I've just requested a prospectus for a local selective independent school after a friend mentioned I should look at it as a possibility for my daughter.
I've looked at the website and it looks, in theory, like a place where she could thrive. They have good academic results and also offer a wide range of extra curricular activities, but there is a lot to consider as it is not the obvious choice for us.
The school offers bursaries which would definitely be needed - the monthly direct debit is only a couple of hundred pounds less than my take home wage. The website states 'priority will be given to those who perform particularly well in the entrance assessment'. Dd is bright, she's easily working at level 5 at the end of year 5. She seems to have benefited from being in a composite class this year as mentioned things she'd picked up from listening to the teacher explain things to the older children. I don't know how this compares to what is considered 'performing well' by this school. The entrance assessment is computer based assessments in maths, vocabulary and problem solving, a piece of extended writing and a spelling test; I would say dd does well in all of those things and is well exceeding the national average (according to her report) in all of those areas (apart from problem solving, which isn't really assessed), but I don't know how that will measure up to what is expected by this school and how likely it even is she'd be offered a place/bursary.
If she were to get a place and be offered a bursary to attend would she be at a disadvantage socially alongside children from wealthier families? She's a lovely girl, happy and outgoing and makes friends easily at new places, but at school doesn't want to partake in any sort of 'pecking order', she often plays with the kids others don't want to - not out of obligation, she just takes people for what they are and maybe finds these kids easier to get on with. I want her to be happy and have an accepting group of friends, in some ways I think the smaller year groups at this school would suit her but only if the other children (and their parents) weren't too concerned about wealth and social standing. I have a profession, but in healthcare so I'm never going to be rich and its not the sort of jobs that's going to have me climbing any social ladders! I was a teenage parent, now a single parent, we live in area that isn't even currently served by the school buses in a small rented house; I'm imagining this is quite a different background to most of the families who have children at that school.
At the same time, would attending this school isolate her from the friends she already has, locally, through school and guides etc?
The ongoing financial commitment, not just to the fees but uniforms, school trips, extra-curricular activities is not to be taken lightly. Also relationship wise, if I were to meet someone over the 6-8 years, I would be asking them to take on that financial commitment too.
I'd love to hear opinions from anyone who has been in a similar position either as a parent or a child. Or just people who have children at a similar school, or decided against it.
Weirdly I have just remembered my parents wanted me to sit an entrance exam for a similar school when I was dd's age, I outright refused because I wanted to go to the same school as everyone else. I don't think dd would, she's already likely going to a different secondary school to most of her classmates and she's not bothered.
A few years ago I never would have thought I'd be considering this as an option.
Sorry it's such a long post!
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selective independent, an option for my daughter?
16 replies
masquerade · 31/07/2014 13:27
OP posts:
Schoolsearchconsultant ·
09/08/2014 20:29
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