To put DD in a boys school..

[Purplelemon7]

The nursery & pre-prep school that my DS will likely join takes 3-4 girls every year (in a class of 20) up until the age of 7. Interested in peoples thoughts on this. I might ask the school to put me in touch with girls parents to find out what they think. The alternative is the girls school which is on the way to the boys school (I’m more inclined to do this but I don’t know if I will end up hating the school run more than people normally do). I wish there were good co-ed alternatives but there aren’t.

I don’t think I would send my dd to a boys school no... even if it was only for a few years.

Never mind whether it’s a boys’ school or not, which of the schools feels right for your DD? We looked round one single sex (girls’) school and two co-Ed schools for my DD. Given that she has 2 younger brothers, I desperately wanted to like one of the co-Ed schools best, but the girls’ school was so clearly the best school for her that there is where she goes. Yes I will be dropping off and picking up at two different schools when the boys start school but so what? For me the best thing about being able to afford private education is that you can choose the right school for the child you have.

I can see why some parents would do it but personally I would look at the girls' schools first and generally choose them.

My area had mostly single sex schools for independent and single sex for state secondary as well so most parents did 2 school runs with young kids. Older kids walked if local or took buses from quite young. The well known boys' prep was a ~25 minute bus ride away and it was common for boys to bus from year 1 on their dedicated bus service. They seemed quite happy with it.

I think I would consider sending her to the girls school.

One of the advantages of sex segregated schools, to me, is that in the first few years of school there can be a significant disparity between the boys and girls educational readiness overall, and often a somewhat different teaching style can bring out the best in them, more so than later on a eight or nine when they are more equal.

Though there certainly are some girls who are not typical in that way, so fit the advice to the child.

But generally, I think I'd avoid changing her to a new school if possible.

I'd look more into the bus now. My son walks to his primary school as it is right next to our house, by almost all the kids come on the bus as we are rural, starting from age 4. The four to eight year olds are all in one class together, and it's quite cute to see the older children from the class lead the little ones on and off the bus.

Yes I think I may need to consider the bus option more carefully. The girls school website mentions that they have a chaperone on the bus as well as the driver so I feel more comfortable about that. The boys school website doesn’t mention any chaperones on the bus but I’ll ask them. Although we have flexibility to work from home we do also have jobs and I’m mindful about not taking the piss with my employer. The schools are a 10-15 min drive away on a clear run, with traffic and very limited parking near the schools I imagine the school run will end up taking a lot of time.