My D has been denied an automatic transition from junior to senior

I wouldn't fight for her place. I'm not going to get into the rights or wrongs of the school but ultimately I wouldn't send my child to a school that didn't want her there and if what they say is true, that she'd be better in a less academic school, perhaps she would be better being in or near the top sets in that kind of school than struggling through the senior school you had in mind.

They should be telling parents before the end of year 5, so there is time to make other applications in the normal admissions round

I’m an ex secondary teacher. Children develop at different stages academically in their lives though.

I’ve taught y7’s who didn’t appear very bright who walk out with 4 A* A levels, and vice versa.

My dd in Year 11 is just hitting her stride now. I didn’t develop until year 11 either.

Bone idle ds didn’t really get his act together until university.

My school used to do this. Generally at Easter holidays. Someone would be there before Easter and gone when term restarted. Private academic schools can be quite ruthless to keep their grades up.

I do know one person that was in a similar situation as yours. Moved in yr 4 from a prep to an all through. Was told in yr 5 they wouldn't go through to the seniors. Parents very upset and school were non negotiable. They managed to go back to their old prep and move on from there. It's terribly hard though.

I would ask them to direct you to what school they think is suitable.
It does seem strange that they are only now flagging with you she is unsuitable. Do you think she is having some behavioural issues at school?

Not unheard of but unusual to take a child in year 5 and not progress them . Did you tutor her to get through the previous assessment? Agree you could look for a prep school for year 7/8 in case the state option does not come through but be aware that narrows options for 13+

as frustrating as it is - if they don't think she will be suitable its likely she will be unhappy there in senior school due to the pressure to achieve certain grades. They likely take children from elsewhere. If you can afford private find one that suits her better.

There is little point the thread getting into a private v state argument. By your own admission you knew their policy that admission into the lower school did not automatically mean that a senior place is automatically given and it would work on a selective basis.

Unfortunately they have since ascertained that your DD does not meet their academic requirements.

What year group is she? You say she joined in y5. However many lower schools at private go through to year 8. There is usually a y7 and a y9 intake at other private schools and I assume you may be looking at those schools too not just state options.

I understand your disappointment that she may not be as academic as you hoped but there are other ways to support her getting good grades going forward (tutors if you want) and she will be happier and more likely to thrive if she is being taught at a level where she is comfortable.

Really feel for you. Which part of the country you are? I would suggest you look for very good non selective independent schools near your area. One with nurturing environment. How were the parent teachers meeting like in this school? How were her grades during year 5? I know it is easier said than done, but may be this entire situation will actually help your DD. Even though it is late, but if you start ringing the schools around you now, there will be schools still with places or who also run late applications. How is your DD coping with this news. It will be good for her own confidence I feel if you can change her school and she can have a fresh start in senior school.

I think 'off rolling' to keep the school's grades high is poor form. Sure, if the child is struggling to keep up at all, perhaps a less academic school is more suited. But if it is the difference between getting a B rather than an A, then that is gerrymandering or a form of massaging the results to make the school look better than it is because it is really the school's job to polish up the students.

My experience of ds being in a very academic school which prides itself on top results is that the parents are given a lot of notice that the child is not coping with the academic rigor.

As her parent, do you feel that your dd is struggling to keep up in her current school? Has the school given you a lot of feedback prior to this or have they just sprung this on you. If the school said nothing and your dd is almost halfway through Year 6, then this is very poor form to take 1.5 years of school fees to drop your dd at a crucial juncture. If it is Year 5, then the only thing you can criticise is their selection process needs to be better.

It’s worth saying that not all private schools are selective. My DC isn’t & has never been. In fact they take a lot of children who have left other independents in situations like this. Their results aren’t what they are at the selective but they are above national average.
It’s true to say that selective school, grammars included, are onto a winner from the offset.

Another independent in the area doesn’t have notable academic results but is renowned for sporting achievements & facilities. Really depends on what you want & are happy to pay for.

Is she currently in Y6, or still in Y5?

[quote bird77]@GU24Mum you got the point.She joined after a formal assessment and the school said they could not guarantee automatic transition to the senior but only in very rare occasion they don't offer a place.The school is saying is for her best and that she will be happier in a less academic school.but I do believe is especially for their best as they aim to get all A student in their senior.I personally think it is really unfair.[/quote]
This is how selective schools operate. They take your money during primary with genuine seeming promises and then select secondary based on the 11+ (in some areas they will even reject existing private pupils who have passed the 11+ to scramble for talented state educated ones who they feel will excel better at GCSE / A Level). You are better off pursuing a non-selective option.

The private sector is brutal like this and hasn't served your DD well. They shouldn't have taken her in year 5 if they weren't confident she would be able to transition to year 7, that's very hard on her. Saying that, they can't get the impressive results at GCSE they need to maintain their status as 'exclusive' and attract fee-paying parents if they accept all abilities. The reason private schools get such outstanding results isn't just due to the higher standard of teaching but that the children who would have got lower grades, haven't been admitted in the first place.

Are they proposing to support you in finding a suitable alternative? They've left it really late to tell you, so I'd expect them to pull strings or use connections to sort this out.

I think that's pretty shitty that they were prepared to take your money (I'm presuming for private education) for 1 year and now expect you to go elsewhere after your daughter has settled a bit and made friends.

That's a really disruptive experience for her and very poorly judged of them to allow that situation. They should have assessed better initially or been more supportive in the last year. I think I'd be kicking up a fuss.

The school is saying is for her best and that she will be happier in a less academic school.but I do believe is especially for their best as they aim to get all A student in their senior.I personally think it is really unfair

That’s kind of the point of private schools. People wouldn’t pay to send their children there if they didn’t get better results than state schools. And they won’t get better results if they are open to students of all abilities, as state schools are.

The school is saying is for her best and that she will be happier in a less academic school.but I do believe is especially for their best as they aim to get all A student in their senior.I personally think it is really unfair

What's fair about private education full stop?

There are many children who DO have the ability but who'd never get the opportunity to experience this school at all. That's unfair.

Just pay for a different school with lower expectations.

I’m sorry OP. It sounds like the school didn’t do a very thorough assessment initially which has led to a load of unnecessary upset for you and DD. Then on top of that you have to find somewhere else for DD. There will be something out there. Get looking and that productivity will help your DD and then be really positive about the options you do have. I too would ask you current school for support with looking. You have my sympathy but don’t let DD feel like she isn’t good enough though I recognise that that is a really hard thing to do.

I have to agree with @Daydreamsinsantafe. My mother lied to the headmistress of a private school we interviewed at in Australia when I was 13, making out I had higher grades in Maths than I actually did, so I'd get placed in the 'top' set. This was 40 years ago, and the last school I'd attended was in the UK, so far easier for my mother to get away with the lie.

Having to collude with my mother's lie for the year I attended that school was so fucking stressful. It got to the point that I would hide in toilets, locker rooms, even not attending school at all on days when I had Maths lessons. I also intercepted the post so my parents didn't see my report card. I've never forgiven my mother for putting me through all that stress. My Maths studies never really recovered and it's the only subject I didn't even get an O level in.