Objective information on private schools?

[IsItMeOr]

Have been inspired by another thread to at least look at the private school options for DS around us - because you don't know unless you look, right? - but am a bit flummoxed about how to tell whether they're any good or not.

They don't seem to have OFSTED reports, is that right? So are there other sources of info that parents use to narrow done the schools before they start visiting?

We live in South London, so there are a gazillion private schools within relatively short distance, so not feasible to visit them all.

TIA .

Try the Good Schools Guide.

They should all be inspected, if not by Ofsted then by ISI.

There should be ISI reports (they are not compulsary though) and most schools actually have them on their website. Read the news sections of the schools websites are they talking about activities you would like your child to have participate in or not. Phone and ask for a prospectus - costs you nothing. The prospectus often has a statement at the start relating to the schools ethos - do you like this.
When you have whittled it down a bit - many schools have open days where you can visit in a less formal environment and then if it is a possible I would arrange a visit with the headteacher on a one to one basis.
Often on an open day you will be shown round by a responsible pupil if it is junior a year 6 (10 to 11year old). You usually take at least 1 to 2 hours to view the school with the pupil this is your chance to chat/grill the pupil about what the school is like.
I school choose had lovely polite confident 10 years old who showed me round, one of them picked up from me asking some of the teachers about how they would work with a partial hearing child, went on to explain that her sister was a partial hearing pupil in the school and all the school had done to help. It was the quiet polite confidence and delightful conversation that these two girls had that made me choose the school above others.

IsItMeOr: the Good Schools guide is the best starting point. Also ask other local parents of children a bit older than yours where they go and why. Think carefully about the routes to schools and whether there are any notorious bottlenecks. Also check the length if the school day, and whether there is a charge for using the late room (important if you need wrap-around, and highly variable).

Think about what's important to you in a school. And remember that your quiet, shy sensitive 4 year old might be a completely different person at 7. It's really really difficult to imagine your child any way other than the way they are at the moment, IYSWIM, but you have to try.

Ask where they go on to when they leave.

Ask about punishments and discipline.

Ask about how they deal with special needs and assessments for dyslexia and things like that.

And DON"T BELIEVE A WORD THEY SAY IF THEY CAN"T PROVIDE EVIDENCE! This applies to all schools, but particularly to private schools who are, when it comes down to it, after your money.

And see if they are registered with any of the private school bodies, such as the Girls Schools' Association, IAPS (prep schools) etc. I would be a bit wary of a small school that's not part of a group and not registered with any of these bodies, because I'd be wondering why they'd not joined any of them. If they have a nursery section, that will usually have an Ofstead report, because if they aren't registered then they can't get early years funding. Certainly I have found the Good Schools Guide has been fairly accurate on all the schools I know about. You can go through the Independant Schools Inspectorate site to see which of your possible schools are inspected - again, I'd be wary of any that aren't: but remember that if the inspection was some time ago, things may have altered since, especially if there's been a change of head.

Check schools.net too. You do get some aggrieved comments on there but may be enlightening about SEN provision and other "claims" ! You can search here and get the ISI reports. Oftsed only applies to EYFS classes in private schools.

You can probably narrow down the list oof potential schools by omitting:

-more than half hour's rush hour journey time for your DC travelling alone
-gender
-boarding/day mix
-cost
-size
-academically selective or not
-age range

surely that should narrow it down to not too many to go and see?

Thanks so much for all the helpful replies. Sorry not to respond earlier, but it has been an A&E day (everything fine in the end, thankfully).

This gives me plenty of leads to research, and I really appreciate your words of experience. I never thought we would even consider private primary, but it has got so crazy in the state sector around here, that it seems sensible to at least research.

BTW, does anybody know how hard/easy it is to get into good London private (boys) schools for secondary, if you have gone state for primary?

School newsletters give alot of info about a school IMO. You can find all sort of stuff out from these including the stuff schools dont want you to know.
There will be all the daily/weekly naiff naff in these anything from PTA info, to occassionally incidents that have occured and maybe new rules to conteract it happening again as well as the positive stuff.

You can sometimes find them on school websites to read or when you contact a school for a visit - perhaps ask for a few or if you know a parent at the school ask them for a copy or 2. These newsletters IMO can give you a whole insight of what a school is like "in real life" not the perfect picture a school prospecus will try to project.

London secondary transfer is very competitive and much more stress than elsewhere.

Yes schools do look out for joiners from state schools - Dulwich College for example - but you will be up against the field of the prep school cohort plus all the others who are thinking of transferring sectors then.

But that's a long way to look ahead to guess the future. What sort of education do you want now? It will help you a lot to think now about what makes up a good education to you, and then look at a range of both private and state schools to see how they measure up to what matters most to you.

darleneconnor makes sensible suggestions.

If you want DS in a London day school then it would be easier and less stressful to have them in a good independent school from reception as even 7+ is a nightmare and potentially harder than 11+.

If you can find a school with good success rates to senior schools that is close by then that may well be your best bet. Where exactly are you located London as SW or S London is still a massive area?

The inspection reports are found on isi.net and there is a school may on isc.co.uk where you can stick your postcode in and it brings up the nearest schools to your home.

Thanks Floreat. We're between Wandsworth and Wimbledon, if that helps to narrow it down at all?

Have stuck our postcode in to the DirectGov search that shows all types of schools and there are seven pages of results within 5 miles of us .

The reality for the state schools is that we aren't going to be close enough to get in to many of the good (or at least, popular) ones, because the catchment areas are so small at the moment. We may get into our nearest school if it expands to 3 form entry. But then it will be getting very large (>600). We may get into our 2nd closest state school in the neighbouring borough (which is also good/popular), depending on the demographics, but that is it.

I thikn 600 is too big for a primary school, especially in London.

Follow this postcode link as it only includes independent schools:

www.isc.co.uk/SchoolSearch_PostcodeandCountySchoolSearch.htm

I had a look in your area and if you eventually want a boys senior school then I would consider sending him to a prep school that is co-ed up until 7+ and then becomes a girls school. Now this may seem mad but given you don't have a huge academic choice in your area and the boys schools are selective, the schools that lose boys at 7+ work really hard to get them into top academic schools.

You may actually find it quicker to jump on a train/tube rather than driving at that time of day and this could open your search up.