Pushed in to private system after not getting school offer? Post Reply

[JournoMummy]

Hi,

I put up another post about tutoring for preschoolers for a feature I'm writing for a national broadsheet.

I wanted to see if any parents have found that they are being pushed in to the private system after failing to get the primary school offers they hoped for. Are they wondering how they can get their child into a prep school and considering tutoring to give them a helping hand? This is another angle to my feature - if you're in this situation do get in touch.

Many thanks,

JournoMummy

[BalhamMumWorkingFT]

Nail. On. The. Head. Please PM me if you'd like.

[NYE31]

I have put my 9 month old son down for several private primary schools after reading all the posts on here about failing to get into local primary schools & the experiences of all my friends.

Do PM me if you would like more information for your research.

[anootka]

We are going the private route as have not gotten a place for nursery and was pretty much told by our local school that we need to move or go private, it's actually cheaper to go private.
Ping me if you want to discuss
A

[supergirl]

I am in the same position too pushed away from
State schools because houses in catchment are unaffordable AND i wont play the system (rebring then moving out). But dont PM me, can we not have a public conversation!?!

[BalhamMumWorkingFT]

I think we could talk about the lack of primary school places at desirable state schools until our kids are in Uni... I believe she wants to know if you have turned to tutoring for assessments and entry prep because you have to go private.

We are going private for said reason... And I panic'd slightly when I was told they would be assessed or tested. My eldest (4.5) had to write a sentence after listening to a story... WTF. What August baby can do that for year one entry! Because he had some prep, he made a great attempt. Never was it considered tutoring but I think when you go private later years or secondary it is pretty standard. And I think kids spend enough time at school in this country... Free time is just as precious for development as education.

[SusieL]

What school expected a Pre schooler to write a sentence?!?

[kiwimummy]

he had to write a sentence? is that school only taking kids that can already write?

[schoolgatesmum]

That's unbelievable - my children could just about write their names when they went to school and I thought that was pretty impressive!

[MGMidget]

You're talking here about assessment in reception year rather than pre-school right? However! Still a high expectation for an August baby aged 4.5!

[JournoMummy]

Hello all,

Thank you for all your responses and apologies for not replying sooner. It's a real minefield out there. One tutoring agency said they can only see the market for tutoring 3 year-olds growing and that the pressure will inevitably filter down even to nursery level soon. He said he wasn't saying it was right, just how things are.

Everything is very much on a need to know basis as well, so unless you know how to 'play' the system ie pay registration fees for a handful of private prep schools when your child is weeks old in case they don't get into the local school, you will be very lucky to get them into a good school at all. Parents are losing thousands of pounds as a result. Very scary.

I'm goint to PM those of you who asked me too now.

Many thanks,

JM

[amybelle79]

This schools subject fills me abject rage every time!!

I could be considered to be 'playing the system' in that I was raised in a practicing catholic family and am now making a very serious effort within my local church in order to get myself and my family known in the hopes it will get my daughter (currently aged 2) in the the reception class at St Marys.

But having been recently told that there were 120 applications for 30 places, (10 of which went to siblings) last year we have decided to cut our losses and move out of town.

We simply cant afford private school fees - especially as 'number 2' is due any minute now. The thought of tutoring a pre school child to pass entry exams give me the creeps! They are still babies for goodness sake.

I simply cant understand why in nappy valley - an area quite literally famous for the high number of small children, state school provision is so low and seems so poorly managed.

I could rant all day.....!

[Mumptious]

Journomum
Are you thinking about mentioned free schools in your article? We all spend a lot of time talking about getting our kids into schools or not, but there are people actually try to do something constructive about it. I am part of a group of parents who are trying to establish a new school in the hope that we will be able to bring 30 new reception places to our neighbourhood by 2013.

If you want to know more then please PM me and I would be delighted to help you.
Mumptious

[JournoMummy]

Hi Mumptious,

That's fantastic and very noble - I'll PM you now.

JM

[ready2pop]

Hi

Sorry to be a bit of a pedant but I doubt anyone is in the position you mention - i.e tutoring to try and get a child into a prep after bad news on state primary places.

The timing just doesn't work. The prep interviews were all last autumn, or earlier, for Sept 2012 places (and to get into a non-selective prep around here you need to have your name down before baby is one) whereas the primary places have only just been announced.

Much more likely is that parents already did the prep interviews and paid deposits to secure places at those schools in case they didn't get the state primaries they wanted.

This is why the lists at preps that operate on a first come first served basis move so much at this time of year. For example, I know lots of parents who paid the Hornsby deposit but did actually get places at Ravenstone or St Anselms so won't be taking the private places up.

Tutoring this close to the new reception intake at prep school wouldn't really serve any purpose.

R2P