'State till 8' - how? Post Reply

[SabineMum]

Many thanks all for your enlighting contributions. I realised just after I posted that it is indeed in Y3 and or Y4 or 5 that children sit the 7+ exam. I have a few more questions though... (if I may go back to the subject).
- First of all, are there kids moving from private to private henceforth making those places even harder to get? Or is it mostly state school pupils who will take up the extra 10-20 Y3 places in private schools?
I'd be interested to hearfrom people whose children made the move from state to private either at 7 (Y3) or later at 11 (in Y7).
- How much tutoring did they need and when did you start lessons with a tutor?
- Did you find that there was a big gap in the level of your child/ren and privately educated children or was it more a question of not having covered the same subject in the same order so actual knowledge over capabilities?
- Did you get the private school you wanted?
Many thanks in advance!

[proudworkingmum]

Going back to the ortiginal topic: the question alone makes me really angry. Do any of you realise that you are effectively stealing a place in a good state primary from a child who needs it?
If you are able to afford a private school then do pay from the start and don't take a place from another -often more able andf less pampered/ tutored- child!!! This happens all the time in the outstanding state schools between the commons and it's a very anoying selfish and anti-social behaviour.

[nvmof3]

@proud working mum - that is ridiculous! Are you seriously saying if you can afford to go private, you should? That is exactly why so many state schools in this country are failing - because so many of the very motivated hard working parents go down the private route rather than supporting their local school. Do you really think our outstanding local primary schools would be as outstanding if everyone who could afford private schools left? And also people who can afford private schools probably earn decent salaries and therefore pay a lot of tax so why on earth should they not get what they pay for and go to their local school?
@Sabinemum One word of caveat on the "state to eight" plan is that it is really hard to get places. Many kids at private schools which only go to 11 move at 8+ to schools that go up to 13 to keep options open for secondary schools (as many private secondary schools don't start until 13, or also take children at 13), also some of the prep schools offer an easier path into their senior school which can also mean people move their kids to them at 8, so yes, your state school educated child will compete at 8+ with children who are coming from private schools where they are being prepared for the 8+ exam. It is not easy to get a place at 8. On a recent 8+ assessment day, I would say 80-90% of the kids there were from private schools. Good luck!

[breakfastattiffanys]

I think what proudworkingmum is trying to say is that those who decide to take their kids out of state primary schools at age 8 to send them to private (assuming this was always their plan from day 1) are therefore 'affecting' those parents who aren't able to get their child in from reception at their 'local'/chosen' school and who have every intention to keep their child through state education throughout primary school.

I have no idea of the numbers one is talking about moving from state to private at age 8 (year 3?) - I suspect that varies from different state school.
Are these figures published?

[proudworkingmum]

Thank you breakfastattiffanies, that's exactly what I was trying to say. If you are going to send your child to a private school for whatever reason, then stick to it and do it straight away. Do not steal a place at a state school from a child who needs it for year 1 and 2.
Both Honeywell and Belleville have parents taking up a coveted place at reception only to take their children out when they are 8. Those unable to afford private education (or rejecting it out of principle or in order to keep their children grounded) lose out.

[schoolgatesmum]

It's a free world and state education is available to all whatever their background, academic ability, SEN, mother tongue etc. (unlike private education) and so people are free to do what they want in terms of using the state education for their own purposes. However for those of us who do passionately believe in state education it is very frustrating when people send their child to a state school for a few years and then pull them out to go private. Let's face it, if it wasn't a fantastic state school they probably wouldn't even dream of sending them there in the first place. As the previous poster said those places are taken in place of someone who may have every intention of their child going all the way through state school and they miss out on those first few years of bonding/making friends etc. Of course it happens the other way around as well - we have had children from private school coming to our state school.

[LauraBrown]

Mungomuffit: why do you feel that Wandsworth secondary schools aren't good enough? We have a good few outstanding schools and those that need to be improved are receiving help to do that (eg Elliot and Battersea Park). Of course they don't get as many As as a selective school for obvious reasons.

For what it's worth, I have very few concerns that my kids can not excel at a state school and that includes on the academic/leading to high paid jobs if that's what suits them! Apart from anything else, parents and upbringing remains the biggest factor in how well people do at school. I think you are doing our local state secondaries a bit of a disservice by writing them off as you do above so was wondering why you feel yhat way?

But it is a very stressful topic and round here people so seem to get extremely worked up. Perhaps you would consider me to be naive but (in the interests of full disclosure) as a privately educated (for secondary) Oxford graduate who works in finance, I feel comfortable that my kids will receive more opportunities than me through our excellent state schools. I realise it's a v personal thing though...

[LauraBrown]

Thanks mungo. When discussing the whole topic with work colleagues, I do usually end up saying that I could never say never and there may be things that happen that would make me change course so i completely understand where you're coming from.

Must be very frustrating if the school are not listening to your concerns. I am a gov at a tooting school and they are v focused on every child making progress which is very clearly tracked with levels. I'm sure you've probably had these chats already but, if not, (i think but teachers on here will no doubt know more) every child should be making at least 2 sub-levels of progress a year, ideally more, and everyone should be clear (incl the child) on what needs to be achieved to get to the next level. If you feel your son is bright and should be getting level 5s in Y6, you can work backwards to see how much progress would be needed each term.

I like how transparent this system is - appeals to my data side - but I'm sure it has its drawbacks too.