 1 1/2 undergrad degrees and a Masters with merit at one of our best unis. My education is second to none and I was in no way disadvantaged compared to private school students when I went to uni. In fact, lots of closely managed private school students struggle with the free-flowing, free-thinking approach at uni.

[Phteven]

Oh and FWIW, I went to public schools all the way (who score very badly on NAPLAN now, I might add)

NAPLAN only measures what NAPLAN measures. They don't measure community service, students charity fundraising, school gardens, recycling programs, student wellbeing, chickens in the class room, worm farms or yummy mummies.
DH is a bit disappointed by the lack of MILFs at our school. He was assured that there were lots of yummy mummies where we live. Maybe they're all at the private school lol.

[Lulu]

oooh I so want single sex schools for my two at secondary....

[Jennifer13]

NAPLAN only measures what NAPLAN measures. They don't measure community service, students charity fundraising, school gardens, recycling programs, student wellbeing, chickens in the class room, worm farms or yummy mummies.

I can safely report that my school failed on all of those measures too. Although, not sure on the yummy mummies, since I clearly wasn't paying attention.

Perhaps you've just set a high standard for your DH and he's disappointed they're not all as gorgeous as you.