Schools in the Dulwich area

[barrybrains]

All taxpayers contribute to the cost of the nation's schools; Catholic taxpayers no less than any other taxpayer. The suggestion, therefore, that Catholic schools are being unfairly funded by taxpayers is entirely fallacious. The Catholic community actually pays more for its schools as 10% of the capital expenditure has to be provided from the Catholic community, whereas it is provided by the Government for other maintained schools i.e. they receive 100% funding. In addition to their taxes, the Catholic community provides in excess of a further ?20 million per annum to its schools for capital expenditure.

It also saves Government and arguably other taxpayers money, which they would have to find, were pupils in Catholic voluntary-aided schools to be educated in community schools.

[littleEDfamily]

I'm not sure the moral high ground here is really appropriate - the reality is that the vast majority of Catholic schools' funding comes from the state, and yet schools such as St Anthony's are all but unavailable to non-Catholics. I'm not Catholic bashing here - my view is identical for all religious schools.

By your rationale, I should be giving myself a pat on the back for educating our child privately (i.e. that we are relieving the state's 'burden'). Although I am hardly in favour of faith schools (for the reasons already given), if Catholic Schools were wholly funded by the church and parents, the issue would be more one of personal choice (which I am in favour of), and less about the ideological hypocrisy and fundamental unfairness inherent in the current system.

[barrybrains]

Yes, a pat on the back indeed for you. If you are fortunate enough to be able to consider private schools as an option, then it makes sense to send your child to one and leave a place free at a state school, of course.

[womanofdulwich]

i always thought that more motivated demanding parent will improve a school, and if you send your child to a private school then you are depriving the state school of you and your child and all that you can offer and support to others less able. If you took this to its logical conclusion it would mean that state schools were only attended by the children whose parents could not give a toss- and there are plenty of them out there. I know it seems really hard but I think you should try and stick with state system if you can bear to and improve standards and dont let the schools get away with complacency. ( oh easy to say when you are coming out the other end I know but that was my reasoning).

[littleEDfamily]

I would love to send my child to an exceptional state school like the one I went to as a primary school child (I went to private school later on as the local secondary school was so appalling) The reality is that living in East Dulwich there are simply more children than there are places at decent schools, so you either concede that your child may receive an education at a lower standard than you may like, move out (which we may yet do) or resign yourself to crippliing yourself financially and going private. For now, we have decided the latter is for us, and we feel completely comfortable about that decision.

Apologies for labouring the point, but the issue is one of personal choice - I support parents who stick with the state system and try to improve things (and often end up paying for top-up tuition to bridge the inadequacies). I would rather spend my time earning an income to pay for a private school which I know will provide quality, than invest my energy in propping up schools that for what ever reason fail to reach appropriate standards. I'm not looking for a pat on the back, but it would be nice to know my taxes weren't being used to fund schools that my child is prevented from attending due to our religious beliefs (of lack of). The duty of the government, is in my opinion, not to provide parents with 'choice' (whether it be religious schools, single sex schools or whatever) within education (and where I believe the Labour Government has missed the point), but to provide a consistent levels of high quality, secular education for all.

[barrybrains]

I do agree with the first point. My daughter goes to a state school primary, but I am already saving up for her private secondary school as there's not too much choice of state schools in ED and there's only really one state secondary I'd like her to go to.

Re: the laboured point of church schools, well we aren't a cmopletely non-secular society, hence the existence of faith schools. Faith schools will exist for the forseeable future. However, if it really irks you, I'd suggest you start campaigning against it as it's obviously something you feel very strongly against.