Do you think I gave wrong decision?

[alwayssmileandbepositive]

Hello,

My DD is in year 7, she did 11+ assesments last year for independent schools. She is an academic and bright child. In total she had 5 offers. We picked the closest school and also the school that has offered her scholarships. But, she had also offers from more academic and prestigious schools without scholarship. We save about £5000 a annum a year now because of the scholarship’s . To be honest we could also afford the ones without the scholarship but I felt like there is no point to pay that money as I do believe she will do good anywhere with great pastoral care and excellent learning. She is so happy in her school right now but I can see that she is in top 3-5 when I checked maths and english assessments scores with other parents. Which is ok - as she is so confident and feeling great to achieve highest grades in class. But some parents ( from her previous primary school ) says it was silly to go for less academic school if you have an option for an more academic one. When I checked the previous GSCE results schools that she currently attends has %78 A grades %35 A, and other academic school that we didn’t go for has %84, %38 A, I believe school that has %84 A grades is because of they are more selective (school start at 7+ and over) but my daughters school is start from nursery and till 18+. So in this case school that starts from 7 has more doable/ academic kids.
Do you think I gave the wrong decision? I am thinking of that because the academic school told us that she can try 13+ (if they have a place) as she did good in the 11+ exam.
In addition my daughter is all girls (single sex school) and other schools are mixed. At the moment she is so happy in single sex school - its looks like she just focus in her studies. She was in state primay and even in year 6 she was worrying about her hair style or clothes more then now.

Will be pleased if you share what would you do🙏🏻

Thank you 🌸

No I don't think you made the wrong decision.
She is happy.
She is doing well.
You have more money to spend.
The other school maybe gets very slightly better grades because their entry requirements are higher. It could be that your DD's school actually does better overall because they take pupils from a lower starting point academically.

If your DD is happy and doing well, then I would stick with the school she's at.

Why risk disrupting her socially and creating a longer commute for a slightly higher school average?

Surely with the right support and teaching, she'll achieve the best she's capable of. And you could spend the £5kpa on a tutor if you're worried about specific topics?

My DD has always been at state school, so maybe I have a different perspective.

I agree with ovi

Stop second guessing.
The % getting As don't count. Only what your DD achieves count. The school is clear capable of teaching bright children, so what's the worry.

Had the same dilemma with my son- passed for some very academic schools, we kept him in the less notably academic but more local school (results sound similar to yours). The thing is, the schools with the better results don't have better teaching, smaller classes, any magic formula to get those results. They just have a super hard entrance exam and only pick kids who can pass it , which obviously translates to good results. I'm certain the value added scores wouldn't be anything special.

We're paying for the great sport and music, small class sizes and good facilities. The fact it's local is brilliant- he's got local friends and a short commute which is great for when he gets lots of homework or does sports. Honestly I am pretty certain that barring catastrophe the results he'll get at this school will be on a par with the results he'd get from the more academically successful schools- but he'd have a longer journey, fewer local friends and possibly more stress. He's super happy where he is. Loves being top 10%, and is cheerful and relaxed.
It's not always about the results the schools get.

Sounds as if you made the right decision!

1. There’s very little difference in the results of the two schools, so it would be pointless to move her based on a few percentage points.

2. She has a scholarship. Discount for you and there must surely be some kudos / extra attention attached to it, which may make school life extra pleasant for her.

3. Single sex schools are statistically and psychologically better for girls.

4. She’s happy, thriving and doesn’t have an arduous journey.

Really, you’ve done well. Relax!

I think if she is happy and engaged then she will do well. You could have picked the more academic school and she could have hated it or had social problems. There's no way of knowing.

I think you should be at peace with your decision.

I agree with all the other posters. Your daughter sounds like she's doing very well, and is very happy at the school.
Changing schools could mean all sorts, and the last thing you want to do is move her from a school where she is happy to a school where she might struggle (friendships/pastoral care etc). Unfortunately you don't know if she'll be as happy at the other school, but I really don't think it's worth taking that risk.
The school she is at sounds as good as, the difference in results isn't huge, and as you said she seems to be focussed on her work.

She might also struggle in school B, because sometimes being placed in a school where you are no longer top student can have a negative impact. I had a friend as such, found it difficult she wasn't the brightest or one of the brightest and fell into 'can't be bothered' attitude.

I feel like the benefits of a good school go far beyond the grades. And grades aren’t 100% an indicator of teaching quality because it completely depends on the starting point of each child, which is why ‘levels of progress’ were brought in for measuring the outcomes of state schools.

If your DD is happy and doing well, I really don't see what the problem is. Unless you're trying to create one?

She's closer to home so the daily drop off and pick ups are easier.

I went to the local shitty comp, did really well and made life-long friends.

My brother won a scholarship to a swanky academic private school and hated it.

If she's happy and thriving, just let her be.

Current school gets 35% Astar grades, and your daughter is at the top of the pack - so she's likely to get a good crop of Astars.
The other school getting 38% Astars doesn't make it more likely that your daughter would. It either means they have more high-fliers or more of the not-quite-so-high-fliers get Astar.

A number of private schools have a system (I think it is called off-rolling, but I'm not sure), where they will take children who they don't think will do well in the exams and enter them under their own names for GCSE rather than as pupils of the school. Therefore, little Jocasta's bad grades don't count towards the school's statistics.

It's bad practice, but it happens.

If your daughter is doing well, it sounds as though the school you chose is fine. Try not to stress about it, and bear in mind that the 83% score may well be a reflection of the intake and as a result of off-rolling as opposed to vastly superior teaching.