Public v Private

[Amity]

Public primary (but lucky enough to live in a very affluent area with highly engaged parents and community and staff)

Private secondary. It opens so many doors here in Melbourne.

I'm more than 15 years out of high school and well established in my career and I am still regularly asked what high school I went too.

[Jennifer13]

Public for primary here because the private schools are mostly single sex and I prefer co-ed.

Torn for high school for the same reason. But most likely private.

I should add, because of all the 'voluntary' contributions that are added to our public school semester fees, there is a great difference for what is on offer at our local primary school and many others. I have friends who send their kids to a private school elsewhere who don't enjoy the same level of resources.

[Jennifer13]

I'm more than 15 years out of high school and well established in my career and I am still regularly asked what high school I went too.

It's which university here. Although, because of where I live, I think most ppl assume I went to one of the private girls' schools anyway. Where you live seems to matter an awful lot in Sydney too.

[*Ang*]

I read others saying that people who choose private school are 'buying peers for their children' and I disagreed. But I guess I am buying into a community which holds the same value and enthusiasm for educating children as I do. I'm happy for that to be a by product of paying to send my children to an environment where they are valued and engaged every day.

This particular quote really resonates with me. Within a 15km radius we had 4 catholic private primary schools in different socio- economic areas, to pick from as well as our local public school. The public school we are zoned for there is no way I would send my children to - very rough, limited resources.

The school we ended up choosing is a small single stream Catholic primary in a lower socio-economic area BUT the community feel that it exudes drew us to it. The families are so supportive of one another, every one knows each other and the children don't get "lost" within the system. This is supported by the fact that for next year's kindy which DD2 will be attending, there were only 8 spots left for children other then siblings and they had over 60 applicants - it known amongst the community for being a lovely school.

We have a number of lower income families within the school so we are definitely not "buying" our children access to a certain type of peer group...instead we are buying them fantastic pastoral care, community involvement, supportive teachers and families.

High school will definitely be private just not sure which one.

[Phteven]

It's which university here. Although, because of where I live, I think most ppl assume I went to one of the private girls' schools anyway. Where you live seems to matter an awful lot in Sydney too.

Clearly I lived in Sydney for too long because I have absolutely no interest in where anyone went to school but I think it's perfectly normal to ask where where someone went to Uni. They ask where you went to uni in the ACT too. Maybe because it's full of refugees from Sydney.

[Astrid]

Down this way it is not where you live, but where the kids were concieved and preferably where yourself was conceived. (Apperently a couch in West Brunswick does not help social standing) So much fun dealing with the born and bred Clique

[fionas]

Personally I hope I'm raising a child who would grill someone who ever asked where she went to school as to the intent behind that question and have the charisma to pull it off without hindering career chances

The whole private school network is an alien concept to me and I'm ideologically opposed to my DDs using it to pull strings. Having said that, I would really like them to mix with high achievers in order to know they are just as good as them. I want them to see that high aspirations are normal, without having to pull strings, if that makes sense.