Moving from a state primary to a private secondary Post Reply

[Esille]

Hi,

I'm picking up on an old thread posted by Sunshine_state a while ago

I know there's already a lot of 'lively' discussion on NVN around state vs private schooling, but I have a slightly different question that I'd love to hear parents' feedback on.

We're not in the catchment for a good secondary school, so are considering sending our kids private at that stage if we can afford it, but would like to go to a state primary for financial reasons.

I’d been told many people do that, but am now hearing that a lot making that switch are spending a fortune on tutors for the CE or similar entrance exam, starting as young as 8, for them to ‘catch up’ with those in private education. It’s starting to make me wonder if you might end up spending nearly as much in the long run anyway, or if these reports are extreme examples??

Regardless of tutoring is it harder (too hard?) for state primary school kids to get into a private secondary?

For parents of kids who have made that transition, do you think the tutoring/exams put undue stress on them, and did they feel at all out of place joining the private system at that stage?

Thanks in advance for any input

[FraggleRocks]

So far as I can gather from here/other forums/talking to parents there is just as much spending on tutors that goes on within the independent (primary) sector as within the state sector. It is a basic statistical fact that more people go private for secondary than for primary - all of the indy secondaries take a slice of their intake from state schools. You can call their admissions tutors and discuss this with them very easily - just ask the question, you have nothing to embarrassed about in asking and presumably you are years away from applying so they are not going to trace it back to a specific application. Yes indy primaries will prepare your child for 11 or 13+ but that is a very different thing from saying a child will not get into an indy secondary from a state primary. If I remember correctly (this is an unchecked fact!) schools like Westminster, for example, explicitly keep a reasonable chunk of places (25 or 30%) for pupils coming from the state sector.

[Bubs]

We took the plunge and chnaged our minds from a private pre-prep and prep, to go state instead. Always with the view of going private at secondary age in either case.

I must admit, it is a constant worry, but I feel as though I'd probably worry if we'd goine for a private primary too (worry that we still may not get in, and we'd have wasted all that cash too !).

From what we've found, tutoring is nowehre near as expensive as a whole private primary education - they only seem to need once or tiwce a week - maybe more towards the end (we're not there yet). And as the previous poster says, those in private schools also pay for tutors on top of their school fees, so no doubt you'd only get swept up in all that when the time came.

What gives me comfort is, that it's true that private secondaries do seem to reserve a number of places for the state sector. This can work in our favour as say:
Private secondary take 50% state, 50% private intake. BUT from their 50% private intake, they are obliged to take 20% (maybe) from their own prep school. That leaves 50% state, and 30% 'other' prep schools as the intake.
If that makes sense ?

That said, honestly, I do worry I'm leaving my child ill-prepared for what's ahead. Then, at other times, that's counter-balanced by the fact she's having a fun, easy-going, non-pressured / regimented, primary experience.

It's tricky. We'll always worry, won't we ?!

[Esille]

Dear Fragglerock and bubs

Thanks for taking your time to reply to me. It's a great help. My husband and I are not from here, so we are unfamiliar with the school system and it's all very daunting, so I really appreciate your time.

I had no idea that the private independent schools took so many state school kids. I've just read on Emanuel's website that they 'take about 70% from state primary schools in Years 6 and 7'. Interesting. That's a lot!

Someone else on this site talked about 'state til 8' - have you experienced that? I was going to give some of the prep-schools a call to enquire about a place in Y3 (and upwards).

Fragglerock, will definitely call them, I have no issues with that

It sounds as if the way forward is good tutoring early on.

Yup, it's a constant worry, Bubs...

[Bubs]

State til 8 - yes ! Lots of people try and slip in a little earlier, so make the move if a place comes up/is offered to avoid the whole hoo-hah at age 11 (as they'll go straight through into that school's senior section).

It's a good plan if it works out (some places have formal entry age 8/9, with exams / assessments, and some just occasional places as and when - depends on the school).

[Helgibbs]

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[CheerLeader2017]

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[Kiwi mum2023]

The link you posted no longer works...could you please resend it?