Boarding school - good idea or bad idea?

[shaunbhoy]

You could have copied that from a 1980s public school prospectus. Sorry, but I've seen the promises and they were empty then; why should I believe them now?

Good point. DA probably has a few Public School PR chaps on the payroll and is shamelessly trying to tout their waffle around in a bid to keep them "commercially viable".
And if the upshot is that your kid ends up a Rec Con, what was the point?

[DodgyAgent]

Good point. DA probably has a few Public School PR chaps on the payroll and is shamelessly trying to tout their waffle around in a bid to keep them "commercially viable".
And if the upshot is that your kid ends up a Rec Con, what was the point?

I think we are a little obsessed into thinking that only the bright should have a good education which I think is wrong. Everyone should have a good education. Every child should be pushed to the best of their abilities whatever those abilities are - maths, sport drama, art or music or "kilt weaving" even . The point is that kids need aspirations and confidence whether they end up being IT contractors, rip off bankers lawyers or if we want to go to the very top then recruitment consultants.

Whether you like it or not and whether my comments come from a brochure or not (they don't, they come from experience) all one has to do is look at the output results to see how much better private education is to state education. I firmly believe that Hogwarts should be an option for all children - especially for ones growing up within dysfunctional families (or non family) environments.

I know that a lot of you sneer at public schools but most of you are bright enough to have gone to a grammar school which if anything is more elitist than say Stowe (for thickos)

[realityhack]

You could have copied that from a 1980s public school prospectus. Sorry, but I've seen the promises and they were empty then; why should I believe them now?

Mich, it sounds like you attended a public school at one extreme end of the spectrum. Mine turned out to be an excellent environment, so I believe there are certainly great boarding schools out there - and DA's point about it being easier to check them out nowadays is a good one.

[Mich the Tester]

Mich, it sounds like you attended a public school at one extreme end of the spectrum. Mine turned out to be an excellent environment, so I believe there are certainly great boarding schools out there - and DA's point about it being easier to check them out nowadays is a good one.

Well, I certainly hope they've changed.

As for checking them out; parental visits, especially unannounced, were always discouraged with the reasoning being that it stops the children getting over their homesickness. Very convenient cover, as it turned out. But yes, if you send you kids to boarding school, I'd advise exactly that; turn up from time to time, unannounced and talk with your kids. Really, maybe the risk of my experiences happening to your children is not very large, but do you want to run the risk when there are measures you can take to prevent it?

[shaunbhoy]

I have no doubt that the majority of Boarding Schools can offer a very good education. With the prices they charge they can attract good quality teaching staff, and they in turn will generally be working with children from the deeper regions of the gene pool. It is therefore not that surprising that with both good quality students and staff, that results are elevated accordingly.
However, the bigger question is "Why did you bother having children if you simply want to farm them off to someone else to raise for you?"
Why not simply buy a dog?

Of course there are instances where a good Boarding School is a very sensible option, but there seems to be a tendency amongst many people to simply ship them off there when the novelty has worn off. Very often this results in damaged individuals. And to make it worse, they often end up in positions of influence from which they can pass the havoc down the line.

For that reason, I am out.

[OwlHoot]

As for checking them out; parental visits, especially unannounced, were always discouraged with the reasoning being that it stops the children getting over their homesickness. ...

I can't be sure, because I don't recall it ever happening; but at the boarding schools I was at, parents suddenly turning up out of the blue unannounced would have been considered rather eccentric and bad form, unless of course their child was seriously ill or something.

[DodgyAgent]

Well, I certainly hope they've changed.

As for checking them out; parental visits, especially unannounced, were always discouraged with the reasoning being that it stops the children getting over their homesickness. Very convenient cover, as it turned out. But yes, if you send you kids to boarding school, I'd advise exactly that; turn up from time to time, unannounced and talk with your kids. Really, maybe the risk of my experiences happening to your children is not very large, but do you want to run the risk when there are measures you can take to prevent it?

Do you follow your children everywhere then? I don't know about you but I can tell whether my children are happy/doing well. I make sure that I engage with their teachers and housemasters, sports coaches etc sufficiently well and have the necessary communication skills to not have to turn up unannounced.

[shaunbhoy]

at the boarding schools I was at, parents suddenly turning up out of the blue unannounced would have been considered rather eccentric and bad form

Yes, teachers never have been too keen on random checks being made on their ability and prowess. Private schools or otherwise.

[MarillionFan]

So to roundup, of the posters who have been to public school we have

a) A repressed, aggressive, funny shaped ball loving psychotic contractor
b) An evil tory voting leacher
c) And an ex-prefect who takes his small man frustrations out by making posters lives hell on the t'internet.

That's enough proof for me...

I'm sending mine.

[OwlHoot]

So to roundup, of the posters who have been to public school we have

a) A repressed, aggressive, funny shaped ball loving psychotic contractor
b) An evil tory voting leacher
c) And an ex-prefect who takes his small man frustrations out by making posters lives hell on the t'internet.

That's enough proof for me...

I'm sending mine.

Hey, I buy DVDs and books too you know!