11+ or 13+

[MrsJones100]

Appreciate some of your thoughts please. My DS is at a small local boys prep school, moving into year 6, which we have been happy with. We had always thought we had always thought he would stay there until 13. Our DD is at a coed independant secondary. Wondering now weather to move him to her school at 11 as that is the biggest intake and when many friendships are formed and a lot more to offer in the way of extra curricular. He will not be heading for the very selective schools so I also wonder if he needs to spend the next two years working towards the 13+ exams.

[meditrina]

Have you asked him which he prefers? Are you not confident he'll get a decent offer for 13+? (Are you considering schools with CE or competitive at that age?)

If you and he both want DD's school, then why not try at 11? And then if it all goes horribly wrong, you still have time to find another school which suits him better at 13+

[MrsJones100]

He would like to move, but how much of that is to do with his best friend possibily leaving at 11, not sure. This is the only school we are considering for him as he is dyslexic and they are not very selective but do very well for students. I guess this is hard to give thoughts on without knowing DS. I just know some are of the opinion it is always best for a boy to move at 13.

[LIZS]

CE can be very hard gping for a child with dyslexia. It is a sudden step up in terms of writing and especially to time.

[happygardening]

So he wants to move to the school, you think there's more extra curricular activities at the senior school, his friends are all moving there for yr 7, there's a bigger intake and you are planning on sending him there. Am I missing something here? Oh and you will now have two children in the same school which will I can assure you make your life easier. Why wait? Send him at the end of yr 6.
The only reason to keep him at his prep to do the 13+ is to broaden your options.

[MrsJones100]

No his friends aren't moving there at 11, all doing various things, but the biggest intake is 11 for him to form new friends at the beginning. You are right otherwise happygardening it is kind of beginning to look like a no brainer, and as you about broadening options, for they don't need broadening.

[happygardening]

OP I do hope you didn't think I was being rude. Sometimes when we're in situations its hard to see the wood from the trees.

[Leeds2]

Sounds like you should move him at the end of Year 6 if you ask me. I would much prefer my child to start school with a big intake in Year 7, with more opportunities to make new friends and, possibly, with a bit more mollycoddling from the teachers than you might get in Year 9!

Only reason I can think of why you might keep him at his present school is if you wanted him to have the opportunity to be one of the senior boys (positions of responsibility etc), which he would otherwise miss out on.

[lily9478]

I think you should move him at the end of Year 6. It will be easier for your two children to attend the same school and since everybody else will be new, it will be much easier for your son to make friends than it would be if he were to join in Year 9.

[meditrina]

As he needs support for dyslexia, then one angle to explore is whether it is better for him to do equivalent of years 7&8 at destination school and really crack the learning support he needs there during those two years. Or whether he would be capable of making the change of school getting the right learning support in place all in year 9 with GCSE choices looming.

[MrsJones100]

Yes good point meditrina, not an angle I had thought of. Also I wonder if he will have more chance at the 11+ exam than the evan more advanced 13+.
No you were not being rude at all happygardening it was good to see it all put like that by someone else.