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?

My friend's ds sat scholarship exams for 8 London Day schools...

Has anyone looked at Caldicott - any thoughts or views?

No offence but... gah... London day schools! So fierce, not least for the parents! Give me a solid provincial public school any day! [smug face as moving to the country - a LONG way from London]

That said, I work with a bunch of fearfully bright people, many of whom come from St Pauls in particular (the rest practically all come from Winchester!), and all are super clever, confident and lovely!

"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.

So much about admissions to these schools seems manifestly unfair on the end user: they're basically operating a cartel.

These schools are private institutions and ultimately only accountable to their governors. Of course the system is unfair but between St Paul's Win Coll and Eton there are only about 500 places up for grabs (if that) so you could argue thats unfair as well.
Parents are equally to blame why sit 8 scholarships/ 7 entrance exams? Your DC gets it but eventually turns it down in the mean time Fennella who might have got it if your DC hadn't sat it and really loves the school is now going to St Elsewhere disappointed because she didn't get into x. I don't belIeve that's any fairer.
At least if you can only sit one scholarship exam you are saying this is the school I want my DC to go too more than any other. The same applies to CE a few weeks before sitting it you state which school the exam papers have to be sent.

legallyblond - how would you characterise the differences between colleagues who are ex-St P's, ex-Winchester and others? Pure nosiness, but sort of tinged by the fact that Winchester is on my (very vague as yet) long list for very academic DS and seems to attract strong opinions in both directions. St P's I have always viewed as a real academic hot house (and is anyway not an option at all as London is out of the question). The most informed (insider not connected to any of the potential schools) opinion so far has been in favour of Rugby. I am completely and need to make some decisions in the next few months.

happy, my friend earns the minimum wage, she had to put her ds in for 8 because he is super bright but could only go on a full scholarship, she couldn't risk choosing one school and not getting it.

Rugby - ghastly town, nice kids, awful teachers. I went to a house and the dame looked like something out of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane!"

Happygardener - but it could be run like UCAS for medicine. You sit an exam equiv to BMAT - let's call it common entrance for scholars -- you apply to four schools, each school looks at your application and either rejects you outright, invites you for interview/to put you through its paces and then either gives you a conditional offer, places you on a waiting list of rejects you post interview. And at the end the student can decide which of his offers to go with by a certain date. Where's the difficulty in that? What are they afraid of?

I have the same beef with Oxford and Cambridge. Why can't you apply to both? They aren't even the best universities for some subjects.

What is that all about with Oxbridge? They should be seen as individual universities. Plus the College system annoys me as you can only apply to one and you might get a rejection from Trinity but could have got into Downing, for example.

Colleger - Not so much should be seen as separate universities, they ARE separate universities.

Stealth - I PM'ed you for fear of offending anyone!

stealthsqiggle DH an old Pauline DS at Win Coll. DH feels Wychamists are generally nicer people. His words not mine or shall I say have better manners and are generally more courteous. Pauline's can be very arrogant IME.
Both are very academic but we felt St Pauls was very agrressive and that your child would be constantly climbing the greasy pole. But do not labour under impression that Win Coll is not a "hot house" I think in comparison with Rugby you would think it was very much a hot house.

Isn't St Paul's more of a day school, in any case so perhaps not competition at all for the other two?

Anyway, I need to go and do things. I have suddenly landed some work after a few weeks' drought. Hooray. Boo hiss. I need to be disciplined from now on about MN. I can go away and have a good think about schools. The little ones are really happy where they are. I oscillate between thinking wouldn't it be lovely to be in an environment where all your friends played instruments and thinking pffft what a total waste of money.

I think St Paul's is probably very different now compared to when HG's husband went there. Winchester is probably not changed that much.

MrsJ, I find Herts to be a very musical area. But it's still quite young for kids to be noticing instruments so I'd give it a few more years. If you want a musical education for your son then audition him at St Peters Church in St Albans. They need some young'uns and all the boys (virtually all state educated) play instruments and many to a very high standard. I'm sure you're also aware of musicale and the county music service?

David Cameron - Eton
George Osborne - St Paul's
Nick Clegg - Westminster
Danny Alexander - Lochaber High School

I was not planning on comparing them directly - just interested in all opinions on the output before I wade into the minefield of names on lists and exam options. I agree Rugby is in a different league academically, but we are debating the "whole person" outcome more than the academic one (DS is naturally v. academic).

...and then in 4-5 years time we will no doubt start the whole dithering process again for DD.

Thanks, all, for the points of view - all much appreciated (and sorry for hijacking a prep-school centric thread!)

St Paul's has a handful of boarders left mainly in the 8 th (6th) form. Don't get me wrong it's a w

I know some people hate it but if Win is an option then I'd be looking at Oundle as the co-ed choice for rounded but more academic.

Interesting, Collager - Win is an option academically but would be a real strain financially (but not completely out of the question). Oundle I know nothing of, but will attempt to find out (I know DCs school has had people go there, so I guess they will have opinions to add to the mix as well)

St Paul's has a handful of boarders left mainly in the 8 th (6th) form. Don't get me wrong it's a wonderful school and very 21 st century. But it wasn't as suitable as Win Coll for my DS.
I agree with colleger that the ethos of Win Coll has probably changed little and my DH felt St Paul's was just an even more modern version of what is was like when he was there.

Well actually (certainly Oxford, but I believe also true for Cambridge) you apply to more than one college, and if they think you are bright but not for them they pass on your application to other colleges. Also Choral Scholars and Organ Scholars can apply to both, but those interviews are before the UCAS form has to be in.

stealthsqiggle I wasn't aware that Win Coll is significantly more expensive than Oundle unless you going for day.

I haven't looked at Oundle fees yet - you're probably right . TBH any decent full boarding school which does not offer any significant scholarships is going to be painful. At a quick glance Oundle's scholarships are 10%, which is not a lot but still more than Winchester, which, as I understand it, are 0%?