To tutor or not to tutor!

[kenyancowgirl]

+ 1

[mad?]

+2

[Jazz-UK]

In my experience the people obsessed with the 11 plus from age 7 do not live in the sort of areas with "terrible" schools (whatever they are). In these areas most parents have never heard of grammar schools and have more pressing social concerns than the 11 plus. It is much more about snobbery and status. In many parts of Britain people go to their local school and get on with it.

I pretty sure for some parents it is about the snobbery and status, but I went to an inner city comprehensive school where the kids brought in knives, a number of girls were pregnant before leaving, and kids got bullied. While I'm sure the local schools have improved since then, forgive me if I'm passionate about making sure that my kids don't have to go through the stuff I did. I can't afford to send them to private school and I can't afford to move to the many parts of Britain where we could just get on with it - So sorry if I've offended anyone by taking my kids education seriously a bit too early for their liking.

[Catseye]

r-b do your children go to a school in special measures? not meant to be a pejorative question.

just interested.

[rabbie burns]

Not sure why you have taken my post so badly. This forum is for debate and I was responding to your post that there was a link between obsessing about selective schooling from age 7 and the local comprehensives being terrible. My only point was that in my experience there is no significant link as those who obsess generally live in areas with decent comprehensives. You do not have the monopoly on taking your kids education seriously from an early age. Most of us do that from age 4. Taking their education seriously and the 11plus are equally not connected. Some people would argue they are not sending them to selective schools because they care about their wider education. Everyone has a view. My comment about many parts of Britain was an acknowledgement that selective schooling is not an option for many but somehow they and their children survive. Finally I am sure there is plenty of bullying (maybe more subtle or masked) and teenage pregnancy at selective and private schools. I am sure eton has expelled a few over the years. Cats eyes - don't understand your interest in my personal circumstances. Can I only have an opinion if they do?

[Catseye]

"Cats eyes - don't understand your interest in my personal circumstances. Can I only have an opinion if they do?"

good point well made.

[quasimodo]

Those of us who have been through a "comprehensive education" don't wish it upon our children or anyone else's children. We didn't live in middle class areas where you might have a "good" comprehensive if there is such a thing. All I remember as a first former is to see other older children being attacked by others for the colour of their skin. I remember the fear. This was a school with a number of immigrant children. I remember the playground fights, the bullying. You learned how to look after yourself. You learned how to survive. It was a school in special measures which was eventually closed.It was the sort of school where some of the children's education continued in YOI's and HMP's
If parents want to tutor their children from 7 it is their right but their child's childhood. I can understand why some parents would want to do it. If they are having to do it from such an age is a grammar school going to be the right place for such a child?
I don't want my children to have the wider education I had and avoid the schools with the gang fights with the resident police officer in the school. Every good parent should want better for their children than they had if it means tutoring from a young age which is the higher price the tutoring and the lack of a childhood or the type of school your child could end up in and all it entails?

[Catseye]

+1

[HappyRobot]

I went to a great comp with children going off to Oxbridge. They do exist and no one was ever tutored.

[rabbie burns]

Most of us did happy robot. The above outpouring of bile about the comprehensive system 95% of children use is in my opinion unwarranted. Perhaps the poster should start another forum entitled "comprehensive school haters" and leave this one for people who want an intelligent debate about selective schooling and the wider education system. Just because your school was shit does not mean they all are. The speech marked around comprehensive system says it all. Finally, do you think your post is helpful for those parents whose children did not do well in the 11 plus or who have months of anxiety ahead because their scores are borderline?