Primary Schools - Private or State?

GFurlong

Do you think that it may be worth investing in a private education opposed to State? I’m of two minds, as I’ve been told by some that it is worth every cent, whilst others have advised that they consider it to have been complete waste of money & that their child would have been better at their local primary… all suggestions welcome…

E.T.

There are very few private primary schools in Ireland - I'm working in a state/public school which is very much the norm here, and it's as good as private schools I've seen while working in Australia. You probably won't get chess lessons like they did there though!

hug0

Hello, Ive worked in a private primary school and to me honest I would not recommend it, Im a qualified primary teacher and it seems that a lot of the teachers there are not primary qualified, some only have regular degrees, some with secondary teaching qualifications and others with just montessorri. Seems terrible when people are paying so much. Our school seemed only interested in keeping the money coming in rather than anything else. I really hated my year there. On the other hand, if you want your child having french, music,pe and science teachers its good but I really dont think a child needs all that. A child will do just as well in a regular primary school if they have the right encouragement and support from home. Good luck with your decision anyway.

byhookorbycrook

we're not a private school and we do science, PE music etc, most state primary do, the European language in primary schools was a pilot scheme ,not rolled out to every school,we do German.

hug0

I didnt mean we dont do those subjects I meant some private schools have specialist teachers for science, french pe etc.
I really dont think a child needs that yet as they cover so much anyway in a state primary school.

curly from cork

having been through private and state primary schools with my children, id have to say the state schooling was better. yes the numbers were very small in the fee paying school, approx 12 in the class, but that can be too small for ease of group dynamics as well. the state schools seems to be better equipped , white boards , interactive aids, more gym equipment etc. private schools struggle hugely for a number of reasons, but basically the teachers need to be paid first , then comes the running of the school , then the equipment needed. not a penny comes from the state so as you can imagine the wage bill alone is pretty huge. every bit of income comes from the parents schools fees, fundraising etc.
even the kids themselves noticed the difference in the variety of additional resource material available in the state school.
if i had my time over again , i d pocket the school fees and go state schools.
hope that helps !

also at the back of your mind to remember is that a private school is basically a business and will be run as one.

bigbrotherfan

Absolutely no contest. In private primary schools you pay a hell of a lot more to get a hell of a lot less. Many teachers not qualified, there's a shorter school year . It may seem trendy but your local primary school or one with a good reputation in which you are offered a place wins every time.