The mums in my neck of the woods have a problem. It’s a private matter, but they can’t help talking about it. All the time. They’re a nervous mess. The consequences could be devastating … which private school will their kids go to? Having not attended a private school myself – I had to be dragged kicking and screaming to do the Newcastle Grammar School scholarship exam and I may have flunked it on purpose (sorry Mum) – I don’t feel a pressing need to send my children to one. There are more fun things to do with our money – should we ever have any again – like a swimming pool or overseas holidays or window shutters. Going to a public school never did me any harm. But private education is the done thing around here. People don’t feel the public high schools are quite up to scratch. Husbands fall over themselves the moment the baby’s head crowns to put their name down at the right school. And even then they’re not assured of getting a place. I think my sister waited until her son was nine months old to list him – crazy woman – and she’s 400th on the waiting list or something ridiculous like that. All around me, mums are borrowing unstained school uniforms for their daughters to wear to interviews at their private school of choice. They come back with glorious reports of each child being handed a laptop or iPad or some such widgety thing on the day they enrol. They tell disturbing stories about being expected to pay thousands of dollars at various schools in non-refundable holding deposits, just to keep their options open. As I hear their tales of 21st century, middle-class woe, I feel so relieved that I don’t have to worry about such things. We live close to a perfectly acceptable public high school that gets perfectly acceptable results in the My School rankings. And that’s where the Sprogs will go, no question. It will be sad to see their friends slowly slip away to their private school nirvanas. Some are already gone and Sprog 1 is only in year 3. When I do canteen duty, it’s fascinating to watch the class lunch baskets diminish as the grades go up. By year 6 there are only a handful of classes left, compared to the eight kindy classes that cram into the school each year. The public schools are retaining their students for less time every year, as private schools put the thumbscrews on parents to pony up their cash and kids earlier to secure a place in their hallowed ranks. And then there’s all that social pressure once they get in. Kids feeling like poor cousins when richer classmates nip off to Aspen for a spot of skiing during winter break. (Mind you, I was dazzled to hear the local high school sends kids to Greece for their ancient history excursions. We were lucky to get to Canberra and Jindabyne in my day.) I’m not convinced private schools breed better kids, despite all the cash being thrown around. I know they breed better accents – Husband and I are quite facinated by the posh lilt to private school kids’ conversation – but going by the wild gatherings of private school boys at my not-so-neighbourly neighbours house, pouring fruity lexia down their throats from the cask, it doesn’t actually breed better taste or judgement. I’m confident Sprog 1 and 2 will make their own luck without the private school privileges. I have to be. Because even if our locale starts putting funny ideas in my head about what constitutes a proper education, I haven’t got a hope in Hades of getting them into the private school system now anyway. I missed that boat eight years ago.
housegoeshome 
I hate it when you suck me into posts I don’t care about
Have fun on your trip!
I love our local public high school – my girls will be there too!!
Our kids do go to a private school – a small low-fee (haha) Anglican one in the country and on a bursary (fee reduction). They had been to a Catholic one before we moved here and the eldest one started at a public school (3 schools in 3 years but we had our reasons). The school he started at was huge – 700 kids, little playground supervision, sometimes 5 teachers in one week – not good for Kindergarten. He copped alot because he has curly hair. The younger one starting the following year prompted our change to the local 300 kid Catholic school – he had a speech delay and our speech pathologist was allowed to continue working with him in school time on school premises. I did not want him to cop what his brother had the previous year. When we left Newcastle to come to the country, the principal and I were both crying in her office – I was so sad to leave and have made some great friends who I’ll be catching up with over the school holidays.
Catholic school was our backup here as the local public school is 700 kids, but as hubby is training for Anglican ministry, it was suggested by the Bishop we send the boys to the Anglican school. We do get a bursary, but it is still 2.5 times the cost of the Catholic system and we are on a single income (except for hubby’s 4 hours per week teaching Christian Studies at the school which goes straight on our account). It is a bit of a stretch on the budget, the kids get glamourous holidays to places like Newcastle (they do get to go skiing with their grandparents in July though – so long as the youngest doesn’t break his arm this year) and $60 movie P&F fundraisers are out of the question. I’m about to write the cheque for school photos. EEK!
We are hoping that we will be here until the kids at least finish primary school. I dread looking at the options for high school – our school is only 5 years old and currently goes to year 9 with only 67 kids in high school. The public schools here are huge and have great subject selections, though they rival each other for “ghetto” status (the kids’ words). The Catholic school is very performing arts focused. The other private school is out of the question! So who knows!
Hubby and I are both products of the public system, though I did spend Year 11 at NGS – not my finest year scholastically. I know first hand the limitations of small private schools and limited subject choices. I had a great social life though. Maybe things may have turned out differently if I’d gone to boarding school like I begged!
Gawd, “ghetto” status!
I saw the Year 8 school photo for one of the local high schools today. There were 36 kids absent. 20% of the year! Year 12 had 6 missing from 50. Not good.
The ghetto thing is a rivalry between kids of the two schools for which one is worse – they wear it like a badge.
I got sucked into this last year. My husband and I both went to public schools. I currently teach at a public school. My 2 girls now go to the local catholic school. It’s only now, at the end of term one that that the feelings of “traitor” are beginning to subside.
My first comment to your post Alana, but I couldn’t resist. This has been my stress for the last 2 years after moving back to Australia. I cant afford the expensive private school fees for high school in Brisbane but my boys did go to catholic primary school. It was horrible. They were teased for having accents (after living o/s for 5 years) and not knowing the current Australian celebrities. My kids are geeky and techno heads and this small school just didnt do different well. This based my decision (and lack of funds) to send eldest son to local public high school which scores well on My School and has a great reputation. He has made so many more friends and is happy and social…however his grades have slipped and he is cruising academically. I am threatening to pull him out if his grades don’t improve but really this isn’t an option. He is happy, he is healthy and that really is the most important thing. I really believe that you should not have to pay a fortune just for a good education. But honestly so far its pretty average!
It’s a really hard thing to get the balance on – happy, socially adjusted kid who’s also driven to succeed without feeling overwhelmed. Hopefully he’ll get more motivated as the HSC approaches?
My daughter has jsut started high school at a public school and is loving it. I agree with you Alana.
We’re both really luck to have good choices in the public system.
I am so with you!! A big bug bear of mine too… The pressure is exhausting. I went to a public school on the west coast of Tasmania – and I think I turned out okay. I think as long as children have a good support network at home and around them (friends & family), they will be okay.
As an aside – I’ve been told recently that our good public school may be going selective soon…so the options for our sprogs may be reducing…
Noooo, say it isn’t so! I’ll be devastated.
Well now I know I’m not alone… bane of my life this public/private thing. I thought I was the only one that did not understand it and did not want to buy into the hysteria. Being from UK we just went to the nearest school and if not a good one your parents got on the P&C.
I laughed at my mother’s group who talked of which school incessantly, I dismissed my neighbours as stuck up when they chatted about it like every kid goes to private school and almost fell over when friends started going to church every Sunday although confirmed atheists just get into Catholic school. I was even cut dead by one mother when she realised that I was not sending my lot to private school, back turned the lot!
However, at year 5 with my eldest, it’s hard to not listen to all the rumours of how bad the local high schools are (especially for boys….). I really am starting to think that is a propaganda campaign by the private schools!
Christ is the parental guilt not bad enough without this?
Nuts huh?