Without a doubt parents take into consideration many factors when deciding which school they should send their children too (Vaughn and Witko, 2012, p.24). For some parents they want to find a school that will meet the needs for their children whilst others may decide on a school where their children will receive the best learning outcomes (Vaughn et al., 2012, p. 24). Interestingly what Vaughn and Witko (2012) have found in their research is that when parents are choosing schools for their children some factors include racial characteristics, religious instruction and the distance from home. Some of these concepts are reflected throughout the media article Doing the sums – does a private education add up? (2012).
Parents know that sending their children to a private (non-government sector) school which includes Catholic schools and independent schools, is more costly than public (government sector which involves selective schools) (Schmidt, 2012.). For some of Sydney’s elite independent schools tuition fees are very expensive where for example, the King’s School charges for year 7 students $25, 068 and for year 12, $26, 396 and the even more expensive school, Cranbrook charges $26, 421 for year 7 and $28, 251 for year 12 (Schmidt, 2012.). Looking at the school fees of some of Sydney’s elite private independent schools you may think of all the alternative commodities you could have bought such as a brand new car. However, for some parents they are merely looking at the value for their money. I would be expecting good quality teachers, great facilities and an overall positive learning environment with that amount of money being paid towards your children’s education.
A lecturer in education from the University of Sydney, Dr Helen Proctor undertook a study concerning school choice in 2009 (Schmidt, 2012.). She interviewed 64 middle-class parents with children in year 7 enrolled in either an independent, Catholic and government schools and found that the most parents were strongly influenced by the social environment the school entails (Schmidt, 2012.). Many of the parents wanted their children to have good values, discipline, be introduced to a wide range of ideas, leadership skills and to ensure their children did not mix with ‘bad kids’ (Schmidt, 2012.). However, do we buy these characteristics through a private or public school? To some extent, as a parent of three daughters stated, “we did”. In a different case, one mother stated that her son did not have a great experience at the prestigious Cranbrook but nonetheless, formed “terrific friendships with really well-rounded boys” (Schmidt, 2012.).
Another important factor that influences parents’ school decision is the quality and performance of the teachers in public and private schools (Schmidt, 2012.). Stephen Grieve of the NSW Parents’ Council pointed out that the private school system are more likely to deal with teachers to improve their teaching skills or merely remove them (Schmidt, 2012.). But, in contrast to a public school there is a more reluctant culture to deal with teachers who do not perform at their maximum potential (Schmidt, 2012.).
Thus, there are many factors when parents decide whether to send their children to a private or public school in which I highlighted some of the important ones above. A question for my readers is which school would you send your children, a private or public school, and why? Leave a comment below.
REFERENCES:
Schmidt L 2012, ‘Doing the sums – does a private education add up?’, Sydney Morning Herald, 30 March, accessed 20 October 2013,
Vaughn, M and Witko, C 2012, ‘Does the amount of school choice matter for student engagement?’, The Social Science Journal, vol. 50, pp. 23-33.
I personally would want to send my children to a private school, but ultimately, the question is whether I'll be able to afford it when it comes to that stage. I remember once talking to one of my ex-girlfriends about schooling options for children. She was a private school student and I was a public school student and we both believed that although private schools produce better marks it would be better to let the child decide which type of school to attend. Maybe it would be best to put them in a public school in their primary school years and then move them into private schools for high school like what many of my friends did.
ReplyDeleteI attended public schools all through my life, however, and there are a number of benefits to them which were discussed in our tutorial. A key advantage to public schools is that they are largely coeducation schools, giving students the chance to pursue almost any subject in the curriculum regardless of their gender. The main disadvantage for me attending a coeducation school, however, was the distraction that girls were to me and my school work, though they were fun to have around...
I think that every parent would want the best for their children but not all are financially capable of paying the school fees to send their child to a private school. As you mentioned in your post, the Kings School charges $25,000 a year just for a year seven student whereas from my high school experiences, my parents only had to pay a contribution fee of $150 a year, my uniform did not exceed $500 and text books were between $25-$50 so it was not financially troubling for them at all. Although I went to a public school, my new principal tried to implement rules to make our school seem more like an elite private school which in my opinion was so stupid. She made us purchase school bags with our school logo on it and blazers etc when it was completely unnecessary. What I liked about being in a public school (before my new principal arrived) was the freedom of not needing to follow such strict uniform rules, and having the choice to choose which ever subject I wanted to do.
ReplyDeleteHowever, for now I think that I would want to send my children to a private school because I would want them to have the best facilities and be taught under strict discipline. Nevertheless, I would not prevent them from attending a public school if it was their preference. I would more likely have a say in the area the school is situated in.
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteI thought you wrote a really interesting post. I never knew that there were parents who would actually pay over$26,000 for only a yaer 7 student. It's so different and new for someone like me who was brought up in a public school. My yearly school fee was only at the most $200 and that included my education, school contribution fee and other contributing stuff.
On the other hand, I guess that in the future I would also consider sending my children to a private school as I know that they would be provided with the best facilities. There were times during my high school year where I had wished for better materials and services like new textbooks, technology and an improved classroom.