state or private?

[lilmssunshine84]

which will be better for primary school?

we can only afford to send our kids to either private secondary or primary- my mum says its important during the early years, so give them the best start- but i am feeling that secondary will be better as it will give them a good grounding for University.


we are living in north london and currently looking at Salcombe, has anyone had experience of this school and would you recommend?

[EdithWeston]

It really does depend on your range of schools locally.

Your DM is right, in that that the primary years are formative. And a child who moves (at a normal break point) to a state secondary is well positioned to be in top sets/streams there. This can make a huge difference in some schools. Also, in sheer practical terms, you have the money now - and who knows what your position will be by the time you're looking at secondary?

If you think private is more important for the secondary, the public exam years and university transfer, then obviously you save and do what to can to position your DC to secure a secondary place at the school you think best for them. If you live in a place which is highly competitive generally (London) or have your heart set on a particular and popular school, then do have a plan B in case your child does not secure a place (early registration for a less selective or non-selective school?)

[Noqontrol]

I think the early years are better as it gives them a good grounding for secondary and onwards.

[AllPastYears]

Depending on your local options of course, I think the money is better spent at secondary.

a) it's exam time. Not only will some secondaries get better results than others, but some (and of course this includes state schools) offer more subjects
b) behaviour of other pupils (not yours of course I'm sure ) can be much worse at secondary
c) I think any defects or gaps in the teaching are easier for you to make up at primary level though I do wish all primary teachers knew how to spell

[wheresthebeach]

I'd go for secondary - best if children are in an environment where most are hoping to go onto university (presuming that's what you want for your kids).

[GnomeDePlume]

How about a third option and consider private for 6th form?

It does depend on what your local provision is like. If your DC are able and committed then they will get good GCSEs wherever they go. You need to beware of averages. A poor school may have low average scores but your DCs arent average statistics they are individual people. IMO be more concerned about how a school deals with bullying etc.

Not paying for school will leave you with a lot of free income to consider other options:

• move house for better state provision
  
• take holidays - go and look at Roman history instead of just reading about it
  
• pay for extra tuition where needed
  
• be secure, if in state, whatever happens the DCs stay in school (not a light thought in these financially unstable times)
  
  Saving your money until 6th form will allow you to target spending so that your DCs can have the best of whatever they need.

[MonsPubis]

Secondary.

[auntevil]

I'm thinking secondary as our option too.
Realistically, we did not know what academic level all DSs would naturally have. The Primary standard of education in our area is good (mainly). Secondary is hit and miss. If you don't get into Grammar, the standard is good - poor, and although you have a 'preference', you could end up in poor. By this I mean if you take an above average child at KS2 SATS, they do not make expected progress by GCSE stages.
I would never put my DC into a school where I had to cram and cram them to keep up, but I wouldn't let a DC that was academic be left to underachieve. It's horses for courses.

[BooksandBrunch]

Having done both private and state at primary level, I'd say primary school, as it would better place your ds to apply and succeed at grammar entrance exams, saving the cost of notoriously expensive private school fees. Plus, although I don't agree with it in principle, you could plan ahead and move closer to a better state secondary school as a back up option to the grammars.

Irrespective of great state primary or not, if you did go this route, I would back up with tutoring because the kids these days are getting smarter and smarter. We were told by one private secondary, where my ds was put on the waiting list, that if it was last year, he would have walked straight in, but with the academic levels getting higher and higher year in and year out, it wasn't the case. Fortunately it was just a back up for us anyway and he was offered places at a couple of others. I had to move my ds to a state primary at the beginning of year 5. I believe the only thing that saved the situation was that he had spent his formative years at a private (at it wasn't even one of the best). The state primary he went to, was deemed as one of the better one's in the borough yet I still found it awful. Having said that, I do know of around three not that far away, which are better, so perhaps I'd have a different view if he went there.

Check out league tables and I'd say if the state primary you're thinking of has appox 70 ish % of their kids achieving L5 in their KS2 for english and maths, I'd say it was definitely a good state primary and worth going ahead with. Nonetheless, would still back up with a tutor to be sure.

Private school fees for secondary compared to primary is also a whole different ball game.

[AllPastYears]

Wish we had grammar schools here. Would have saved us a fortune!

[APMF]

@ poster advocating third option: private 6th form.

Selective 6th forms usually insist on GCSE Grade A in the A Level subject the applicant wants to study. If DC can get a grade A from state secondary then why waste money on a private 6th form? Plus some universities are taking flak for favouring applicants from Indies so you can expect admissions to shift their focus in the near future.

We chose state primaries for our DCs. At home we did maths and literacy with them and in year 5 we home tutored them for the 11+ entrance exam. That worked for us

[pianomama]

I'd say secondary as well. Tried both and decided primary was a great waste of money up to about year 4-5 from academic point of view.
Also, one of my DC went to private in secondary upto GCSE level and then did A-levels in college (very well as it happens). Worked well for us

[SoupDragon]

Secondary. My eldest two did state primary and are now at private secondary.

Having said that, it depends what the schools are like in your area. Our local primary is outstanding.

[GnomeDePlume]

APMF - I think it really depends on provision in the area.

Also, private at 6th form stage may not necessarily be academic. Saving the money until that stage could mean paying for vocational courses beyond what is available in state sector.

[Noqontrol]

I guess it does depend on your local school. Our local primary is not good, but there are some excellent grammars and comps.

[HayzE75]

I think it depends on the local school.

Both our girls are in private primary schools and I think have an excellent grounding to do well in secondary (in terms of education and the discipline to learn) - that said we are moving to Horsham for better state secondary schools and to get away from school fees!

If you have a good local primary then your child could also get an excellent grounding.

One piece of advice I would give is to check the % that the school fees go up before sending your child. Every year, despite the recession and low inflation, my girls school has put up fees 5-6.5%. That means going from £2,700 a term to where we are now at £3,700+ a term (and my eldest hasn't finished primary yet). I know these fees are still reasonable compared to others but the % increases are NEVER explained!!

[Minimimimi]

Hello little miss sunshine,

We will be moving to southgate in a few weeks and Salcombe is also an option for our children.

I would say that primary prep is more important than secondary. There is a good range of secondary state schools in north London. QE boys grammar school, Latimer and Watford grammar are just a few. Coming from a prep school should hopefully give you greater chances of getting into these selective schools.

On the other hand, if you start of state primary and then public secondary- there may be a great deal of catching up to do for your LO.