To think DD can get top grades in an 'average' comp. secondary?

[HotCaterpillar]

Dd has done well at primary, near top of class academically and is well behaved and conscientious.

I've moved area and she's due to start secondary in an averagely performing comp. in September. Aibu to think she can get top grades in that environment if she continues to apply herself to studying?

She was offered a place in a selective private school but I declined due to the fees, I could probably just about afford them but it felt very expensive when there is a free option. She's done well in state primary. I'm a single parent working FT, we have a good home life.

Always seems so silly to compare private and state results. Only about 7% go to private school and they are the wealthiest families in the country. No shit their results are better than the general population who take all children! They jolly well should be! Op if she is motivated and makes some nice friends she will fulfil her potential.

I am a very productive and enthusiastic teacher...my pupils have NEVER suffered as I give my all during the hours I teach them, teaching is a performance.

I am sure there are teachers in private schools who have struggled mentally, struggled with the pressure, struggled with the workload..

I sought support for my mental health and I am back to my old self again. In fact this year has been one of my absolute favourite years of teaching despite the challenges and impact of covid and I am looking forward to next year! Teaching is hard, there are times I question why I do it but seeing the pupils I teach make the progress they do makes it absolutely worth it!

She most definitely can. My children went to a comprehensive rated good when they started, and failing by the time they finished. Both did well, first child was always middle of the road to top half of the year in results, went to a good university and got a first. Second child was always very bright, did have some minor bullying issues at school (mainly as bright, seen as nerdy, and bit sporty) but sailed through 4 a levels and got two A* and two A, first at RGuniversity in maths and now earning a whopping salary at 29. And to the bullying, the child I knew who was most bullied was at a very highly regarded single sex expensive private school, so it happens everywhere.

That is great news!

I got straight A*s back when that was the highest grade you could get, in a pretty bad comp. Yes of course it is possible.

My best friend teaches in a private school - she has a relentless stream of parents who constantly demand more because they are paying.

If she could get the same pay in a state school, she'd go back like a shot.

Some of my dds state teachers have been incredible. Very impressive. Can’t see how they could have been better in any other sector. Their school is state but academic it’s cool to do well. Their results are just as good as the all girls private school my friend analysed them.

It’s possible, but statistically less likely. A lot of it depends on parental involvement, how motivated the child is, and the ethos of the school. I had a friend who went to a comp and there was an issue of smart kids being bullied for being engaged, and teachers having to spend a good proportion of lesson time dealing with the troublemakers as opposed to actually teaching. Conversely, I went to a private school, and the students there wanted to work hard and achieve. Some kids are resilient and will succeed regardless of what school they attend, but others will be, to their benefit or their detriment, heavily influenced by their environment.

not all comps are like this of course, and not all private schools are wonderful, but yes, in terms of outcome there is a stark results gap between independent and state schools and it’s one that’s grown in the last few years.

Absolutely! My daughter went to an 'average' comp and achieved top grades in her GCSEs and A Levels. She's currently reading law at uni.

Of course it’s a numbers game. All the private schools near me ( small market town in SE and we have three) require exams to enter.

93% go to state school and that’s with 7% of kids who are selected for grammar or private gone. The state school top results are only half as good but with many percentage more kids, of all abilities.

I’d say consider private for the middling children. The ones that will get lost in the state school system but pushed in private. The clever ones will be fine at state school as long as they put the work in. But as I also said before they all end up at the same Unis .

And sport.

My sister did. And I did. My cousin didnt.

We're not geniuses but were conscientious, curious and wanted to earn good grades.

Depends on the kid.

State school means you can afford for her to have tutors and have holidays and a life.

Private school isnt worth making huge sacrifices in lifestyle

YANBU. But she will need to be highly self-motivated, hard-working and independent, with plenty of support from you. Most recently, 70% of Oxbridge offers have gone to state school applicants.

Yes but @lightisnotwhite there are entrance exams and entrance exams. Frankly the ones at our local rural private school are pretty rinky dink. It has a rep for taking kids who would get 'lost' or 'eaten alive' in a comp and helping them to better grades though small class sizes. It's not a briny I take that gets grades; it's class size

My daughter went to a troubles school in a deprived area and just got her degree at Warwick. You can put a kid who doesn't want to learn in a private school and they can fail. It's the kid not the school

Does the comp have at least one kid each year getting a* a levels? Then of course she can too

It's not a 'brain it takes';

If she is prepared to but the work in then she will get good grades anywhere.

Actually most of the pedagogic evidence shows that the quality of teaching (and of teacher) is a far more significant factor in educational achievement than class size per se. It's better to be in a large class with a great teacher than a small class with an average one.

So thank you all the teachers on here

Not to mention that a large number of private schools only select the most able children in the first place. Frankly it's not really a surprise that a school that selects the top 10% of the ability range gets in the top 10% of results. I'd be more impressed with private schools if they had the same intake as your average comp and still got better results.

Being horrendously bullied at private school (who didn't care as long as I was still getting decent results) is one reason my children are in state.
it took me years as an adult to recoup the damage.

ALL private schools interview test and select their entry (and remove any who interfere with lessons, other pupils learning etc) . The fees are a social selector of parents. So private schools are teaching a very different cohort .

Comprehensives are non selective so contain the entire range of intelligence, behaviour and social backgrounds.

That's the "statistic* that drives the difference in exam grades.

This is all true. I remember bad behaviour being really disruptive at school, and it’s the same now for my DCs’ school. It’s frustrating when they want to learn. Teachers have to spend a lot more time dealing with ‘problem’ pupils in state schools.

Which is why I think the single most important factor is the child’s attitude. If she’s really driven, none of that will matter.

@2bazookas i haven’t argued otherwise. The teachers are as good, the curriculum (at exam level) the same, but private school students are still outperforming their state school counterparts. Since I don’t believe rich children are cleverer than poorer ones, I do think there are reasons for that.

It’s a combination of factors. A kid can want to learn, but can have that desire bullied out of them in a poor school. Environment matters.

some kids will do well everywhere, but others will absolutely sink despite of their potential.