Sneering private school mothers have always looked down on state school mums like me. Now they're being forced to rough it with us common folk..
. and they deserve everything that's coming to them By Ursula Hirschkorn Published: 01:56, 30 May 2024 | Updated: 01:56, 30 May 2024 e-mail View comments Even though it was more than 15 years ago, I clearly remember looking round the primary school I had set my heart on for my firstborn son, Jacob. Despite being in North London , it was set amid green fields, with a huge playground and outdoor space for all the classrooms.
It was rated outstanding and the head told us many pupils went on to attend the most prestigious schools in the area. The classrooms were filled with colourful paintings and the children were well behaved and neat in their smart uniforms. I was sold.
But when I told one of my snootier friends, she reeled in horror. 'You're sending him to state school?' she sneered incredulously. It was as if I had announced I was letting my five-year-old loose in a crack den.
This is a reaction I have encountered so many times over the years — and I know I am not alone. I think I did my four boys — Jacob, 20, Max, 18, and twins Zach and Jonah, 15 — a huge favour by sending them to state schools, Ursula Hirschkorn writes Another good friend told me about a dinner party with some rich guests who grilled her on why she would even consider sending her daughter to a state secondary school. It was tantamount to child neglect in thei.