"Andy Hall" wrote in message news:488a2eef@qaanaaq...
On 2008-07-25 19:42:57 +0100, stuart noble
said:


They're separated from the kids round the corner who don't happen to
have as much money.

Actually there were numerous children whose parents were not well off
and who received part or full bursaries at the school attended by my
children. Secondly, there were parents who impoverished themselves in
various ways because they put the welfare of their children and payment
of fees as a higher priority than spending money on themselves or their
house. I think that it's spectacularly wicked that they should have
to do this out of taxed income in addition to paying for a state system
that has failed their children.

What's wrong with all kids going to their local primary school?

I explained that earlier in the thread. Our local one was grouping 5
and 6 year olds together

so what?
even in a school that "doesn't" do that there can be a years difference in
the age

and expecting the 6 year olds who had completed set work to help out with
the 5 year olds and those who hadn't.

they learn from that.

For my daughter, who at the time had a reading age of 8+, a maturity to
match and should have been in the year ahead, this was intensely
frustrating. Children aren't stupid.

No, parents are though.

One afternoon she came home and announced that she felt that she was being
used (her exact words). We tackled the school about the year
combining issue and they came out with some BS about it being local
policy. I checked. It wasn't. We then attempted to get her moved
to the year above.

She is a child, let her be a child!

That was also declined because of "local policy". Again it wasn't.
Given the state of affairs, an unwillingness to correct it and being lied
to, the decision in terms of the principle to move them to an independent
school became rather easy. The financial aspect was rather more
difficult at the time and a lot was sacrificed. When it became my son's
turn, there wasn't really a second thought about the principle but the
financial aspect was even harder and lasted for many years. I don't
begrudge a penny or a second of it.

Most people here think you are a bit strange, this just adds to the
evidence.