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Post by Alanović on Dec 14, 2016 13:03:46 GMT
The other aspect is, I'd agreed to send the children to private primary school/prep school, on the basis that it would increase the chance of a place at the Grammar school. So now we're stuck with the fees for both of them for the entirety of their schooling, unless some miracle alights upon us and child number 2 gets to the Grammar school. I'm far less confident than I was of the first, this one needs a bit of learning support and isn't in the top streams. It's not going to happen.
Bzzzzzzzt. You lose, gambler.
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Post by commerdriver on Dec 14, 2016 13:22:14 GMT
Al, the alternative is to move 15 miles downriver to Marlow (or even Wycombe) and get more choice of both grammar and good non grammar schools. Didn't know it at the time but, having moved there 35 years ago I have been happy with the education my 3 had access to. Two of the three have decent degrees from decent uni's, one from grammar school the other not, and are gainfully employed as an aero engineer and a primary teacher respectively, the third, who chose not to go to university as he didn't know what he wanted to do, is in IT and is the highest earner of the 3.
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Post by Alanović on Dec 14, 2016 13:39:15 GMT
Yes, moving is an alternative. There's at least one barrier to that though, not just the obvious one with the better looks than me. Commuting to current workplaces would be compromised - our current location is pretty convenient-ish for both of us. HW and Marlow would not be good for one of us. I have thought about it in some depth, even considered Slough which also is better catered for, and Windsor. If we'd wanted to do that though, then we should have done it years back. I was working on the assumption that we were happy with the schools here, and, like I say our localest state one, which our son was offered a place in, is good to outstanding. But as previously outlined, my assumption was wrong, and it turned out at the very last minute that only one of us was happy with that school. Too late.
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Post by commerdriver on Dec 14, 2016 13:50:55 GMT
Understand entirely Al, as with many people if my wife was seriously against something major it probably would not happen. Maybe that's a topic for another thread...
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Post by Humph on Dec 14, 2016 13:53:02 GMT
If your wife was to have a change of mind, you could get a heck of a lot of additional tuition if required, for a heck of a lot less than £30k a year. You'd think anyway !
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Post by Alanović on Dec 14, 2016 13:56:26 GMT
You would, wouldn't you? Don't think for a moment that the suggestion hasn't been floated......sometimes the lady's just got to have what the lady's got to have.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Dec 14, 2016 14:52:38 GMT
I was fortunate that I went to a very good comprehensive. There are some that would have assumed it was private because 99.9% of pupils had to travel at least a fair distance to it each day. It was around 20 miles from home for me - but we had free school buses. How come I got to go to a good school so far away when there was a local comprehensive much nearer? I went to a Welsh school and was taught through the medium of Welsh Even A-level physics which was in English (no text books in Welsh) had lessons whereby you'd switch from Welsh to English and back to Welsh when speaking with the teachers. I got three good A levels (A's) and got into the University of Manchester. I had applied to Cambridge (peer pressure etc) but glad I didn't get it. I would not have enjoyed that as much as Manchester. We're mortgage free here would struggle to pay £12-15k per annum for two children to go private school. We'd have to stop having holidays etc.
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Post by Alanović on Dec 14, 2016 15:01:58 GMT
Da iawn, Rob. Da iawn.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Dec 14, 2016 15:07:29 GMT
Diolch yn fawr.
I benefited from a good state education - we had some excellent teachers. That's the other thing, we chose to travel to such a school and for me it was a 40 mile roundtrip 5 days a week in term time for 7 years. But the teachers also travelled a fair distance to get to teach at the school.
The same school is being wound down and will close. A new school was needed and the catchment area meant many were travelling quite a way to get there. So ironically my local comprehensive which I didn't go to became a Welsh medium school (new school built for the others) and that's where I'd have gone if I was in school now.
