Moving from Independant to State, does this sound like a good idea?

[icarriedawatermelon2]

DS has had 2 years in pre prep and is due to start Year R in a state school this sep. The pre prep has been AMAZING and a great start for him. I may ask to do 1/2 day flexi school so he can have 1:1 tutoring in maths/phonics and a music lesson. I think this would be a great way of giving some extras which tbh the state school wont be able to give as the class size is 30.
Do you think 1 afternoon a week out of school would be a problem in any way?

Snob reasons - that's me too - so good to see someone articulate it.

It's great when the opposite side make your case for you .

Inverse snobbery too though seeker - as in "we don't want those posh speaking folk taking up places at our oustanding schools, if they can afford private they should pop off there "

I think schools reflect the the parental aspirations and area. A well run school full of kids who are expected to work hard, are well mannered and aspire to top universities, is a school that will thrive. These do exist in the state sector.

Who said that?

I think it's only a few people who think like you, Rosemary.

No I'm sorry I don't educate privately for those reasons we are exceedingly lucky and maybe in a minority I have a lovely middle class comp on my doorstep with nicely spoken polite well behaved children. Our results are also excellent so the children must love learning. Admittedly no Latin but we do have lots of proper clubs run by professional sportsmen/women/artists etc. My children including the one at this comp "speak well" because we speak well.
So thats not why I send DS2 to his school.

"Inverse snobbery too though seeker - as in "we don't want those posh speaking folk taking up places at our oustanding schools, if they can afford private they should pop off there "

I don't actually think anyone has said anything like this, have they?

quick seeker, there is an other prep school thread starting somewhere on this board

Saw it and thought of you.

I actually have perceived a small degree of suspicion bordering on hostility about people who "chop and change" between state and private. I just think that everyone makes the best decision they can about their child's education at any given time in that child's life. The same thing may very well not be appropriate for a child's whole educational career.

Lawks yes, it's all about the private schools this morning on MN.

I'm off to Waitrose.

Back to the op.

You should still be entitled to the 15 hours govt funding for the whole of the reception year as he is a summer baby. The school will deduct it from the fees in the same way they have in the pre school class.

You should also be able to pay the fees for the reception year with salary sacrifice vouchers eg computershare as he will be under legal school age.

Once he is in yr 1 then full fees will be payable.

Whether it is advisable to keep him there 1 more year then move is a matter for you. There is a risk you may not get your preferred state school i think if you only want him to start in yr 1.

I would be quite affronted, if I were his Reception teacher, to hear before he began at the school that his parents anticipated I would be failing him and therefore would be taking him out of my lessons for half a day a week so that someone better able to do so could teach him what I'd failed to.
As regards the state v private: it is a pointless argument if the OP cannot afford private and is IMO stupid to commit to expenditure that you cannot afford - although I'm aware there are families that do. If this helps, my FIL has had five children go through education. The first four were all at top public schools (he worked for the FO so they were funded places); by the time DC 5 started school FIL had retired, so BIL has to go state. FIL wrung his hands for 13 years about the inadequacies of state music provision, sports facilities etc but ultimately DC5 ended up with As and A*s at A level, is consistently getting top grades at his RG university and really has not turned out any different from his siblings.