'outstanding' state primary or 'good' private primary

[journey2013]

I really need some advice on this as we are torn as to what to do.....my dd is in an outstanding primary just coming to the end of reception year. We are considering whether to move her to a private school which is more geared to passing the 11 plus.

dd is a bright girl from what we can tell so far and if she is capable would like her to go to grammar school.

Her current school is a nice environment and the children seem very happy on the whole. However we feel she could be pushed on a little more, however the schools ethos is more about the whole child and not to be too pushy with academics. The results yr 6 sats results are very good lots of level 5 and a few level 6. However the number getting into grammar is around 10/90 ....the private school is getting around 15/30 to 20/30 into grammar school.

We are just so torn as the state school has so much going for it:
outstanding ofsted,happy children, good facilities, lots of attention to the whole child and developing the emotional/social side of a child.

The private has: small classes (inf 12, junior 18), 11 plus prep, 'good' teaching, more studious peer group.

Can anyone provide some thoughts on this please ? Anyone made a similar decision ?

Thank you in advance

It is a worry with all the cutbacks Op.

At the moment dd reads with the TA in a 10 minute slot once a week. The actual teacher only listened to her read in the week before parents evening by her own admission so she could write a report. Some weeks of the part time TA is absent then the reading just seems to get over looked.

Dp is also getting outraged by the amount of spelling mistakes by the staff....I must admit we have had a few in the last month. Really basic ones

The 'outstanding' school your dc is at sounds quite good though. What are the class sizes at?

Hope you get sorted

I live in a grammar school area where people move in specifically to try to get their children into those schools. The poster above who referenced tutoring not being the norm - that was exactly what I thought, until I realised that people where just keeping it very very quiet. Around here there is a complete industry of tutoring

"I absolutely disagree. Very few are tutored at the school my 2 attend. The smaller class sizes and preparation in exam technique for the specific schools we feed into, seem sufficient."

"PrepRation in exam technique"

Or, as other people might put it "tutoring"

It may be 8% of children overall who are in private school, but I read somewhere that it is 20% of 6th formers.
I think it's pretty well accepted that where children join a private secondary school at 11, there is very soon no difference in academic level between those who went to private primary and those who went to state. I think that it would only be a very academic private school (which probably indicates one of the very expensive ones which ties in with the well known public schools, and which is very selective at age 7) which would have them 2 years ahead by 11.

My daughter is in a state infant school, not even a "naice" area and was already off the reading scheme half way through year 1 (as was her friend). They are developing really well in a very nurturing environment. I love her school despite initial wobbles about going there. I do wonder about middle school, but so far its been great for her (and the extra money has gone on ballet, gym etc.)

I used to be a grammar school teacher, those who were very tutored often struggled. If my daughter looks like she wont get in easily I wont push it to be honest. Once there it didn't make a slightest bit of difference which school they had come from!

I can remember the 11+ early 80's I was not particularly academic and didn't get a place at grammar school. I remember how a couple of other children who had been tutored still failed. Their parents instated they take 'governers' resit exam as it was then.... and try and scrape in.

One friend managed it. Had an awful time trying to keep up in a very fast moving environment. She still talks about her awful schooldays now.

I can remember the 11+ early 80's I was not particularly academic and didn't get a place at grammar school. I remember how a couple of other children who had been tutored still failed. Their parents instated they take 'governers' resit exam as it was then.... and try and scrape in.

One friend managed it. Had an awful time trying to keep up in a very fast moving environment. She still talks about her awful schooldays now.

Still struggling to see how it helps a DC to cosset them through private primary only to leave them to sink or swim at competitive state secondary. If you have to choose I would always say save for as much secondary private education as you can as that is where they really add value in end result.

Are somewhere with super selective grammars or mainstream grammar like Kent OP. I would be very careful about planning state secondary after private primary unless it is common in your area. If she didn't pass the 11+ (or her brother didn't ) the local comp could be a pretty brutal change .

Not all comps are brutal!

That wasn't what I said!

I went to a comp. I said that the change could be brutal. Which I stand by.

only1scoop - class size limited to 30....currently have ta and teacher in reception....wishing you all the best with your decision too.

I'd be tempted to stick with the state primary and then get in a tutor to cover 11+ exam technique in Y5. If your DD is bright, this should be sufficient IMO. The state primary will not specifically prepare your DD for the 11+ but in my DCs state school 5-10% of Y6 children get places in grammars each year (out of 10-15% sitting the exam).

Oh look who's back - the lovely 'LotusLight'!!

The problem on threads like this is that everyone who is paying will say - send them private, state is terrible - and those using state and happy with it, will say, don't waste your money....

I think you need to look at your child, look at the options and decide which is best for YOUR child.....FWIW, my v bright reception child (reading at a Y2 level) is also fairly bored, but they only have a few more weeks and then they will be in Y1, which in my experience is a bit of a step up anyway......

I have difficulty in choosing between an outstanding state primary and an outstanding private primary for DD into Reception!

Academically, the state primary was ranked the 26th of all schools in England last year, achived 67% Level 5 in combined English and Maths, 30% Level 6 in Maths. The private school (4-18) has an even better result, ranked top 10 of all schools by SATs results (though many private schools don't do SATs), with 90% achived level 5, 20% achived level 6 English or Math; and GCSE ranked 50 out of 4000 schools.

The state school has 30 children per class (60 in a year), laptops on trolley, no music room, 1 PE lesson per week, only spanish from year 2, etc; whilst the private school has only 12 pupil per class (23 in a year), music room, PC room, sports hall, 3 PE lessons per week, Spanish/French from Reception, range of enrichment clubs. According to her nursery teacher's comment, DD is a bit quite in a large group, but quite active if in a small group. So a smaller class may be very beneficial to her?

BUT, the state school is only 5 minute drive from home, in a wealthy town, with a large outdoor playground. The private school is in the city centre, 20-30mins drive each way depending on traffic, has smaller outdoor area, and is GIRLS only. DD prefers state because of a bigger play field and a bigger slide (-_-).

Overall, I slightly prefer the private just for a piece of mind as I am afraid of regretting if anything goes wrong with the state later. But What worries me a lot is that I am not sure if it is a good idea to send her straight to a girls-only school at 4, and spend all her rest of school life in a single-sex environment? Or would it be better to stay in a mixed state school until 7+ or 11+, to gain some experience of socializing with boys??

In terms of academic performance, both school are doing well enough to me. Private school provides more enrichment programmes but I doubt how much DD will benefit from it in early years, and many enrichment classes can also availabe in my town too. SO is it worth of sending DD to girls-only school now, depriving her opportunity to explore the opposite sex?

BUT I also worried if it will become more difficult for her to gain a place at the private school at a later stage, as there will be more competetions and fewer places, especially at 11+. Would it be better to secure the place at Reception now to avoid not getting a place later? Another way to avoid 11+ exams is to start DD's private education at 7+, which means she will be in state school for only 3 years, and then comes the question if it is worth the hassle of moving DD around, or better just settle her into the private sector from Reception and all through to 6th form??

My children went to an outstanding state primary. They didn't go to grammar school because I don't believe in selective education so didn't enter them for the 11+. Could that be a factor in the stats for your primary? PS They both went on to top class Unis from the local comp and both achieved firsts.