independent vs local schools

Also depends on your income. You need to be sure you can pay for the next 5 years at least. And not go without family experiences like holidays in order to fund the place. I know a couple of people who are very bitter that they ‘went without’ and their children didn’t get the grades ‘they paid for’. In contrast I think one of my children would have been stressed at the nearest private school as I think the atmosphere would be too intense. Ours went to a good comp and have got (and hopefully getting) good grades. Eldest got A star x 2 and an A at A Level. She had only 4 hours of paid tuition in total, due to missing lessons to a bereavement. As we went state, our children have a nice deposit for a house/travel. Extra curricular stuff has been in and out of school. Out of school stuff takes up parents time but I think looks better on the CV personally. Possibly pastoral stuff may have been better at private (?) and the day is much shorter at state here so for parents working long hours, private is attractive at Year 7 so children are not their own too long.
Things ( that last year may have seen bizarre) to be thinking about are online provision and if the private school is financially stable. It is usually easier to go state to private than private to state where we live as the good comps are at capacity. The whole Catholic Guilt can be a negative thing too but useful to keep teenagers on the straight and narrow . I think most people feel ‘you get what you pay for’ so private must be better by default but that’s not always the case if you look at the whole picture.
It really depends on your child and where you think they will be happiest without compromising family life as a whole.

I would try to find out what they are providing to the current students in lockdown. Some threads on here suggest independent schools are providing more teaching than some state schools.

Many apologies! I flicked into secondary and had been reading primary just before.

So, it comes down to value for money really. What extra are you getting? What is music, sport, art and drama like? Are these subjects taken seriously? What are facilities like? What clubs do they run? Are the pupils articulate and confident? What are destinations like? Is it a “name” independent with a strong academic ethos? Where will dc and you fit in?

Are you happy with the religious aspect of the RC school? How many does it have from other religions? Is it very narrow in ethos and outlook? Where is your tribe likely to be? As I said before about prep schools: look at the quality and breadth of education at the private school. It should offer more than the state school. If it’s very ordinary, why pay?

I just think it's something worth considering as an option, if the local state school doesn't quite provide everything.

I know a family who considered private, and their child was quite keen on getting to study a classical language. She chose the local state school, and is part of a small group doing Latin after school privately - and even on that night she's probably home before she would be from the private school.

Smaller classes have their advantages, but private schooling is very costly, and if they only hit difficulties with the odd subject, a bit of tuition is rather more cost-effective.

I agree that you wouldn't want to overload them with lots of private tuition.

The tutoring thing does come up time & time again, but it’s not something I would ever factor into any decision in schools, as I have never hired tutored help for our children, and never would. The local grammar we turned down, is rammed with average kids, tutored to the hilt to pass the 11plus; and consequently is well known for many of its kids under pressure, with tutoring for many. I know someone whose child had tutoring on different subjects, 4 nights a week and attended a maths help group on Saturdays! It’s just nonsense. And still didn’t do all that well.. I’d rather a school that could nurture a love for learning, and instil a sense of independence in how they learn; not a school that prides itself on its grade grabbing headlines...regardless of how they do it.

Depends on the schools, and also on the child (some will do well anywhere, some are more easily distracted in a larger/ less focussed class). The big advantage of local and free is that it leaves you more time and money to "top up" if they're struggling with the odd subject, or if they want to do something that isn't available at school. I've tutored kids in private schools, so private doesn't necessarily guarantee they won't need any help.

Very much does depend on the school. We’re a Catholic family..yet our local catholic school would be my last choice. Our local grammar was a better choice..but we‘ve since turned that down in favour of a non-local independent. Many reasons..hopefully the right reasons!

Depends on the schools in question
I’m not keen on religious schools though so I would probably opt for the Private one in your shoes

@Bubbles OP's DC is starting at secondary in September, she's not interested in preps.

OP- you can't generalise by sector, it depends very much on the individual schools and your DC

To be honest, you need to know what you want for 11 plus or 13 plus. If it’s a top prep, then expect DC to move on to top independent selective schools. That’s what they will be prepping for? Is that what you want?

If you just want a nice little private school with few going to independent schools in y7, why pay for something you could get at the RC school?

Obviously RC usually means religion is central to the ethos of the school and I wouldn’t like this. However you also need to weigh up the curriculum and facilities at the schools. Does the private school have separate subject teachers? What about art, music and drama? Do DCs get scholarships to senior schools? Try and evaluate what you are paying for.

Completely depends on the particular schools.