Public or Private School?

Would you switch schools if the local Private School ranked higher than your local Public School or vise versa?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Anne Apidopoulos on January 27, 2010 at 19:55

I would go private the public school does not hold up to private and i do no about that my kids were in private and now in public and kick my self for it no help with public at all.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Apidopoulos on January 27, 2010 at 19:56

yes yes

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Permalink Reply by Katrina Smith on January 28, 2010 at 0:31

I worked for 3 years at a very high achieving selective school. I would never send my children there. The poisonous 'dog eat dog' culture was something you'd never wish upon any child much less your own.

Yes Iain you're 100% right, there's far more to quality schooling than a simple skills test. You know your own children and you know what they're good at and where they need help. As a parent you must do the work rather than relying on a quick fix from a Government test. Everybody wants to look at the rankings and send their kids to the number one school and feel good about their parenting, and that's why the league tables have failed in every country they've been tried.

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Permalink Reply by Dinh Vu on January 28, 2010 at 8:20

Katrina, I repect your view. However, it is only your perspective and what you could have observed in one school. My sons has been with two selective school. Both do not have the 'dog eat dog' culture. Instead as they have been selected and are at same level, almost all of them are quite nice and get along with each other very well.

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Permalink Reply by Katrina Smith on January 28, 2010 at 9:41

My point Dinh was that simply electing to send your kids to a selective school because of good results is not a good strategy. Each school is different and in my experience the school culture is far more important than the NAPLAN results. You need to match your children to a school with a culture that suits their particular needs and personality. This is something only a parent can measure.

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Permalink Reply by julie rush on January 30, 2010 at 10:35

and just choosing to send your child to a selective school because of good results doesn't happen anyway. Well said Katrina.

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Permalink Reply by Sharmi Lim on July 25, 2010 at 11:37

Dinh, your sons might not be telling you everything that is happening in the school, I believe as the way your sons brought up, he will not tell you much about his own feeling and things that is happening around them. I fully agree with Katrina it is better to match what your child needs and personality. Selective school do have 'dog eat dog' and high comparing. I have speak to a lot of teenager from selective schools. That is what they told me, they are not happy there, but their parent want them to go there. They goes through depression and sometime still have to hid their feeling toward their parent.

Which school and result is not the most important for a child, learning and gaining knowledge is the most important. We are hoping our child to grow in a happy and understanding environment and not just a mark and result. Even if you achieved high ranking in HSC doesn't mean you will be achieving a high standard in your career. How many children from selective school did graduated from uni? How many highly achieved UAI did finish the uni with their selected course in time. I have interview a lot graduated university student and working with them, when coming to working attitude they public school student, work better than the other two. Private school student got a very good presentation and manners. some selective school students, seem to put their nose in the air, and not willing to listen to feedback. Every people got different talent, its doesn't mean if you are from selective or private mean you will have a better achievement in future,public school student doesn't mean only become a trade worker.It is all depend on the child itself.

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Permalink Reply by medi selmani on January 28, 2010 at 9:35

It's not clear but do your kids now go to a private school?

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Permalink Reply by Eliza on January 29, 2010 at 7:49

But that could happen to a private school as well. There are no differences between private and public schools - except one is free.

A private school can be much better or worse than a public school, and visa-versa depending on management.

Take Riverside Girls High School for example, 15 years ago, it was considered one of the worst schools in Sydney, now with a new principal it is considered one of the best. And the opposite happened to IGS. It all depends on who's in charge.

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Permalink Reply by Markeeta Rosenow on January 28, 2010 at 18:15

Heartedly agreed Iain.

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Permalink Reply by Louise Fountain on January 29, 2010 at 22:08

You can only send your children to an academically selective school if they are offered a place there, having performed well enough in the entrance test. I have had one child attend a selective school (wonderful experience academically, socially and pastorally) and one child attend a local comprehensive high school (exactly the same comments apply). Could it be that their school experiences have been coloured by the attitude of their parents and wider social group??? You cannot just BUY everything!!

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Permalink Reply by Miranda Windsor on January 28, 2010 at 1:10

No. League Tables are not even to be considered in this decision and I am tired of the transient attitude by parents who flip between schools at whim. I have chosen the schools my children attend because my children are 4th generation at both. It's more important to me that my son can see photos of his great grandfather, grandfather and father in the early sporting/prefect photos and my daughters can see the same on the female side. Money is always tight and that old school tie is expensive, but pride in belonging is priceless.