Private for sixth form - would you?

[Smurfma]

We had always thought we would do private sixth form for our children. We have very good local state options but as we were both privately educated we thought that it might be nice for them to experience both sectors of education.
We recently visited two private options and were both surprised by how we felt. Disappointed I think is the closest to it. One felt very fuddy duddy and the academics felt very dry compared to what our eldest has experienced at our local state. The second one had very good sports facilities but again the academics felt very lack lustre and even the art department which I had led to believe from marketing would be amazing, just didn’t have the vibe of the art department of our state option.
Our eldest has good GCSE predictions, plays competitive sport to a high level outside of school and has a really fantastic group of friends as well as friends from sport and other extra curricular.
I am left wondering what the benefit could be apart from less ferrying around to extra curricular - also Saturday school matches would mean she couldn’t play her club matches which are a much higher standard. Just not sure I can see £5.5k term (school 1) or £7k term (school 2) difference.

Stick or twist, what would you do?

Why on earth would you pay so much more for a worse experience? Stick!

Stick.

Dd Was at an independent and did well upto year 11 but the sixth form seemed uninspiring and insular. Lots of girls left at end of year 11 or similar reasons. She got into one of the grammar school 6th forms and hasn't looked back. Look at the state options locally there's sure to be something you prefer and don't forget the colleges either .

I know a few people who did a combo but most went to an independent for GCSE and state for sixth form as the options were broader that way around.

Stick, without a doubt. I don't understand your reason for considering for 1 year. Unless your dc are exposed to drugs, bullying, gangs and sexual harassment I don't know what you think there is to gain from taking your children away from teaching staff who really know them, understand their next steps for exams and have slogged for years to get your child there?

Presuming they have some friends... Private school would see them as interlopers, not fully accepted by friends and they miss out on the natural sense of shared experiences when you leave school with your friends.

I know family who have done this and it wasn't a positive. But if your dc are exposed to the things already mentioned or the teachers don't seem to be supportive of your dc then I'd change school to anywhere else.

Tbh in my limited experience sexual assault is more common at private school parties than others.

Well, given you haven't said anything positive about your private options, the answer for you seems pretty obvious.

@VioletLemon I was exposed to all those kind of things at private boarding school sadly. Especially the bullying.

@TeenDivided dont get me wrong, they weren’t dreadful. Just disappointing. I suppose I just expected more having been building up to this point for years, but they were very uninspiring. They have good reputations which is why we looked at them. Sure my eldest would be fine there. But fail to see how it is £40k worth from our salaries, and we could save that instead give that to them later in life for a house deposit.

I would stick OP. And I say that as someone who moved the DC into private sector, although at younger age than yours.

We looked at 3 schools and had a list of things we were looking for in a school. One we felt was a bit meh, one had lots of positives but a few negatives, and one ticked almost all our boxes. The latter 2 had a really good feel about them. we could see many benefits over their state school and we felt DC would be happy there.

You know when you've found the right school and, sorry, but it doesn't sound like you have!

My dd boarded for 6th form and it was amazing experience, however it was very specific to her and wouldn't suit all.

If your dc are happy and doing well I would look into a tutor to compliment state school rather than private

The thing is, it can be worth it for the right independent school for your child.

Assuming you want a day school, whether that particular school is close to where you live is perhaps less likely.

Some independents will by dry, stuffy and not very inspiring. Others are extremely impressive and offer great stuff. Some will suit your child and others not.

So, as at all stages of education, for anyone who can afford to choose, it’s always best to look at what’s actually available to you and yours and to choose the best based on your child. Often that will be the independent option, but certainly not always.

The errors people make is lumping all state or independents together. The myth that all independents are better is simply a myth. Lots of people think this when choosing reception for their kids too….surely any school with fees must be better. No.

Why might you pay for 6th Form? The school might offer a chance to learn with a cohort of very clever children which will work if your child is one of them. It might offer niche subjects not available elsewhere. It might offer an extensive Oxbridge programme and get large numbers in every year (this isn’t many schools at all) and that might be important to you. Smaller classes might appeal to you. Fantastic A Level results might appeal to you. Some kind of fantastic extra curricular opportunities might appeal to you. Fancy facilities might appeal to you or lovely foreign trips.

