I think if a child wants to learn, they will. Paid vs free education does not instantly mean they will learn more/better. It’s about finding the right school for the child. A lot of children attending private also have one or both of their parents working in high paid work, with affordability of schooling not really an issue. You are less likely to have crack head parents sending their children to private, but even then, drugs are still an issue at both.

Both have their pros and cons

I think it mostly comes down to each individual child and their nterest in school. Public or private, only difference is the cost in my opinion

Depends on the area. Visit schools, walk past them around lunch time/school drop off and pick up – get a feel for them.

I have friends and relatives who has been to both and also have been successful in selective schools ( which pays Govt fees ) . The main difference that I have found is cost of tuition as provate is much dearer of course , and the activities and facilities they offer depending on the funding of the school . A good example was when I was in high school ( public ) , I was interested in piano lessons and I will never forget my disappointment when the teacher told me .We don’t have a music class .( it was the combination of cost and no. of students etc ). My children who attends catholic school had choices for everything and my son even got a chance to try out dragon boat when he was in early years. So depending how good the funding is , the more they can offer to the students .

yeah I suppose its the affordability, Public it might be, can\’t really afford high fees

My family went to public school and so will my daughter

My husband and I both went to public school and were happy with it. We sent our daughter to public school and she has always been happy. We would only send her to a non-government school if she wasn’t happy at her present school.

In some cases it depends what public school you are “zoned” to. If you are zoned to one where a lot of kids in classes would rather disrupt class all day and hinder your child’s opportunity of learning, you may be better to have your child in a private school. Some of them have very strict regulations and behaviour techniques used if a child misbehaves. Some of them are referred to mentors to guide them onto the right path. I don’t know if the same laws apply to all states. In SA areas are zoned to different public schools. They may not be the one in closest walking distance either. One street the other side of the “line” can mean you go to a school 10 minute bus trip away where otherwise you could have walked. Yes, I do know of a case of this in the Adelaide western suburbs. Certainly not ideal for the parent and children who have to the extra bus and walking distance – to and from bus stop. (Parents do it twice every day). Some private schools are a lot more expensive than others. I know one of the cheaper ones which has high standards of learning and strict discipline so that all pupils have equal opportunity to learn. Some are given short sessions of one-on-one if there is learning difficulties without you having to do through Govt. red tape.

Public schools all the way!