Girls moving to seniors at 11 v 13 - thoughts?

[JustALittleLessPain]

DD (just finished Y4) currently weekly-boards at a lovely and good prep school.

Thinking ahead, we would like to apply for a day place at an outstanding independent senior school in the area we will be moving to next summer that takes at 11+ and 13+. It would undoubtedly be a better fit academically and current prep think she will have no trouble getting in and that it is perfect for her… but they’d prefer she stay on until 13+ (obviously!). Technically she could continue full boarding there until then.

So now I’m debating the pros and cons of moving her at 11 v 13. I know it’s more common for girls to move at 11 so I hadn’t really considered staying on at the current school until now. There are fewer senior places available at 13+ entry and to get in at that point she will have to undergo both a full day of pre-testing and another day of 13+ entrance exams whilst also then preparing for CE at her Prep.

So, putting our specific circumstances (relocating etc.) aside, is there any benefit in staying on at a prep and delaying the move to senior school, particularly if the senior is superior in standard?

I always thought it was a no-brainer to move earlier, but I’m keen to hear other’s opinions. I get that being top of the school before joining the bottom ranks of seniors is probably a good experience and leaving at the same time as her year group would be nice. But what about doing all those tests/exams, which will take up a lot of y7 and y8? Is it too much when you can just get on the intended senior path at Y7 and settle in with the other new girls?

Or is it that Y7 and 8 at seniors is mostly taken up with getting all the non-prep/international students up to speed before Y9?

Any advice/experience would be appreciated!

I can see pros for both but on balance, if you're going for an 11-18 day school there seems little point transitioning from weekly to full boarding with a cohort that is likely going on to other 13+ boarding schools. Above all, the clincher for me would be that going in to a school with friendship groups that have been established for 2 years already can be tough, especially for girls.

It’s easier to get in at 11 rather than 13. There are more places.

Or is it that Y7 and 8 at seniors is mostly taken up with getting all the non-prep/international students up to speed before Y9?

All three of mine went to Independent secondaries from state and this was definitely not the case.

If the main intake for a school is 11 then I would always move them at that point, particularly if it’s a day school. I have seen children really struggle trying to break into existing friendships groups when joining as part of a much smaller 13+ cohort.

Even the very traditional boarding girls schools now have their biggest intakes at 11 - Wycombe Abbey, Downe House, Bendenden. Girls are just ready for next school at 11.

The only reason for keeping her at the current prep would be if she was joining one of the big 13+ coed boarding schools.

@SoupDragon, Thanks, that's good to hear.

@Zodlebud and @Legoninjago1 It's majority boarding, but she would be a day girl, so that probably means it's even more important for her to make friends with the other day girls early, right?

I'm going to ask what may be a daft question.

Why would you have a child board in y4/5/6 only to then go back to being a day pupil at a mainly boarding school later? It seems a slightly strange way round to do it. Is it just circumstances or was it a conscious choice?

How well integrated are the day pupils at your target school? Is it more 'day boarding' (arrive for breakfast leave at 8pm) or just there for lessons? Are they properly attached to houses or really separate?

I'd aim to enter with the main intake, certainly not after.

My prep school was mix day and boarding. There was a divide. I wouldn't want to be a day pupil in a mainly boarding school unless they were well integrated.

@TeenMinusTests Yep, circumstance. We’ve had a mad few years but next year’s move will be our last and we’ll be settled. DD boarded so her schooling wasn’t disrupted and she’s been happy.

We will be moving 15 minutes away from the senior school, so it would be mad for her to board! Luckily the day/boarding girls are very well integrated and the house system is impressive, so I’m very happy on that score but still, getting in with other local girls from the start definitely seems the way to go.

I also boarded when my parents were abroad and switched to day when they returned to the UK, and I did feel I was missing out a bit but that school was very different to this one - they’ve come a long way since I was at school!

I am guessing you are WA or Downe House. Absolutely move her at 11.

@Zodlebud 👍

But I bet she will want to full board as she gets older. Both schools are great at integrating day and boarders. But as they get older they will want to be with their friends, particularly if they are already used to boarding.

If it’s WA then all the girls are all together in junior house for their first year which would help facilitate friendships. From the second year onwards they would be split across all the houses and they have mixed age group dorms so might be harder to make friends (although they do have plenty of 13+ joiners).

If it’s DH then joining at 13 means she would miss out on the term in France.

A term in France! Wow.

Our DD is currently finishing yr 6 of prep school. It does seem all girls schools have the bulk of their intake in yr 7. Personally I think it's a shame to miss the last 2 years of prep school where you get to be sports captain etc. We just moved DD from an all through girls school to the prep as the girls were starting to get a bit sassy and we prefer to squeeze an additional 2 years out of childhood.
It's a tough choice to make. Our 1st choice is a coed school which doesn't start til year 9 and one of our backup schools is an all girls boarding school so the decision is easier for us.

Look ahead. Think more about the next school and not the current one.

If most start at 11, starting then is best. Of course the Prep would like her to stay and she could quite likely have a great time in the Prep. However, I have known quite a few kids (girls and boys) stay in at Prep until 13 when their senior school had an 11+ intake and then wish they had moved at 11.

Why?
They had all done a pre-test in Yr6 anyway, so that thing that used to be the case of CE determining where you went wasn’t really a thing. Once the exam was done and places offered, really they wanted to move into the next stage,
They knew people during yr7 and 8 who had moved onto the senior school and felt they were left behind….stories of friendships being formed, sports teams being built, senior school methods of working etc.

I think 13+ generally worked better for boys who were perhaps a bit immature and in the past when they didn’t have to take exams until yr 8 they had a chance to mature, which helped a lot of them. Staying at Prep also saved people money as fees were often cheaper than senior schools (but not case if your child will only board at Prep). Despite some public schools still only starting at 13+ (usually boys schools or schools that were previously boys schools) those with the majority of intake at 13 are increasingly rare…11+ is more and more popular. It has always been more popular for girls anyway.

Staying at Prep can feel easy and comfortable now in yr 4 or 5. By late yr6 or mid yr7 or 8, staying can feel a bit disappointing for many kids now, especially when they know wheee they will eventually go. In the last they didn’t have that and more went at 13, but things have changed.