Instead of writing a book "What makes a good school", you should have written "Why are government schools so bad". There is lots of excellence and innovation in schools in Australia but nearly all of it is in non government schools.

'Why are government schools so bad'

Because they have the worst students.

Everyone knows that.

They cant turn away disruptive kids, and they get the the worst teachers because most teachers just want to do a job and it's kind of hard with a class full of kids who don't want to be there and who have no fear of any consequences for not behaving.

There is a very small group of teachers who like the challenge, so the odd good teacher, even the odd brilliant one will be keeping the place afloat.

I am constantly bemused by debate over schools. The funniest thing is the assertion of the altruistic private school parents 'subsidising' the public schools out of the goodness of their heart and their egalitarian principles.

Some simple truths.

a) Parents who send their kids to private schools do so because they see some value in it. That's the sole reason they do so.

b) Parents who send their kids to public schools either cant afford private schooling, or think their kids are smart enough that it doesn't really matter what school they go to.

I am of the opinion that it doesn't really matter. I don't see the value in paying $20k a year per child for what I can get for free. I don't even see the point of paying $5k unless my children end up being really unhappy in a school.

I'm one of Gerards spongers off the tax system....

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/welloff-get-a-free-ride-on-taxpayer-for-childrens-education-20120319-1vfni.html

I love a free ride I do!

In the end, the government wants to save money via the people who want to buy the status of a private education. Such is life. I would be happier with more taxes, no private schools, and the rich hounding the government to improve the standard of the public education their kids are attending, and everyone being happy to fund the worthwhile aim of kids starting on a more even footing.

Call me crazy but I would love a country where the rich and poor had the same standard of education and health care.

Come on Wattle, we all know the problem is the union, & that's not the answer Chris wants at all.

Some of these people would have been an asset at the battle of Jutland, with their experience in generating smoke screens.

It's an interesting argument if you take away religion, status, and ideology, what you're left with in the public and private schools.

Now since the rich 'subsidise' the poor, and they are paying a much higher price in private school fees, they are actually worse off financially than if they just let the government pay via the progressive tax system.

So to understand their behaviour, you have to take into account what they are getting. What's the 'value added'. John Winston reckoned it was 'choice'. I reckon it's status but I love a bit of class envy.

Maybe I just don't value education as much, but how much private, 1 on 1 tutoring does $20k a year buy? Is one school $20k a year better, and worth sacrificing and drudging and working so hard your kids don't see you? Or is it worth losing the opportunity to have a stay at home parent, or a part-time working parent. I find it hard to reconcile what people are paying for.

For the super-rich I can see that the money is irrelevant. But for the struggling to pay, those proud 'I struggled to put my kids through private school' lot, how does a religion, or a feeling of status, or a perceived 'better' education weigh up in these people's minds against time with their children and an easier lifestyle for the whole family?

I reckon there are too many variables to be so sure that it's a better education. Teacher-student relationships, bullying and cliques in schools, travel time, parental expectations and pressure, there are so many variables. How can you be sure the $20k a year is worth it. I mean for 2 kids for 6 years invested well, that's getting close to half a million dollars. Is that worth it in the long run to these people added to the other personal sacrifices? Could they not supplement their kids education by being more involved themselves? What if the school puts its fees up and you cant afford it any more?

I reckon a lot are being duped!

Interesting perspective Houellebecq. But I think you may have answered the question yourself.

>>Teacher-student relationships, bullying and cliques in schools, travel time, parental expectations and pressure, there are so many variables. How can you be sure the $20k a year is worth it<<

You invest in exactly those variables. Whether through luck or judgement, my assessment of the overall school "product" proved to be accurate. Excellent student-teacher relationships, a total absence of bullying, the "cliques" were all focussed on commonalities, rather than externalities, and the feedback loop to parents was precise and non-judgmental. As a result, there was no need for "parental expectations and pressure", since the raw materials were all there. Return on investment didn't come into the equation, but a well-balanced and happy adolescent did.

Whether it was "worth it" is a question that can never be answered, given the lack of ability to compare. Was I happy to make the investment, given the outcome? Absolutely.

But individual circumstances and personal experiences can never prove or disprove a theory, can they.

Obviously it's a judgement call based on values Pericles. Perhaps as I said I just don't value education like others do. I certainly don't take it very seriously. $20k is a lot of serious.

Excellent student-teacher relationships - Has to be luck. Personalities differ, and you don't know 6 years down the track which teachers will be teeaching your kids. This is after you have bought in to an ever increasing fee.

a total absence of bullying - Well, luck again in my view. You could argue in a higher socio-economic environment in a school with the option of discarding the anti-social you have a better chance, but I see no guarantee. There is the issue that if the parents find it hard to afford the fees, their kids may well be 'socially excluded' due to the discrepancy in... class;-)

feedback loop to parents was precise - OK I'll give you that. I have seen the sentences public school teachers are to pick from to describe student performance.

There was no need for "parental expectations and pressure" - Well just the price tag I think brings with it a lot of expectation and pressure. If you add in the 'struggling to put my kids through private school' martyr attitude (Kids no doubt take this on and pick this up) it cant be good. 'You mean mummy is tired and grumpy because she is selling her coochie for my schooling?'

'But individual circumstances and personal experiences can never prove or disprove a theory, can they.'

No but the interesting part of the whole thing to me is how everyone justifies their choices and what are the real motivations at play. I suspect all this stuff about religion, class envy, status and 'education' is really all stereotypes and self-deception.

The concept of 'education' being as important as half a million dollars and a overbearing financial struggle doesn't fit in with my value system. It makes me curious.