Putting kids through private school, or moving house to get to a better school

[ChimpMaster]

I should have added that I went to a private school from 13 to 18 years old. Scored A grades in all GCSEs but then got a bit cocky and only managed B and C grades in my 3 A-levels.

Can't say it really helped me because I ended up at a reasonable Uni but fell into my original passion of computing. Perhaps I would have been worse off without private schooling - who knows.

Still, I want to do the best I can for my children and thinking about this is driving me crazy.

[Doggy Styles]

Hmmm. I went to tuliphole welsh valleys comprehensive and still managed to pass enough to go to university. All about attitude an desire to get off your arse!

That's a bit too smug.

It's about more than that. A below-average school drags everyone down, because the teaching is compromised by less able classmates, poor pupil behaviour (it doesn't take many idiots to feck it up for everyone else), and good teachers sodding off to more rewarding jobs.

Saying that a child should succeed there if they have an ideal character is unrealistic because few children have an ideal character, and sometimes things are beyond one's control.

[NotAllThere]

Move countries. That's what we did.

[d000hg]

Move countries. That's what we did.

Probably end up better at English too

[lukemg]

'What I did carry with me was the exposure to aspiration of where I wanted to be and that gave me the drive. '

THAT, to me is the main deciding factor for why you want them in a decent school, it's because of the influence they will get when yours falls off a cliff at age 12 !
Not fussed for primary but secondary is vital. Huge sigh of relief when no1 son got into the fiercely competitive open exam based entry to top free school in the city and not a shock to find his peers families are professionals and business people.
Local comp included a varied catchment and although they are streamed and I would still think he would do well passing exams (if you think that is everything - I don't), I also knew there would be a significant number of kids who didnt care and weren't being supported and encouraged at home - which impacts every single kid at the school since it only takes a few to be disruptive and take up all the staff time.
They work them hard and the kids are capable of doing it so they do well (100% x5 a-e every year) AND they think they can aim high and get there.
In a diff area now, local school is fine and no qualms about next in line going there as and when.

[Doggy Styles]

This could be a long-term commitment to make, anywhere from 7 years (if they qualify for grammar schools) or 15 years (and then Uni!). I wouldn't want to pull the kids out once they are in, so I need to know that I can fund the full education. It would be easy if I only had one kid to put through school... but with 3, how will I continue to find £3k/month purely for their school fees for years to come?

On your figures it could cost you up to £468,000 to put them all through private school (not including university), peaking for a long time at £36,000 per year.

Compare that to the costs of moving, even to somewhere where houses are 20% more expensive.

Unless you have money to burn, think what else you could do with the money saved.

[lukemg]

Strange one on class sizes, my primary class had 40 kids in, I don't know how she kept them all up to speed. Amazingly 22 passed 11-plus, which filled nearly a quarter of the grammer school intake. I think most other schools chipped in 5 at most.
Not sure this was the case every year but that teacher must have been doing something right...

[ChimpMaster]

On your figures it could cost you up to £468,000 to put them all through private school (not including university), peaking for a long time at £36,000 per year.

Compare that to the costs of moving, even to somewhere where houses are 20% more expensive.

Unless you have money to burn, think what else you could do with the money saved.

Certainly, moving has crossed our minds and we have been browsing properties in other (better school) areas, but would need to spend about £300k to £400k more on the house we'd want (which would mean probably £2k or more on mortgage each month). We live in a decent area but houses are still reasonably affordable when compared with those in good school areas.

My other option could be to buy expand our BTL portfolio and finance it so that the investments throw off enough profit each month to pay for most of the school fees. At least that way we can stay in the house we now live in, put the kids into private education, and still have investment properties left over at the end of it.

[Doggy Styles]

Certainly, moving has crossed our minds and we have been browsing properties in other (better school) areas, but would need to spend about £300k to £400k more on the house we'd want (which would mean probably £2k or more on mortgage each month).

That's a big increase just moving from one catchment area to another.

Is it because you would be moving from an unemployment hotspot Up North to the home counties?

[SueEllen]

Certainly, moving has crossed our minds and we have been browsing properties in other (better school) areas, but would need to spend about £300k to £400k more on the house we'd want. We live in a decent area but houses are still reasonably affordable when compared with those in good school areas.

You have just answered your own question - the houses have a premium because of the schools.

There is more to education than just the school it's the motivation and aspirations of children around you. Remember the school cannot stand over them once they go to university and if your children are really ambitious you may prefer helping them later to be a barrister or whatever.

A mate of mine was privately educated until he was 16. His parents spent lots of money educating him privately and he found that half his classmates were not interested in education, had no aspirations or much motivation. They didn't need to as daddy was rich.

I talked to a few teachers I know who teach in private schools and they say some of the children have the same attitude he pointed out.

BTW selective state secondary schools and colleges have a good way of keeping their marks up. Anyone who isn't up to the mark gets asked to leave.