Schooling in the UK

[1horatio]

Can somebody please explain me in an unbiased way how it works in the UK? What we should do? Or to a website that's unbiased and concise?

DH is great but just really biased. I'm not a fan of boarding schools. Not at all. For us it was common to have lunch at home, so the thought of a boarding school? But DH thinks it's the best?

DD is just 5 months. But we're currently trying for DC2, I'm thinking of accepting an other job offer so I'd really like to be able to plan.

I'd really appreciate your help.

[icanteven]

For girl's schools, check out the wonderful Girl's Day School Trust, btw. Can't praise them enough.

[Mummymathsteacher]

Is it the German school system you are familiar with? Because the whole set up is very different to the English system. The first year of primary is more of a cross between Kindergarten and Grundschule. We start formal education so much earlier, but there is less expectation that children will be able to write, use scissors etc. I've taught in both and the starting point just feels very different.

Also worth considering that the Early Years curriculum is essentially from birth. So nurseries and pre-schools are working on the same continuum.

At 11, the options are also quite complicated. There is not really a Gymnasium/Real Schule/ Hauptschule split. Grammar schools still just about exist, which are theoretically more academic. But you are not prevented from University of you go to a "normal" comprehensive. Realistically, where you live will have the biggest impact on schools if you are not few paying.

That's all before even thinking about the public school system.

[1horatio]

icant will do 👍
That seems reasonable.

piglet interesting. Thanks ;)

[1horatio]

mummy

I'm familiar with the Swiss system. Which is different in every canton... so around 26 different ways of doing things... :0 although they're trying to make it more similar the rights of cantons are so entrenched.

But yes, it's more German than English, that's certainly true. The Matura has a higher standard than the Abitur (you can't pick subjects and automatically graded more severely), But there are no university entrance procedures, as a tradeoff... unlike in Germany.

[famousfour]

Yes you can put your name down for more than one - for a fee of course! If you look around the areas you live or are likely to live you will likely identify a few obvious candidates that suit you. I'd select a small mix of schools coed / single sex / selective / non-selective etc. Then you have options once it becomes clearer what suits.

[famousfour]

Lottery - I guess probably fairness. But that particular school is very popular and the odds of getting in spectacularly low I believe...

[Mirandawest]

I'm not sure what the persvwtages currently are, but it used to be 93% of pupils are at state schools and 7% at private schools.

[1horatio]

There is an all girls school very close to our house (5-10) but 0% of students have English as a 2nd language. Which makes me v sceptical.

And then there's private mixed school for ages 3-14 close by as well. But only 5% of all students are girls... which also makes me sceptical.

[1horatio]

A 'maintained' school is a state school, is it? Whereas and independent school is a private school...?

[TheMortificadosDragon]

OP - over the UK as a whole, its 93% state schooled, though post 16 that drops to 82%. Outside london and the south east it's low.

[TheMortificadosDragon]

A 'maintained' school is a state school, is it? Whereas and independent school is a private school...?

Yes.

[PhilODox]

%educated privately in UK is 93, so not that different to Switzerland.
You have met more independently educated because of field you work in, and you're London based, that's all.

[1horatio]

Ooops... 🙈🙈😳 I really thought private schools were a very popular choice in the UK. The 93% number makes DH even more unreasonable!

[Noitsnotteatimeyet]

Well they are very popular in some areas and some social circles ... I should imagine about 93% of highly paid bankers' children are privately educated ... and there are some boroughs e.g. Richmond where the figure's closer to a third

My children have been to/are at a mixture of private and state schools - those schools near you sound very odd. My youngest was at a co-ed prep with a boy:girl ratio of 50:50 and is now at a secondary with a similar ratio. The age ranges don't sound right either - primaries (state and private) go from 4 (reception) to 11 (Y6), 'traditional' prep schools (mainly boys) go from 4 to 13 (Y8) and secondary schools go from 11 or 13 to 18. There are no state prep schools so all state primary schools finish at Y6. If schools have an attached nursery they'll advertise themselves as being for children from the age of 3 - there are nursery classes in both state and private sectors

As London is a very international city I would be amazed if there were any schools in either sector that didn't have many children speaking another language at home - a quarter of the pupils in my dc's class at what's not usually considered to be a particularly diverse school are bilingual

There are brilliant and awful schools in both sectors - the ability to pay means you have much more choice and can definitely avoid the awful ones ..

[happynewyearchum]

Well this was an education in itself...

[1horatio]

happy

It's complicated. There is private, public, state, maintained, independent,
And then all the different levels and years and forms....

[1horatio]

noit

I made screenshots.
Nr. 1: 5% girls

Nr. 2 and 3: English not first language 0%

[happynewyearchum]

I don't dispute that, just very odd that someone living in the UK thinks most people go to private school.

[1horatio]

happy

Not most people. Just a very popular choice. I thought it was more than just 7%.

It's not like I really cared before now, tbh.... 🙈

[LIZS]

I don't think you can rely on ISI stats. The school definition if eal or sen for example could vary widely. These are inspections undertaken by private school staff for private schools, so not truly objective. Any with early years (nursery and reception year groups) should also have an Ofsted report.

[Sittingunderafrostysky]

I guess it depends in the circles you move in! Where I grew up, I knew one family who went to private school, and several hundred at state schools. Where I am now, it's nearer 50% at private. My son does a hobby where all bar one of his friends and team mates are at private schools.

Quite simply, most of the UK simply don't have enough money to comfortably afford private education, OR we are happy that our children can thrive and do equally well in the state system.

You can always ask around friends or colleagues with school age children. Do you have friends with babies of the same age as your DD? This is going to be a regular topic of conversation for many years.

[1horatio]

Do independent schools have ofsted as well?

Would you consider a school with an ofsted of 2? Or only of 1?

[1horatio]

sitting

Some colleagues from work have babies/young children. Wouldn't it be too personal to ask them about their children's schooling?

[LIZS]

Independent schools with early years departments will usually have one covering preprep. If their nursery offers "free" 15 hour places it should have one. Also boarding schools are ofsted inspected specifically for that aspect. Otherwise Ofsted is voluntary in independent schools and may have an ISI instead.

[thebakerwithboobs]

Just to add something else into the mix-remember that there are state schools that also have boarding provision if it is the boarding as opposed to the private education that your husband covets. All of our sons are given the choice at eleven to go to the local school and chance having to move when we are posted with the military, or attend a boarding school. All, so far, have chosen to board and they have all thrived. That's not to say it's right for everyone and as a mother it has some heartbreaking moments (I snatch them back at the weekends!!) but I just thought I'd add it in as an option. In the case of state schools with boarding facilities, the education is free and you pay for just the boarding. At the school our sons attend, boarding is about £9,500 per year so much cheaper than a private school. More importantly from our perspective, it has all of the diversity and population of a state school which was very important to us.