fbloke said:
You have a son or daughter who is good at mathematics.
At the age of 10 their talent at maths has been noticed and you have serious thinking to doto either
a) stay at the comp where local fame and stardom are guaranteed but there may not be much else and where teachers will help keep their feet on the ground.
b) Take the offer from a selective school where good teachers will develop the talent and although one of many talented mathematicians the chance of university is pretty obvious
c) Accept the fully funded education at one of the worlds top 4 establishments where the teaching is second to none and if they work hard and apply their knowledge a top university followed by any choice of jobs is more or less certain.
As well as that the place on offer includes a guarantee that the child will be developed as a good person as well as a great mathematician and if their talent was precocious but not long lasting they can still go on to any other job they feel comfortable with.
Take the word football out of the debate and its obvious where you would send your kid.
But you wouldn't send the 10 yr old out of the country would you?
It will be good if City becomes the No. 1 British based academy. It would count for so much more if English football was producing better quality young players.