A Private Education

We are terribly wicked parents. We send our poor wee boy away to school. 'How can you possibly do that?' people ask. It's difficult, probably more so for us that for him. I'm not saying that we didn't have a month of agony after he first went, just over a year ago. It was truly awful. That first sobbing phone call and I was in pieces. I had the car keys in my hand before the phone had fully disconnected. Luckily my wife is made of sterner stuff. She knew the drill, had strategies and plans - and they worked, for all of us.

Now we are three weeks into 'big school proper' (last year he came out of the Scottish primary system and into the last year of the new schools junior school) and is racing ahead. Why? people ask, why not just send him to the local comp? After all, it's a brand new school with all the IT and rescources you could possibly want. Well, no, it doesn't have all the resources. Yes, it has infrastructure but it doesn't have that almost indefinable extra something that is present in so many independent schools. I could witter on about class sizes (yes, important, 10 v 32), about committed, engaged and enthusiastic staff (truly in awe of these people), about the amazing curriculum (including seamanship and mountain rescue!) or about the incredible extra curricular actvities (jealous). But what I want to get at is more subtle. It's about confidence, courage, strength, versatility. Already we have seen our son blossom with a new found ability to carry an argument, to inform logically and deal with adults in a mature manner. It's wonderful to see. As are the friendships we see forming, strong, relaxed and confident.

I admit, he probably wouldn't be going there if he hadn't himself managed to get a scholarship due to his being a rather bright chap, but this school (you probably know the one, not many this far north) is worth every penny and I would fight lions to keep him there.