To think it is a big risk to pay for private prep school and assume they will get into grammar

[Villagebike3]

This is a follow on from a response on a different thread. I live in an area with grammar schools. This means the state secondary schools are polarised between fantastic grammars and sink failing comprehensive schools. The clammering to get your child into grammar is a nightmare. It starts from before they even go to school!!

Many parents pay for a private prep school with the assumption that this will get their child into grammar. Prep schools are a lot cheaper than private senior schools.

However, I work in a private prep and there are lots of children each year that don't get into a grammar. Some parents can afford the private senior school if they don't get pass, but there are a handful every year from the school I work in, who have no choice but to send their child to the comprehensive.

The step from a private prep to a comprehensive secondary is huge. It seems a big risk.

Am I being unreasonable to think that if you embark on the private school route, you need to be able to pay right up till they are 16/18?

The super selectives around us take about 40-45% of children from private prep schools. General grammars have a lower intake, but still over 20%. I do believe the chances of getting into a grammar are higher with a private education where class sizes are smaller and the numbers of deprived children are negligible. So the middle of the range children get far better chance.

It is just I also agree that a certain academic level needs to 'be there' naturally to start with, so if your child doesn't have it, no matter what you pay for at primary, they won't get in. If you can't afford to continue private education at senior school, the leap to comprehensive is huge.

There are 4 children I immediately think of who are in years 1 and 2. They have no chance of passing the 11+ but the parents are planning on that route.

like sue51 I know of someone (work colleague) whose DD was in private primary. Sat the grammar tests but did not pass. This was with out of school tuition as well, so as clam says the child may not even had the ability (in general or on the day)

It was all rather sad as it was constantly thrown in the DDs face that because of her failure to get into the grammar the family had to forsake holidays etc; as rather than accept the comp place, the parents insisted on DD remaining in private education.

YANBU

I have always taken the view that if there is any question of affordability at the senior stages it is better to keep the money in the bank until you need it.

"middle class prejudice that people with less money mostly couldn't give a shit about eduction"

Clearly that isn't the case, but if you are trying to claim that household income has no impact on educational achievement and life chances, then you are living in dangerous cloud cuckoo land. Schools in deprived areas often do suffer from low achievement, low aspiration and low engagement - that's not snobbery, that's fact. What chance challenging entrenched inequality if people like you deny it exists in the first place?!

The grammars haven't promoted social mobility for about forty years!
In our area, grammars have less than 3% FSM, whereas the authority is about 35%!

"If you can't afford to continue private education at senior school, the leap to comprehensive is huge."

Which may well be the making of them! I get where you're coming from, but are we really fretting that the risk is that... shudder... they may have to participate in life outside of the privileged bubble of private/grammar education? And to learn to deal with change? Whatever the parents' plans, let's give the kids some credit. Let them make the leap, just as some kids from state primaries make the leap to grammar. Mobility isn't just 'up' and the more we mix, the more hope there is for future generations having the experience and insights to tackle inequality.

Gets down off soapbox...

I agree with Catmuffun grammars used to be different when everyone sat the 11+, now the tests are at the weekend so kids whose parents aren't bothered don't even get the chance. Plus many entrants are privately tutored up to the gills. Fortunately, most of the non grammars in this district are rated good or outstanding, my DCs have gone down the comprehensive route which has suited them.

Where do you live OP where every state school is A a comprehensive and B failing?