Private v state primary

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zebedee1
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Private v state primary

Postby zebedee1 » Thu Jun 11, 2020 2:27 pm

Hi all, would be grateful to know if there really is a big difference between sending one's four-year-old to Hornsby House versus a state primary such as Rutherford House or Ravenstone. Any thoughts on education, ethos, pastoral care and behaviour appreciated. Many thanks!  
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teacup
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby teacup » Fri Jun 12, 2020 10:59 am

HI we had 2 children go through Hornsby House. Both loved it and still have many Hornsby friends as a result.

I can't say too much about how it compares to the schools that you mention as I don't have any personal experience of them. I have friends who have had children at Ravenstone and neighbours with children at the Rutherford House, all seem happy.

What I can say about Hornsby is that is an extremely caring school and in my opinion nurtures well rounded children
It isn't a high pressured environment and yet children do well in the sense that they move on to the Day Schools one hears mentioned. They are prepared well for the 11+ I don't think that this is something that happens at state schools - obviously you can engage tutors etc. There is plenty of sport and competitive sport for the older years and drama too all of which my children enjoyed.

I really do think that you will be doing well by your children if they go to any of the schools you mention, but I am a little biased and Hornsby does get a big 'I'm glad we did it' from me. Not sure if that helps?
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JoClaphamMum
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby JoClaphamMum » Fri Jun 12, 2020 4:28 pm

Very interested in opinions as well.

Our eldest is at an lovely state school but is quite reserved. I do wonder how much attention she receives from the teacher when there are 29 other children in the classroom & how much she would benefit from a more tailored approach.
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Tigger
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby Tigger » Fri Jun 12, 2020 6:06 pm

I don't know about Rutherford House or Ravenstone, but both our children both went to Belleville (the Meteor Street site) and we couldn't fault the experience.  Whilst the Webb's Road site is much larger (three classes per year), Meteor has just one class per year and so as a result feels much more like a small community.  Both the girls have flourished both academically and pastorally, and we have been absolutely delighted with the school.

As the poster above has said, they seem to get an education in 'real life' as well - they have both had a myriad of different class-mates, some with special needs and some with behavioral issues, but the kids always seem to rally around and protect these children, and give them total support - not something I would have expected.  My eldest now goes to a private school so we had a bit of tutoring in her last year which helped focus her on what those schools were looking for (not something that Belleville would do, but I don't have an issue with that).

We have friends who sent their kids to Thomas's and honestly there is quite literally no difference between how they have all ended up.  We're happy to spend the money on private secondary (although the reports from Bolingbroke Academy are excellent so I might have not even bothered with private if we were in that place again), but to be honest from our experience I would say that spending money on a private primary has not held the girls back in any way, shape or form.  Our eldest is still really good friends with her class mates from Belleville, which is wonderful.

Good luck with your choices - as I have figured out over the years, whatever you choose will be the right choice for you and your children.
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zebedee1
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby zebedee1 » Fri Jun 12, 2020 9:36 pm

Thank you so much all, difficult decision (particularly as there are no open days at the moment)! 
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Silverbirch220
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby Silverbirch220 » Tue Jul 07, 2020 10:39 pm

You can get amazing State schools and amazing private schools. And you can terrible of both also. Unfortunately we have just had the most dreadful experience in a small private school (local). If you are to go private be very wary of very small schools which are privately run and have no Board of Governors. They seem to think they can behave abominably and yet they are accountable to no one. You may think that a private school will be professionally run but unfortunately this is not always the case.
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JoClaphamMum
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby JoClaphamMum » Tue Jul 07, 2020 11:53 pm

Hi Silverbirch,

I don't seem to have the option to PM you but just wondering if you could give details of which school you had this bad experience with.
We are about to move my eldest from state primary to an independent school that is small and has no governors and reading your post made me fearful. We did a lot of research and got lots of positive feedback but now I am wondering if it could be possibly the same school, and if so, I would like to know more. Understand you may not want to publicly share the story but would be thankful if you could PM me. Thanks
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Siamese
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Re: Private v state primary

Postby Siamese » Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:39 am

It depends on your child, the school and your teachers and the other kids in the class. You can have a confident kid who’d cope anywhere or a shy one who might get lost in a bigger class. We moved for that reason and in our experience the actual teaching was pretty similar but it’s how the teacher is supported by the school and the time they have for each child that changes. If you’ve got 30 kids to deal with vs 20 there’s obviously a difference. Add in the extras like sport, music, drama, art that are often taught by specialists and built into the timetable and you have a more fully rounded experience . But you’ll miss out on meeting kids from all walks of life and getting a sense of more ‘real’ life if you go down the private route - there’s not enough diversity in some schools . Also - some of the parents are really entitled!
There’s also a big difference between private schools - some are like exam factories while others are much more concerned with pastoral care. Don’t assume that simply paying for it = better. Take the time to really look and think about what you want at 11 as well - if you are happy to stick with the state system, go for it - but if you’d rather get into a private school at 11, you will almost certainly need help with tutoring if you’re in a state school at primary. Good luck with your decision.
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