Is it worth paying for prep school?

[MrsJAlfredPrufrock]

I paid/pay for my teens to go to a selective boys' day Snr school. Prior to that they went to our nearest state primary school and passed their entrance exams without coaching. My younger two (6 and4) are at a state primary (a different one to their brothers as we've moved, on paper it is massively better, in reality it's not) and I'm wondering if people think it's worthwhile paying for prep school. I used to think it wasn't but I'm beginning to wonder, especially for things like music and languages.

What are other people's experiences?

Just a comment to those saying look for the feeder schools to your chosen senior school - that sort of cuts both ways (and - disclaimer - probably works very differently for London schools, of which I know nothing). One of the things I like about DC's school is that is not obviously a "feeder" to anywhere in particular - the leavers scatter to the four winds (including a very creditable number of "good" scholarships, considering that it is not academically selective). The school absolutely publishes the destination of every leaver, including those going into the local comp.

One of the keys to success in a broad spectrum school, as someone else said, is selection within the school. DC's school has a "scholarship form" from Y4 - some DC move in and out of that as they go up the school, but the scholarship form are taught differently and have different expectations placed on them to the other forms in the year.

Stealth - totally agree. If you choose a feeder school (like you, I don't know much about London - we're leaving for the country!) then you are tied in really to the senior school, but that might not be the school that suits your child. How can you know at 3/4 or even 7? I am actively looking for a prep that's NOT affiliated to any particular school... see my other thread re Exeter preps!

you are not tied in! our prep (south west) is linked very strongly to the senior school and finishes at 11 BUT a proportion leave for other schools that start at 11 OR other preps that go on to 13.

I've no idea where you live but at DS2 school (full boarding) a boy joined in year 10 because one left, another friend got her son into St Pauls after two terms he'd originally turned the place down and gone to a big name but significantly less selective boys boarding school, everyone was very surprised. Another friend got a bursary from a very over subscribed selective day school at year 10 again she had been offered a place at yr 9 but turned it down and went somewhere else (less selective and cheaper fees but he was bored rigid). She had to eat a very large large portions of humble pie in front of the head (much to his satisfaction) but still got the place and the bursary. I think you will find that there is a bit of moving around after a couple of terms and some of the top schools offer generous bursaries e.g. St Pauls, Win Coll

hully As they get older you realise that there is only so much you can do. Then it is down to the DC - it's their life, after all. It's up to them to make the most of what life throws at them.
I wish that my boss would make my working day more exciting and stimulating but I don't think that it is top of his priority list. I have to manage my own happiness.

Grafit - please comment on my Exeter prep thread!!

ha I am not near Exeter - if you want them to board then Bryanston, Sherborne, Sherborne Girls, Leweston and St Marys Shaftesbury are ace seniors (not sure if you have boys or girls). Bryanston has no uniform and is very collegiate in style if you like that sort of thing. not sure where you are at in terms of kids and ages etc

you could do Colyton girls grammar if in Exeter...

lol unreasonablemuch it was very, erm, laid back. Corporal punishment though! aboslutely NO pastoral care I think it just doesnt happen in France!

MrsJ, you secretly want your sons to go to Eton and Win now don't you. Come and see HG and me and we'll sort you out!

Apparently the pass mark to get into St Paul's is 65%.

www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4793334/Time-for-some-common-sense.html

No your not tied in if you choose choose a feeder school although in the case of Collet Court I believe you are virtually tied in and others have told me that their schools were not overly helpful when they didn't want to send their DC's to their preps senior school. Also the head may not be in a position to advise you as well regarding other schools if most go onto to the attached senior school. An attached prep may also have less experience/knowledge of the exams requirements for other schools.
You are also more likely to get a scholarship from an attached prep I think most of the scholarships for St Pauls are from Colet Court. Ditto Junior Kings.

Colleger - Quite apart from anything else, have you seen their fees? We are too wealthy for any form of bursary, but not wealthy enough to be able to afford it.

