State V Private School?

Dilema time and it's going to be a hard one.

My daughter has been giving us a challenging time in recent months no years with her education. When she was four and a half she was offered a scholorship to a private school and we turned it down in favour of a state school. We did not like the idea of the private school in the end because it was a bit of a hot house and we knew we could not really afford it for her and her brother.

Wind on nine years and we now have a 13 and a half year old who has drifted through education. We had her half year profile and nearly all her teachers commented that she was spending most of her time chatting but none of them were telling us. We had spoken to a couple of the teachers beforehand and so knew of some of what to expect but now all is out in the open. When we went to the open evening we asked "WHY were we not told and the only reply was that when a teacher has 300 pupils he sees every week and 30 are a bit chatty, he/she can't phone all their parents!" Well that teacher should if it affecting that child's education!

Hubby and I have been racking our brains and have also been looking into tutors and private alternative education. It will cost us all of our savings (and the rest) but what is more important? We've now found a good school - A very good school with small classes and unbelievably they have a place for our daughter and possibly we may be able to negotiate on the fees too. We have spoken to our daughter about it and also spoken to her brother because he is a totally different child and does not need the same sort of education as her. He florishes at school and works hard where as our daughter needs someone to push her all the time. Her school will not do this and so now this dilema hits us.

We don't believe in private education, I'm a state school governor who is seriously thinking of taking her child out of state school...............And then there's the cost?

What to do?

Will be getting the full brochure and GCSE brochure tomorrow as my daughter needs to pick out her options from the list. Oh dear, what to do?