Advice needed for school switching and commuting

[morlaismum]

My daughter is currently in City of London Freemen's. She is one of the top students in her year. We believe she deserves a better school and our aim is high for her 11+, aka Guildford High, St Paul's Girls or Wycombe Abbey. But Freemen never prep the kids, as they want you to stay till their senior school. We are considering switching to Esher prep schools like Rowan Hill or Milbourne Lodge. May I ask your suggestions? Any suggestions would be highly appreciated.

1. Should we switch schools in order to increase our chances of entering a top 11+ school?
2. Alternatively, do you have a better idea? Should we use a credible tutor instead of switching schools in order to achieve the same results? I am just concerned that we are paying for the private tuition and we still need to use a tutor on top of it.
3. The commute from Epsom to Esher during the peak hours could be uneasy. Do you have a similar experience? Should we hire a carer to help us in case my hubby and I can't cope with it?

Thank you very much

Morlaismum

How old is your daughter?

I am confused about the carer comment, what would they be doing? Are both you and your husband unable to drive for long periods due to a disability?

Where do you live now?

You can ask the school if they will prep a small group? That’s what some schools do for bright kids

The drive from Epsom to Esher was awful 15 years ago when I had to do it as part of my commute. You may want to look at how early she can start the day at any of the preps over Esher way so you can get in the car before hand. Are there no prep schools around Epsom (presuming you live that way) that will do the job? Downs End? Kings wood House (do they take girls now? Do they even exist still?)

Why should the school prep students for an exam which will ultimately lead to their students with the best results leaving? Results then go down because the highest achieving students leave so more people leave as results are seen to be going down which in fact they aren't.

What makes you think she deserves a better school. It sounds like she's doing great if she's one of the brightest in the year. Does she even need prepping if she's very bright?

I don't understand the carer thing. Why do you need looked after just because there's more commuting?

Hi SheWoreYellow,

Our girl is 9 yo. luckily we are not disabled, what I am concerned is the time we spent on the road between Epsom and Esher, normally it is 25 mins, but could be 40 mins during peak hours. If we are both at work, then we will need a carer as a contingency. Hope it makes more sense?

Morlaismum

Hi, we are in Epsom now.

Thanks StarsAreBlunt, that is a brilliant idea. We should try this beforehand. KR

Hi Forestfever,

Couldn't agree with you more. Driving from Epsom to Esher is ok in off-peak hours. But it could be a pain during the rush time. We had spent 45 mins on a couple of occasions (open days and taster day).

Indeed, we have investigated the prep schools nearby. DownsEnd is so-so and Kingswood is mainly for boys (they still exist and they have a pretty good reputation). Within a 10 mile radius, Milbourne Lodge and Rowan are the best girls' preps (with the best leavers destinations).

Therefore, either go for a better prep school or suffer the daily commute. That is really a question for me and my husband! It is an uneasy one.

KR
Morlaismum

Hi Ilovenotebooks, trust me, if you do want to go to the top girls schools at 11+, you will need prepping, the freemens want you to stay till their senior, so they don't prep you. and I have explained the carer things in others post. Thanks again. KR

Is public transport an option, even if only as a back up?

God, no. I've been stranded at Epsom for hours before now.

Any prep school will not do as much prep as you would like. Ask parents of those desirable prep schools whether they have to pay for extra tutoring. It's only a year away to the tests so I wouldn't risk changing schools and wasting time getting to know new friends, teachers, routines etc.
Just look for a good tutor or spend sometime learning the 11+ curriculum (mainly Yr6 materials) and teach your child.

Hi benicebekind

Thanks for your fair suggestion. Do you have in person experience? This sounds like a plan for us.

Much appreciated

Kindest regards
Morlaismum

my eldest did 11+ while we were living in another part of London. He got into a top selective independent school and we moved closer to the school just as he started. We tried tutoring at first but it didnt work out because there was no tutor near where we lived and the distance makes it hard. So from January of Year 5 I followed the Y6 curriculum and taught him at home, then gave him a lot of practice tests. The first tests were very poor but he then improved significantly and got several offers to top schools. It was not easy it was first time trying but worth the effort.

that was excellent result, thanks for sharing.

I would be happy to chat about your options if you would like some advice. I work as an educational consultant, advising parents on school options and I do a lot of work helping families with the 11+ process.

@morlaismum we are in a similar situation except is only in Y2 currently, we've decided (a bit late on to be fair) based on educational experience in Y2 at state primary not stretching her enough to look at independents. We're also in Epsom. Would you mind me asking where you got to on decision?