Note, not all independents offer all the things on my list. Don’t assume but check they actually offer the stuff you value..and first make sure you know what that list of stuff is. You might find the independents you visit offer all or some or none of it. You might decide to stay where they are or look at other State options with fresh eyes, or you might go.

But fail to see how it is £40k worth from our salaries, and we could save that instead give that to them later in life for a house deposit.

So do that then.

There's no reason to pay for private in this scenario unless you're chasing status.

Marketing is marketing not reality.

Fantastic A Level results might appeal to you.

Hardly impressive to only take the highest performers and then deliver high results.

@WombatChocolate lots of sense in your message.
The state option is non grammar but gets better results than both the privates we looked at as it has high entry requirements (one of the reasons that we are looking at private is most seem more flexible on grade requirements and we want a panic option if she doesn’t get her predictions.) Small classes and wide range of subjects.
so only real difference is more sport.

We have done it but for different reasons mainly because it offers courses rhe state school doesn’t. Dd was unhappy in her excellent state school which has better A level results overall

she needed better pastoral care which the private school offers, far better music opportunities, sport is still compulsary twice a week which she likes. 6 form have to be in all day every day and they keep them busy most of the time. This is important for her mental health. As the kids are spread out geographically there’s much less social pressure at the weekends

we have a much happier more settled child so definitely worth the money

in your position prob not worth it.

We thought we would do private for 6th form, but when we looked at the results for what ds wanted to do our options were pretty much the same as the sixth form of ds's school, plus his school offered more in STEM enrichment. He could have got more of his sport, but tbh he can train 5x a week at the club for that anyway

Moving private for 6th form is the last thing I would do! They will be discriminated against by universities. I prefer private to state for prep as I think it's a great, parent friendly way for a child to try put loads of different things like sports, instruments, drama, coding, languages, but by secondary school age they should know what they like/are good at. It seems like your dc discovered their talents and have opportunities to do what is important to them. I wouldn't move them now.

From what you've said about the schools I think you'd be mad to even consider it!

(and I say that as a private school parent. Most of my friends with brainy kids are moving to selective state 6th forms as the Oxbridge rate is far higher)

@Janieread do those parents not know that Oxbridge admissions people are smart enough to work out where the DC sat their GCSEs? The DC's results will be contextualised by the overall results within their previous school, not their current one. Also, selective state 6th forms will be considered similarly to selective private schools in contextualisation terms.

@NellyBarney universities do not discriminate against private school students. They consider their achievements in the context in which they were achieved. That is something very different from discrimination.

It's the wrong way around, I'd stick with state 100%

We did state juniors, private seniors, state A levels and then uni,

I can't see the benefit of private A-levels they will be with potentially pupils who have been in that school for 10+ years so the adjustment and friendship groups would be a bit odd for them maybe.

Mine is straight level 9 in local outstanding state.
She has been offered two full scholarships for two top private schools in the local city.

the local outstanding state has a big sixth form but over 1/3 of results for a level are a and a*. They have said she can do 4 a levels. She did 3 GCSEs early in year 9 or 10. She’s house captain and happy and has loads of friends.

we looked and she came to me and said look mum I know you think it is amazing to be able to go to private school but all my friends are going to the local school and I want it too. We did two visits one to each private school and then she had sixth form open evening and even I have to admit the state was far far far better than the private - so she is staying.

This is all so reassuring to read. I thought that it was just me and that I was missing something. I think we will probably stick with the excellent state (unless she doesn’t get in, the private schools seemed very relaxed about grades and suggested there was wiggle room if she doesn’t hit what they ask for, got the sense as long as you pay you are in 😂)

The facts are there. A higher proportion of students getting top grades at a level and GCSE at the private school and yet they got 6 into Oxbridge. 30+ at the grammar. Literally everyone i know (ok, about 7) who moved there got into Oxbridge.

Of course they discriminate! They have quotas of state school students and they have to hit them. Doesn't bother me personally - none of mine were clever enough - but it's plain to see. That's not to say the state students aren't clever enough, od course they are.

I personally think the bigger the better for sixth form in order to provide a good bridge to uni. Our local sixth form college with 1000 per year group gets very good results considering it’s nowhere near as selective as school sixth forms.