Things may have changed MrsJAlfredPrufrock but we visited St Pauls three times before the interview (admittedly over 4 years ago) and then my DS was offered a place and we went back again and he even spent a night in their boarding house on every occasion we were firmly and repeatedly told by every member of staff we met, apart from the porter on reception, that the pass mark for CE was a minimum of 70% (we and our head received a letter stating the same thing) and before accepting the place a year before starting another letter again reminds you of this and you are asked to be absolutely sure that your DS is capable of can achieve this. The FT were actually incorrect in the number achieving A's at A level they said it was 94% in fact according to St Pauls own figures in was a mere 89% so as frequently occurs the press is not always correct.
As far as I understood they offer out significantly more places than there are available and take the top 125 so 70% was in fact the bear minimum.
You may not be too wealthy for a bursary there are lots of posting on MM stating that you cant earn more than £40 000 a year to qulify for a bursary certainly for Win Coll this is not true.

I am not saying you are tied in absolutely (I doubt they can even do that) but the staff are likely (understandably) to be less knowledgeable/flexible about preparing DC for entrance exams to anything other than "their" senior school, IYSWIM - whereas DC's school routinely prepare a dozen scholarship candidates for a dozen (or more) different exams, as I would assume do other schools without a "partner" senior school.

Given that you can only sit CE for one school, it's impossible to say which school is the most difficult to get into. What a silly system. The senior schools hold all the cards don't they? I would have thought the likes of Westminster were the most difficult to get into because of the huge demand for day school places.

MrsPrufrock, have you looked at Westbrook Hay? It's not far from Lockers.

Schools like Westminster St Pauls Eton etc have pre selected their children at yr 6 that is when its hard to get a place; the year we applied for St Pauls we were told it was 900 applicants for 75 places. Usually only a handful more sit CE than there is places. You are also asked sometimes two years in advance to stump up a deposit (often sizeable) confirming you want the place even those who don't pre select often want this.
It is a silly system particularly as lots of schools have different deadlines for deciding if you want the place or not so you might be waiting to see if you have a place at one but being forced to pay even a whole terms fees at another to keep the place the ridiculous waiting list system operated by many doesn't help this. Parents with lots of money can hedge their bets by confirming places at a couple of school and then deciding which one they want.

Being at a feeder school is fine if the feeder school is highly selective. A boy going from Colet Court or Habs or similar to another public school would have no problem getting in anywhere - assuming he was not leaving because he was struggling. But a less selective school that goes to 18 will probably not prepare well.

WinkyWinkola - Yes, I've sent for their prospectus.

Happygardening - What a ridiculous system. It would be far more meritocratic if they adopted a UCAS style choices form. So you could apply for say 4 schools, and be invited to interview or rejected outright. Of course they would HATE that.

Also when Prep schools list their scholarships - some of them list them as: academic scholarship to Winchester, academic scholarship to bedford, academic scholarship to St Albans. Might these three scholarships be offered to one and the same boy? Ditto with 3 offers of a music scholarship.

I like it best when they list the boy's name and then the award.

I think that I read/heard somewhere that you have to sign to state that you are only sitting the Win Coll scholarship not any other or it might have been St Pauls or Eton somewhere like that anyway.

I agree a UCAS system would be better but would there be a problems with not is that not all schools have intakes at the same age and some setting their own exams.
Your definitely right about it being better when they list who went where my DS's old prep school does that stating exactly were everyone has gone regardless of where it is. Thats one good thing about it I suppose.

Eton, Win and Westminster sit their schol on the same days normally. You can't sit the Eton schol if you've been offered one elsewhere unless the other school grants permission.

i think sitting multiple scholarship exams happens more frequently in London day schools with an entry point at yr 7. Many offer scholarships just on the basis of entrance exam results and we have friends whose son got offered 4 and went around playing one of against the other to try and get the best fee reduction.