if you can go to Honeywell is it worth paying fees for primary? Post Reply

[miss dior]

We are almost certainly likely to get a place at Honeywell and if that is the case I would like to know what would be the benefits if any of paying for a private school place for primary age education. We will be waiting to go private for secondary schools. Any help much appreciated.

[Greyskies]

You are very lucky to be in catchment for a good local primary. Children attending a local school can walk there, have friends in neighbouring streets and a sense of belonging to the local community. Play dates and parties are all local. As they get older they can pop down the road on their own to visit their friends - so no trekking across town with carers. It is difficult to put a price on that.

The local private schools will have smaller class sizes and more in house extra curricular activities. They also offer inter school competitive sports. Most will select their students and will be able to exclude any pupils with behavioural issues. That gives them an edge educationally. But most will draw from a wider area and have less of a community feel. 

Teaching will not be significantly different from that offered by Honeywell. And there are loads of community based extra curricular and sporting activities - often of a much higher standard than that offered at local preps - available in Wandsworth. You just have to organise getting your children there yourself. 

If you are looking forward to entrance to competitive local private schools the private schools will make this easier for you. But there are plenty of private tutors available in the area and a high percentage of students entering the private sector at 11 come from state schools. 

There are several entry ponts to local private schools - 4+, 5+ 7+, 8+ and 11+ (last two years of prep). So in your position - unless you have ££££££  to spare- I would go with Honeywell for the time being and you can always make a move later if you feel it is not working for your child.









 

[Happy sunshine]

I think it’s entirely down to what you are looking for for your children. And it is not comparing like with like, it is hardly comparing apples with oranges but more peach with a pineapple!

Our children went to state primary and feepaying secondary. Money aside, we are very happy with the decision we made and more importantly our girls say that they are very thankful that that was their path in life. Each one of them have said (while in secondary school), when they compare themselves to their peers who were at private primary and private secondary, they feel they wereat a huge advantage in terms of their understanding of life and their ability to interact with different people, be more flexible and adaptable, be prepared for the wider world and the people they meet and have a better insight into life (two of them are at university now). For them – and for us, this life education is of great value. They say they can always tell which girls in their class went to the prep – not academically, but in terms of their outlook. If for you this is an advantage then go private. If it’s a disadvantage go state. If he will be happier if your children have less exposure to poor behaviour and differing approaches, go private. If you would like a more homogenous rarefied and like-minded set of parents and children, go private . However if you quite like fruit salad, and want to spice things up a bit – go state. My children say that some of the best and funniest memories they have of life are in their primary state school- though at the time we found many of those instances quite alarming!

In my experience when comparing the education that friend’s children’s got a primary feepaying school, it doesn’t compare! The pressure on the teachers and the resources of the school cannot be compared, so what you receive will be very very different. We used to tear our hair out at and times over the teaching, and at times we were very happy. We made up the gaps through tutoring, which is an absolute must.

Good luck with your decision and know that whatever you choose it all comes out in the wash! Also know that whatever you choose you can change.

As the previous responder wrote, you can start wherever you wish and then switch. This can be very disruptive for the children but nevertheless always a possibility

[dudette]

It depends what sort of secondary you want. If you’re going London day then state will be fine. If it’s boarding then private is probably a better option. The London day schools pride themselves on their intake from state schools so you won’t necessarily be at a disadvantage. The sports facilities, class sizes, range of clubs and co-curricular activities, and term dates are the most significant difference. Don’t forget Honeywell is in a very wealthy catchment area so most of the kids won’t be any different in terms of background to those at private schools.

[Socialbutterfly53]

Honeywell is great for the infant school (through Year 2); less so for the junior school (Year 3-6). The gap between abilities seems to spread as children progress and the school seems to cater to the bringing up the bottom to meet the expected standard. This is understandable, but it means more capable children are often not sufficiently challenged. I think the difference in class size is something to consider as well in terms of how often a child will be called on in class and have direct engagement from a teacher, etc. (max 30 pupils in state; max 20 in private.)

Something else to be aware of: the junior school at Honeywell has had a change of leadership in the past couple years and the feel of the school has changed, no longer quite the close knit community it used to be. This wouldn’t impact you coming in at reception, but it is something to be mindful of as the infant years do pass quickly.

Good luck and trust your instinct when you look at the schools!

[freshairmum]

You may as well start at Honeywell and see how it goes. Certainly in the earlier years you're not really any better off at private.
But as you go up the years it may be worth switching over, say say at year 4 or 5, particularly if you know you want to go private for secondary, particularly boarding.
Honeywell is generally a great school and if you're in the catchment then make the most of it.

[Batterseamumoftwo]

I would agree with the above posters. Go to Honeywell for infants and then reassess what you want to do for juniors. We moved my children from Honeywell to a private primary school as we moved house. Academically, the one who was in the infant school was at exactly the same level already as her new classmates. The one who was in juniors took a bit more time to catch up. From an EQ perspective, I am really glad they spent their early years in state. Yes, it’s true Honeywell is less diverse than many other state schools but it’s still a lot more diverse than their current private school. The time they had at Honeywell nursery was also so precious - it’s an amazing place.

[curly]

We went from another primary to Honeywell in the juniors and we couldn't be more happy. My oldest is now at a private secondary and there is no difference between the abilities of those who did private primary. 

I agree with the other posters about life experiences at a state primary as there is much more of a mix and more "real life" as when they get into the big world they will meet all sorts of people and this will stand them in good stead.

You are hugely fortunate to be in the catchment for Honeywell so I would grab it and then see how it goes. Lots of children do get moved to private at 8. 

Good luck

[IrishMummy]

Good lord...a lot of sheltered folk on this thread. The poster who found instances in their state school 'alarming' ... give me strength. And tutoring is an 'absolute must' - seriously. 
The vast majority of children go to state schools and do very well. I'm so happy my own daughter is in one such school and mixes with all sorts of people from varied backgrounds. 
I think some of you need a large dose of reality, alongside an even larger dose of humility.