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Post by Alanović on Dec 14, 2016 15:14:07 GMT
You know what. I just had a think about commerdriver's suggestion, and a quick squint at property around Marlow. There are a few houses around there on rightmove, which are broadly similar to my current shack, which I could afford mortgage free. Hmm. I'm a bit staggered - I'd assumed it was "saw you coming" territory. Maybe Crossrail has pushed up Reading values much higher. I hadn't realised Reading had become so astronomically expensive in comparison to more traditionally 'prestigious' towns. Now no mortgage and no school fees. Blimey. Imagine spending/investing your own money on, well, whatever the hell you liked. I think I'd probably buy up as many flats near Crossrail stations around Slough as I could afford.
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sooty
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Post by sooty on Dec 14, 2016 15:33:07 GMT
I'm a bit out of touch with the costs of private education now. What is the sort of annual figure per child these days? The two people i know that send their children to private school i think it's 18k per year but that's for boarding. Only reason they can afford it is they are both in the military so they only pay a small part of the cost. Whether it's value for money I'm not sure, one thing though the facilities seem excellent. As for me i went to a state school, by the time i went to high school state grammar school were gone. The only ones left were ones that you had to pay for, although it was a fraction of the cost of private school it was simply unaffordable for my parents to send me and my brother to even a grammar school. Luckily the high school we went to wasn't that far behind in terms of results and was particularly good at sports. A fair few of ex pupils went on to play sport at an international level. As to would it have made a difference, i guess it's really had to say. Since i never went, you can't miss what you never had, as they say. Maybe I've a bit of a limited knowledge in this area or narrow circle of friends but I've only worked with one person who had a private education (that I know of) and he wasn't overly bright. Not stupid by any means but from his performance you wouldn't guess he'd had an expensive education. But one isn't really a sample size, so for me the jury's out on this one.
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Post by commerdriver on Dec 14, 2016 15:42:29 GMT
You know what. I just had a think about commerdriver's suggestion, and a quick squint at property around Marlow. There are a few houses around there on rightmove, which are broadly similar to my current shack, which I could afford mortgage free. Hmm. I'm a bit staggered - I'd assumed it was "saw you coming" territory. Maybe Crossrail has pushed up Reading values much higher. I hadn't realised Reading had become so astronomically expensive in comparison to more traditionally 'prestigious' towns. Now no mortgage and no school fees. Blimey. Imagine spending/investing your own money on, well, whatever the hell you liked. I think I'd probably buy up as many flats near Crossrail stations around Slough as I could afford. I suspect there is more of a spread in Reading, Al. Seriously, we reckon the schools in Marlow are very good and might make the move a positive one if you are not past the time you could/would do it and the travel differences are not insurmountable. Commuting, other than by car, is not a Marlow strong point.
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Post by Alanović on Dec 14, 2016 15:50:21 GMT
Yeah, that's a bit of a bug bear with Marlow. High Wycombe would be a good station though, is it easy to access from, say, Marlow Bottom, at peak times? My commute to Basingstoke would be a bit silly, though.
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Post by commerdriver on Dec 14, 2016 16:14:26 GMT
Yeah, that's a bit of a bug bear with Marlow. High Wycombe would be a good station though, is it easy to access from, say, Marlow Bottom, at peak times? My commute to Basingstoke would be a bit silly, though. Problem with Wycombe station is you have handy cross and the drop down through the middle of Wycombe to negotiate to get there. My wife has several colleagues who do it the other direction so it is possible but not good. If the HW option is part of a London commute it may be worth thinking about 15 -20 minute drive to Hillingdon & underground into London, that's what I do when required, much more pleasant and a good bit cheaper & more flexible. Basingstoke is about an hour from Marlow in busy times, I have worked there at various times over the years. Again not particularly unpleasant but not great.
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Post by Humph on Dec 14, 2016 21:14:21 GMT
You were muttering about looking into moving to Scotland at one time Al, did you ever check out that option? The weather can be a bit iffy, but otherwise it's a great place if you know where to look.
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