Should we pay 3x our current house price for a top 20 independent school, or stay put and have our children attend a top 275 school?

There will be a different ethos between these private schools and the state school. However I suspect there is an independent school pecking order here. The 275 school doesn’t get great results. My local secondary modern in a grammar school county got 7% A*/A grades and one a bit further away got over 11%).

I suspect the more academic DC in your area are in decent state schools are or are in the better private school (s). If you want to pay you need to choose the better school. There is quite a difference between the two. Why pay for very second rate? The 275 ranked school won’t have many academic DC there. It’s too lowly ranked. Does that matter? Does it have everything else you want? That might mean it is worth paying for in terms of what you want. However I would be cautious.

I think you need to look carefully at both the schools and think whether your children will be happy and fit in. Nothing else matters as much. Don’t take too much notice of the league tables unless your children are super bright, need lots of stimulation and getting into Oxbridge is important to you. Also bear in mind that just because a child is clever enough to go to a very academic school it doesn’t mean it’s right for them (eg if they are prone to anxiety etc). Lots of highly performing schools have a relentless academic pace which doesn’t suit everyone.
I do think that what you’re paying for with an independent is smaller class sizes, better facilities and usually more personalised pastoral care - it doesn’t have to be a top league school to give you that.

I would stay put and use the money to get a tutor. One to one teaching for me is tailored to your child and I feel more beneficial than a school.

Looking at the figures, Oxford said they had 21,500 undergrad applicants for 3,300 places. So even if you are the best of the best you are still up against some pretty stiff competition.

You don't know that your child will study hard, there are posts on here saying they cannot get their child to revise for their GCSEs, that isn't just state school children. My friend put her DD in an all girl's school meant to coddle, and she came out with okay GCSEs. I think she regrets dropping that kind of money of her child's education.

Where does the OP say the local state school gets 80% A*-B??

If your local comprehensive gets 80% A*-B then that's unusual, extremely impressive and you are very lucky.

Is the local state school so poor you wouldn’t consider it instead of the top 275 school, which to be fair isn’t that top.

I'm still confused by people being so sniffy about the school being 'only' top 275. There are approx. 4500 secondary schools in the country so the chances of the OP's local state school coming anywhere close to this are small. I don't think I've ever lived anywhere with a school in the top 1000.

Is the local state school so poor you wouldn’t consider it instead of the top 275 school, which to be fair isn’t that top. I’m struggling to get excited by 60% A - B at A levels when our local comprehensive is circa 80% A-B. If you’re set on an independent education and your kids have got into the more academic school I would take that place which will give you far more than maybe moving to the catchment of a decent state school which gets similar results to the other independent school

How old are your children? How academically selective are these schools? Do they cater fir your dc strengths and weaknesses? If the schools you are looking at are 3-18 you may find that there is a filtering out before senior school. Also be aware that there is currently a period of change at Oxbridge where state and disadvantaged candidates are receiving offers in greater numbers, so a history of high Oxbridge intake may not be the case going forwards.

You can afford to move and the fees?
Have you looked round either school?

I’d be wary of basing your school choice solely on results.

Our nearest independent school has very good exam results.

But they’re very selective about their intake, and even once children have places, they weed out children who don’t perform as well academically.
The weeding out includes things like entering children for fewer exams.

It’s not as simple as good results = good teaching.

My daughter is still in Year 5, so I don't have to make that choice yet with regards to secondary, but I had to make a similar choice at primary. There was a good state school opposite my house (1 minute walk), but I chose to take her to a very academic independent prep school 30 mins drive away. In hindsight (even though the independent school really does put an enormous amount of pressure to push the kids to their highest potential and my daughter is working way ahead of the national curriculum) - I regret not choosing the local school and saving myself and my kid a lot of hassle and money. My daughter is surrounded by very bright kids and the work load is very difficult (especially now with the 11+ push) and it's not great for self esteem if the child is of average ability.

Stay where you are and use your money more wisely.
I agree that the difference in results will largely be down to how selective the school is at intake. Chances are they would not perform significantly better there.
I’m glad you aren’t considering making your children do the journey. My DP works at a selective grammar that consistently ranks second in the country. The journeys that many of those boys do each day is really unfair to them.

Send them to the local state school instead where there's less chance of them learning the values of Boris Johnson?

Also imagine the pressure your kids will feel, knowing you've spent so much and uprooted just for their schooling. That's a lot to put on a kid.

Stay where you are, life is not all about academics or Oxbridge. Enjoy your money and spending time with your loved ones. Agree with most posters about the weeding out at the super selectives.

Pop over to the Oxbridge thread in Higher Ed. There has been a big debate over the last couple of days on this very issue. Also, you can't play the system by moving from a private school to state for sixth form. The top universities use the school where you took your GCSEs, not A levels to consider context.

A bit confused at PPs describing the top 275 school as 'mediocre'?!

I've just started a thread about a school we're really keen on (admittedly a state school so not quite the same) which is top 500. I thought that was fantastic!

I'd stay put. There's a lot more in life that contributes to your kids academic, intellectual and emotional intelligence, and it sounds like this would be hugely restricted if funds are zero'd out on a house.

Clever kids who work hard will get the grades anyway. But those in a targeted academic 'get the grades or your out' setting might not thrive and come out worse off.

I assume your kids will have a choice about whether they even want to go to uni at all....?

Oh for goodness sake, stay where you are and enjoy your life. I cannot be doing with all this martyring oneself for the sake of your children's education and MN is full of education angst at the moment.

Your children will be fine, you will have money to tutor if necessary, you will have a safety net if you or DP have to stop working, or split up, your life will be perfectly pleasant, more financially secure and most importantly of all, your children will be fine.

How many from apparently higher achieving school leave after GCSEs? I strongly suspect that if you moved heaven and earth to get them into the top 20 school, if your kids weren't quite Oxbridge material, they'd be out of their ear.

Don't kid yourself the difference between a top 20 independent and a top 275 one will make two or three grades difference at A level. It won't. Save your cash.

How clever are your kids?

Very clever - stick with the good school, they'll get top grades. If you are looking for Oxbridge then get on it early with summer school courses run by the top unis.

Cleverish, but not setting the world on fire - maybe move schools, they'll probably hot house into higher grades than they would get elsewhere. Bear in mind they may sink at uni though (seen this lots).

Not clever at all really - stay put. They'll probably be managed out of the top school, and if not, they'll spend their childhood feeling stupid compared to everyone else.

I was looking at A levels, not GCSEs. Re Oxbridge etc I thought that was what the OP was looking at!

It's a significant move to go somewhere an hour's drive away. Is it worth it? What about your children's friends - will they be happy to leave them? What about your friends, jobs, social life?

I think people get very over-excited about school league tables. They really need to calm down.

At the more expensive option, will you still be able to pay for extra curricular activities, family experiences and holidays, university fees, savings to help them get on the property ladder after uni? If no, then stay where you are, as all those things are a more valuable contribution to their overall quality of life than attending a more selective school would be.

If you’re local independent is mediocre, is it worth paying for at all? What’s the state option like in comparison? I’m not sure i would want to fork out a lot of cash for just okay.