Private Schools

With all the drama over schools funding recently, got me thinking. I'd be all for the extra money for private schools if it produced better students. But it seems a worldwide trend that private school kids do no better at school compared to public school kids of similar socioeconomic backgrounds and generally perform worse at Universities.
So why do parents and givernments waste money on private schooling?

 

I always wonder where they get their stats from when they come up with this argument. I've just finished a degree as a mature age student. I had very few classes that were not private school dominated and found that public school kids really struggled 'to fit in'. Sadly, a lot of uni groups are very clicky. I spent just last night convincing a friend's daughter to "hang in there" as she is about to bail from her OT studies. Despite being at a public school for 'gifted students' she is struggling academically and socially. You tend to find more doctors, lawyers and accountants from private schools. Of course there's always exceptions either way.

I can only go by personal experiences.

Interestingly, Yeo, Cripps and Fyfe all attended Aquinas College in Perth. Peter Bell, Brad Hogg, Paul Duffield, Justin Langer and Quentin Lynch are also good examples.

 

It's been pretty widely studied from memory, but I've never looked in to it seriously TBH. Like I said just got thinking about it recently with the funding debates. I'd actually love to hear from people who send their kids to privates as to why they do.

https://theconversation.com/state-school-kids-do-better-at-uni-29155

https://lens.monash.edu/2018/02/01/1308581/spending-more-on-private-schools-doesnt-guarantee-success

 

we sent our son to the same school as Nat Fyfe

When he was looking for a job (uni break) he emailed an application to a potential employer - he received a call within half an hour and an interview the next day. He was hired on the spot - it was all based on what school he went to. It's what happens in Perth - the 'old boys club' really helps.

We had numerous reasons for sending our son to this particular school. We enrolled him the day he was born, but we still kept our minds open. We picked an all boys school because we knew he was probably going to be an only child (took us 6 years to have him), we were financially able to. and we knew this particular school had a good reputation for mate-ship and leadership.

From an early age he excelled at sport and we knew this was important to him. A lot of the non-private schools just don't provide the same facilities, coaches and opportunities in WA. This particular school just became a 'good fit'.

He had a really good experience and I am glad we were able to provide this for him. He is a tolerant, humble and generous young man. I know his home life has helped him to develop these traits, but I feel the school he went to helped him to flourish.

 

That all makes sense. Is there no sports colleges over in Perth? A la Ben Symonds. Or TAC cup type comps. In Vic, private schools fondo don't add much to a sporting career.

 

Not that I know of. They have specialist schools that say they have academies, but the private schools here run what's called the PSA. Some of the big names in sport will come from these schools, especially football, cricket, swimming, hockey and water polo. These kids are playing against each other at an elite level every week. They manage to attract Olympic coaches etc. Hale school has Kim Hughes as their cricket coach, Aquinas had an Olympic water polo and hockey coach.

Then you have some public schools that now run indigenous programs. but these are not open to all kids (restricted funding I guess). Some public schools have no sport at all now.

 

Wow! Very different over here. Private schools try to poach elite junior athletes from public schools and use them to boost the school reputation.

 

Private religious schools that actively discriminate against gay teachers or students should not receive government funding.

 

Private schools should not receive public funding - problem solved.

 

Aren't they private for a reason? If they're now going to receive government funding then their fees should drop as a tied condition to the funding.

 

Pretty sure this argument has been had on here numerous times over the years.

Real rough figures.

3.6 million kids enrolled in school

roughly one third are in private and two thirds public, so

1.2 million v
2.4 million

65% in government schools
21% in Catholic schools
14% in independent schools

In 2014-15 funding was made up of
$14.9 billion federal
$38.1 billion state
$53 billion in total

$40.3 billion went to public schools
$12.8 billion went to private schools

Commonwealth funding
36.2% to public schools
63.8% to private schools

State funding
91.5% to public schools
8.5% to private schools

The Commonwealth give their money to the states and the Catholic education system and they decided who gets what, irrespective of Commonwealth guidelines.

iirc, private students received about $4,000 per student, per annum less in state and federal funding compared with a public student.
$4.8 billion. Year on year.

I pay taxes, some goes to public education, some of it goes to private education. I have one daughter in private secondary school with the second one starting next year, so on top of the taxes, I also pay fees from my after tax wages. I'm paying for everyone else's kids as well as my own.

 

I guess if it makes you feel better you could think of it this way. We all pay taxes that go towards everyone's education. You're paying extra for the fancy buildings and playing grounds.

 

Many reasons such as:
- The belief that they handle discipline a lot better than public schooling.
- Their parents and the parents before them have always been schooled in the private sector.
- The myth that they will get a better education if they spend more money (If I was to send my kid to the likes of Wesley or Hailbury I would expect them to get A grade results for the money I spend).


I went to a Private Boarding School and some of the blokes I went to school with ended up as Tradies so the better education myth is busted. You can forget the less behaviour issues as some students got busted with marijuana and alcohol and the all girls school down the road was just as bad.

I have the same argument with my wife and parents with our sons. Yes we can be picky and scour the forums on which schools are the best in the area and some might handle discipline better than others. But there will always be issues. Some of the best schools in my local area are public.