Private school underperformed I think my friend should get a refund. AIBU?

[Rambler96]

Friends daughter did her A levels at a posh girls school in Shrewsbury and failed to get the grades she needed for her university place. Now all the results are published, it looks like the school has massively underperformed for some reason. I think she should get a refund on some of the fees.

If you look at their gcse results in 2023 their 9-7’s were pretty poor at 38% compared to the previous year at 60% and their 9-8 fell off a cliff at 19% compared to 43% the previous year. That cohort were the 2025 A level results so it’s no surprise the A level results were poor, which they are

That is very relevant data.

Blimey !

Where is that.
That’s very unusual and I’m surprised they get many kids

Independent schools vary hugely. It always amazes me when people in here talk about "private school" as if they're all one and the same. Around me, all the independent schools publish their results - there are schools that get 97-99% 9-7 at GCSE year on year yes, but these schools are fiercely competitive at 11 plus, often seeing 10-15 applicants per place. So if they can cherry pick the most able children in London, no wonder the results are exceptional.
Then there are slightly less competitive schools where results are most like 70-80% 9-7 at GCSE. But still very academic kids by national standards.
Then there are some schools for 'averagely' academic kids (but not many)! Results may be about 50% 9-7. Outside London, these results would be considered very good though - for instance, there is a grammar school in Wirral that gets these kind of results and everyone regards this as a super-academic school (whereas in London, it would be a 'back up school' in terms of the independent sector).
So, in the case of this 'posh' school where OP's chold went, it may just be crap? Many private schools are.

The average results for state schools across where I live ie County Durham are: (9-4 64.4% and 9-7 17.1%), the North East (9-4 65.2% and 9-7 17.9%), and National figures (9-4 67.1% and 9-7 21.7%).

The independent schools in NE are averaging 90-100% of students achieving 9-4 grades (previously A-C) and 30 -40% achieving 9-7 grades (previously A-As).
Compared to London these may not be great but you can see that the state results are really quite shit. You need context of local state outcomes to judge.

@twistyizzy - yes very true. The flip side is, that in independent schools around here, you can count on one hand the pupils in a year group who get anything less than a 7. So if you have a child for whom a 7 would be a push, there are very few private school options (because they won't get in at 11 plus), so those students have to travel quite far out of London.

The only state 6th form serving the same town as SHS (and for some distance around) is Shrewsbury College.

Data here: https://www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/school/130800/shrewsbury-college/16-to-18

One of the issues facing students locally is a lack of choice: almost all schools are now 11-16, and with a rural county, distances are long. The college outperforms the county as a whole, and has good value added, but its raw results are affected by the fact that, as a near-monopoly provider, it has unusually low entry grades at GCSE to join A level courses.

This post has been very illuminating- clearly we have a school in decline with falling numbers as well as results - my friend should probably have done her homework before sending her there.

It would appear from comments on this thread that there are multiple issues going on, feel sorry for the girls that have missed out

I agree, @BrownTroutBluesAgain this seems unusual and bucks the normal trend.

Because it is not about facilities. It is about smaller classes, better behaviour, teachers not having their teaching time disrupted, sense of community, focus on achievers rather than managing competing SEN. Facilities are a pretty superficial way to judge a school. The state school in the area with the best facilities is also the worst performing.

However Private Schools do in the majority have very good facilities for extra curricular as well as academic studies
so theatres, photography studios, music rooms etc in abundance multiple pitches etc for sports, ours had a golf course and an Olympic fencing gym building. Etc
Indis tend to have more extra curricular, subjects to study and facilities and it’s part of the push to send your kids there.

It’s unusual to have non of that
Hence why I’m interested in where this area is
because it is very very unusual as @dontletmedownbruce has also acknowledged.

I can believe this might not be the case in London where the independents compete against each other a lot more. But if you look at small provincial independents, especially in areas with poor state performance, where parents have always been much more sensitive to fees, it is pretty common.

Mine have been to two, not in London

We visited others all over the country far West and to the corners of the country so to speak.

All great facilities and some definately remote

It’s Wierd but if you don’t want to say where, that’s fine

Maybe a few issues, but it seems undeniable that the biggest factor was that this was a low-achieving cohort, as their GCSE results show. Their A level results are pretty much exactly in line with their GCSEs in terms of their starkly lower performance compared to previous cohorts. Not much the school can do with that.

It’s Wierd but if you don’t want to say where, that’s fine

You name the school your children currently attend first….

Not the case for my friend’s daughter or their friends. Great GCSES and under achieved for A level.
I’m told the low achieving girls at GCSE left to do subjects like animal care at local colleges
This cohort seems to have had a really really rough ride

Some of the rationale for private school evaporates at 6th form. The rowdy crowd have left and many classes are small anyway. Dds good state 6th form is stuffed with pupils from the local independents. Dd is one of 6 in her a level German class. Plus starting more independent study pre university is surely a good thing. Dds best friend at a top name public school is being ridiculously hand held it’s insane.

Just out of curiosity, you said upthread that the local state schools performed better. Which ones are you comparing against? Most Shropshire schools don’t have sixth forms, most almost all kids have no choice but to go to the local college.

Yeh I agree with this. I recall DS2 being relieved at some of the people who had left his school after year 11. His A level PE class was about 12 students, and there were two maths classes of about 18-20. DD was in a group of 16 for Eng lit (one of two classes) and there were two in her A level French class.

Kudos to your DD's sixth form in having six taking German A level! That's almost half the total number of candidates in England I reckon :D <weak laugh>

They have left
but
It was The Kings School Canterbury

Private schools are businesses and can run how they want. The pupils still sit public exams but other than that… they aren’t regulated by OFSTED unless there’s massive issues ( which private schools with money for lawyers and PR are very good at disguising anyway) but by another ‘independent’ body that only rates private schools and is funded by private schools so…

Mmm where’s my tiny violin? The most private school thing about this ‘issue’ is the evidence of the privilege and entitlement private school parents have… my money didn’t buy me the grades for my kid that I expected …

They are not for for profit organisations.

Many of them are inspected by Ofsted. Ofsted which the majority know isn't fit for purpose. You think lawyers can hide things from Ofsted? Give your head a shake.

The whole point of them is that they are independent from the state and thank God for that! I want my child as far away from government interference as possible

Maybe a thick cohort.

Good that they are in a private school and not dragging down the results of state sector kids.

Goodness, that chip on your shoulder must really be hindering your rational thinking.